Happy Christmas!

At this time of year it seems that peace and quiet are hard to come by for us humans but the beautiful beasts just carry on as normal. Keeping warm and finding enough food are their priorities and when you see how people behave in the Christmas sales it makes you wonder how we've got to the top of the food chain!

Thank goodness we have our furry, prickly  and feathered friends to help keep some sense of sanity and although my hedgehog friend should really be fast asleep at this time of year, I can't help imagining him [or her] rooting amongst the leaves for a tasty morsel as the large cool moon rises up behind them.

 

This is the first print on the press rather than a hand printed image and I'm pleased with the result.  There's lots more work to do on the image but as the Christmas cards have now been written and the presents [almost] wrapped, I can turn my thoughts to everyday life in the world of the Beautiful Beasts which is a wonderful place to be when the Christmas madness has taken over the 'real' world.

 

Happy Christmas to anyone who has been kind enough to read our blogs over the year, and we hope you've enjoyed them as much as we have.  We're taking a break for a short while and are thinking about how the blog should progress but in the meantime Happy Christmas to you all and hope you like this hand drawn image inspired by the 'Angel of blessed silence'.........so apt at this time of year!!

 

 

 

 

Best wishes for Christmas and 2015 from Val and Sue

Hardy hedgehogs....

 

With the warm autumn weather we've been having it's no surprise the hedgehogs are wondering what time of year it is, I just hope that they all find a home before the really cold weather starts. The colours of the autumn leaves have been particularly good this year so if they've used them for a warm bed, they'll be feeling very stylish!  Last year at this time I nearly disturbed one of these lovely creatures as I tried to tidy up the garden but fortunately discovered him [or her] before any damage was done and left the leaves all around to keep our valued little friend warm. 

 

 

Pencil sketch

 

I'll be working on another print  but there's something so special about them and I want to find out  more. There's a lot of information on the British Hedgehog Preservation Society website and after reading it  I think that I might have a go at making a hedgehog 'prefab' for the garden.....baby hedgehogs in the garden next Spring would be wonderful . Did you know a collective noun [or one of them] for hedgehogs is a 'prickle'.....sounds perfect to me. 

 

This character looks like he could do with a good home, but I love the expression on his face.....he just has to made into a print!

 

 

And finally, following the hand pressed prints of the magpie, I did some roller press prints from the same block   

 

 

The moon and the magpie. Roller pressed on Japanese paper.