One Coot Finished

At last, a finished print with a  little hand colouring. There has been quite a lot of learning the hard way with this one. Patience is a virtue.

The large coot with 2  punky spiky haired chicks .. vinyl cut. Image 11 x12 inches

Coot and Dragon Progress

I am, as always struggling with registration with my lino prints, but I have managed one print with a additional colour in good register.

 

I am going to try two more and some basic added colour.

The dragon is making slow progress, I am trying some ideas for the surface decoration, there is a big mess!

I like to think it’s creative. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Coot 2 Progress

I am still playing with the coot and after a bit more cutting away I have another black proof.

 

I am hoping to make a few experiments with this and now have a blue green version and a couple of dark blue ones.

 

Coot Blue Lino 10 x11 inches

More to come :)

Rooks are ready!

Well, the final prints of the rooks [Corvus frugilegus] group had to be done and it's always difficult to know what the outcome will be but I was pleased with the end result, particularly as I still have a printable image at the end of the reduction print of three colours - the rooks themselves.

 Most of the prints had a strong yellow background, only one was printed in blue - my favourite one of course! I was interested to discover that the Latin word  'frugilegus'  means food gathering and some of the  collective nouns for rooks include' parliament' and 'storytelling'....and seeing these prints together I can imagine them telling stories to each other.

The yellow field of rape in the background

The blue/green background which creates an interesting contrast

Close up of rook's feet

Watercolour and lino print, using the final image of the rooks.  I will develop this as I like the birds but think I would like to change the background both with colour and perhaps cutting out some of the strong lines which contain the image.......a  piece of work which has the potential to go on developing......

Rooks rattle you.......

My work on the lino cut of the rooks continues, cutting away the blue sky and then printing the yellow background.  It was seeing some black 'sooty' rooks flying  against  the vivid yellow background of a field of rape which gave me the idea for this image and I'm pleased with the contrast. However, as with all creative things, the unexpected happened as I played about with an experimental print......

Blue sky cut away to allow for the second printing of yellow

Second colour printed. The top left hand print was one which I did right at the end, playing around with the blue left over on the roller which I didn't want to waste. Of course, now I realise that I really like the effect and wish I had done more......

Just the rooks left now..... it's at this stage that I wish I had done a separate block for each colour so that I could reprint in different colours and do some more blue backgrounds. Another reminder of the perils of reduction printing. However, it does make me appreciate all the more the hard work and thought that goes into this creative process - it's probably one of things that you just can't understand until you've tried it yourself.

  

A quick hand print on Japanese paper of the final image of the crows. If nothing else, I'm still left with this but the next stage is to put the block through the press and see if my registration plate does the job.......

Coot Number 2

I have returned to the coot sketches and am planning another print to be a companion to Rook. I am not sure if or when I will be able to find the right sort of type so might just have to cut it myself. It would be good practice.

Black and white thumbnail.

So far I have made a rough proof and scribbled on it a bit with white chalk to  see what more I need to cut away. I made quite a few colour roughs but in the end decided it will just be black and white this time, like rook.

 
Inked up plate and first proof

It’s fascinating seeing the print emerge. It’s never quite how you imagined.

The Blue Hedgehog Print.

A few sketches notes

 

and a quick reduction lino print.

 

The Blue Hedgehog

  

The little blue hedgehog on a windy moonlit evening with swaying palms.
Reduction Lino image 6 x4 inches