Starting a New Print--"Shells"

I've been working on an idea for a new reductive block print. I love the ocean, and the native shells that wash up on the beaches. I want to use a limited palette of colors as well, so I worked up a composition that incorporates mussels, small clam shells, and a heart-shaped rock.

This is the drawing that I created on a sheet of tracing paper. I used the tracing paper for the pencil drawing, so that I could easily transfer the image onto the block by flipping it over, and rubbing the back with a spoon. The size of the drawing and the block is 6"x 18".

After transferring the image to the "soft-cut" block, I outlined the shells with a permanent marker. so that the drawing won't rub off during the printing process. The image on the block is reversed from the original drawing, so that it will look like the original after it is printed.

I plan on using the natural colors of the shells---brown, gray, blue, and cream. The paper is Rives Lightweight white (more like an off-white), and the ink is Akua intaglio. The ink works very well for relief printing, and can be cleaned with Dawn detergent and water. I've placed the block in its template, taped down the "pins" for registration, and taped the "tabs" onto each sheet of the printing paper. There will be 12 prints made from the block using this technique.

Stay tuned for further progress.

Summer Vacation

I've been finding some fun things to do now that school is out for the summer. A quick trip to Maine, and a day on the beach with a friend, inspired me to paint on some flat rocks that I collected there.

Here's the beach, and a massive piece of driftwood, bigger than myself.

Mermaids have been one of my themes this year, so I tried to fit my drawings onto the shapes of the rocks.

When I'm done, I'll put a coat of varnish on them.

After a recent rainstorm, I took some pictures of my back yard. The colors of the clearing sky and the misty atmosphere made everything look very lush.

I've been having too much fun to work on a new block print, but hopefully in my next post I'll have something new to show.

Summertime!

The school year is ending, and I'm looking forward to summer break! We've been having such lovely weather the last couple weeks, and I'm ready to get out there and enjoy it!  Wiley seems to like it too.

It's nice to see flowers blooming in the yard, and house wrens in the birdhouse. The parent wrens are swooping in and out of the birdhouse, and you can hear the little nestlings chirping to be fed.

The irises have been adding a pop of color here and there, and the day lilies are starting to open.

My daughter took a picture of the sunset from one of the tall buildings in Manchester, and if you look very closely, the new moon is just coming out. The sky and the horizon make for a stunning contrast of complementary colors (the art teacher in me).

I've been very lax about posting on this blog, so hope to get back into it now that school is almost out. I'll be working on some new block prints, and will share my progress. Bye for now!

Blooms

It took a while for Spring to arrive, but it's finally here, and we are enjoying all the gorgeous blooming trees and shrubs. New Hampshire's state flower is the Purple Lilac, and they come in all variations of purples. I took this picture while walking around town the other day.

Everything seems to be blooming at once, and our ornamental Cherry tree had a bounty of flowers on it this year.

Also the Azaleas

Last weekend, my group of fellow printmakers hung work at the Massabesic Audubon Center. We did another event two weeks ago in Brookline NH, which got us excited about showing our work. The new show will be up until June 23. It's a great place to visit for hiking and birdwatching---they even have a live video cam of the peregrine falcon nest in Manchester. While I was there, we saw one of the parents feeding the three babies. The parent had brought what looked like a small bird back to the nest, and ripped it apart, then stuffed bits down the eager babies' gullets. A little gruesome, but fascinating to watch.

My pieces in the show.

Tried to get this little sketch done in time for last week's Illustration Friday post "hairy" but didn't make it, so will post it here. Looking forward to a day at the beach, but not on a windy day like this!

Mad River Print

I had been working on the "Mad River, Waterville Valley, NH" print for a few months, and I finally finished it. I'm happy with it now, but I wasn't feeling sure that it would come out the way I wanted. I started with some intense colors in the first layers, which I liked, but I had to make some color decisions in the middle that deviated from the actual tones in my reference photos. I got some feedback from others in my printmaking class, and I'm satisfied with the final color scheme.

Setting up for the final layer

                                                           Registering the paper

                                                                Leaving them to dry

This weekend the printmaking class is showing our work at a venue in Brookline NH!

"crown" Illustration Friday

Just a little sketch for Illustration Friday, "crown"

April Showers

Yay it's April! Must be Spring! Too bad there's a chance of snow this week, and nothing above 50 degrees in the near future. Of course I shouldn't be surprised as this happens every year. We get excited about warmer weather, and then disappointed when the cold weather hangs on longer than anyone wants. Tomorrow is Opening Day at Fenway Park in Boston, and our beloved Red Sox will be playing on a windy, sunny day with temperatures in the 40's. Go Sox!!

I have been working on a different mermaid print. For this print, I painted a black background with acrylic paint, inked up the plate with Speedball ink, and printed it over the black base. I added a variety of colors using Prismacolor colored pencils over the ink.

It's considered a monotype as each print will be a little different. I like experimenting with different techniques and color schemes.

A simple little Easter card

My faithful companion who likes to hang out on my desk while I'm working on projects.