Illustration Friday "capable"

With practice, Mouse found he was capable of finding balance in his life.

Illustration Friday "fluid"

The fluid in the beaker began its transformation.

Illustration Friday---Popularity

The popularity of the Valentine's Day cupcakes boosted her own popularity as well.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak Block Print

I spent the afternoon in the printmaking studio at NHIA, finishing up the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak print. The last layer of ink is black, so now the bird really pops out. I had printed a red layer first and found it hard to cover that bright hue. I ended up with layers of red, gray, blue-green, green, and black. I'm happy with the results, and glad to finish it as a Valentine's Day gift for my husband. Originally it was supposed to be for Christmas.

For my next project in class, I'm learning how to make a lithograph. I knew it was a lengthy process to get the stone prepared, but I didn't realize how much a physical process it is. I spent most of the class leaning over the graining sink, graining the stone with various carborundum grits to get the surface level and free of scratches. At next week's class I'm hoping to get to the drawing stage where I'll use lithographic pencils with a high grease content to build up tones. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak Print

I have been working on a new reduction block print of a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. These birds are one of the favorites that vist our feeder in the summer. I cut out the white areas on the bird first, and then printed a red layer. The second layer was a neutral gray to help cover the red. I 've printed one more layer of a greenish-gray so far. Today I cut away some of the background, and will print the leaves color next.

And the Winner is....Illustration Friday "suspense"

"And the Winner is......"

Big day in New England---we are all in suspense about the outcome of the Super Bowl!!

Good-bye Sketchbook

I mailed off my sketchbook on Monday for the 2012 Sketchbook Project. I finished up the cover this past weekend and sent it off to Brooklyn NY. I am looking forward to checking it out (literally, you get a library card) when the Sketchbook Project Tour visits New England.