Great Egret Block Print

I have recently finished a new reduction block print of a Great Egret. My daughter took a photo of one of these beautiful birds while walking along the ocean in the"Southie" area of Boston. Even with jets flying overhead to land at Logan Airport, this bird seemed unperturbed.

The Great Egret is a large showy white shorebird with a yellow bill and black legs. Not to be confused with the much smaller Snowy Egret, which has a black bill.

I started with a cropped image of the photo, and transferred it onto an Easy-Kut block. I then outlined the drawing with a thin Sharpie marker. All the areas that will remain white are carved out first.

I printed  light layers of blue and tan to start. The yellow bill was printed using a stencil to keep the ink only in that small area. 

I also used stencils for the ochre color in the water.

Lots of textures!

The ochre color was covered with another layer of darker blue. The rocks and the seaweed were defined by a darker brown, after I carved out all the textures.

This is the finished version. You can probably guess that I also cut a stencil for the leg. The black eye was applied with the wooden end of a paint brush, dipped in ink.

The image is 6.5" x 9, and I'm framing it in a 14" x 16" black frame with a white mat.

Unmatted prints from this edition will be on my Etsy shop soon! 

Inspired by Summer and the Seashore

 I've been working on a couple of small prints of seashells. So far I've done a block print of a scallop, and another of the "yin and yang" of a mussel shell.

I'm participating in the Uncommon Art on the Common in Goffstown again this year. It also happens to be the 15th anniversary of the event, and will take place on Saturday August 3rd.

The little block prints that I've been working on are quite small at 5" x 5", and will be matted to fit an 8" x 8". frame. I'd like to complete one more in the series before August 3rd. The question is, what kind of shell will be next. I have a variety of local New England shells that have been saved over the years, and I'm looking over my collection for the right one.

   

         

                   

Summer officially arrives on June 20th, and if the forecasters are correct, it looks like it may be a 90 degree scorcher! Stay cool!

Jane