Booth Layout

Choosing prints for the Loscon 40 Art Show this weekend.

Not carved in stone (or wood either, for that matter), but a possible selection.  Santa Paws in the upper left isn't matted & framed yet, but that's what it's going to look like.

Our bed makes a great place to lay out art.  My booth space is 4'x6', but art can hang down a bit from the bottom of the pegboard, so I can squeeze the art in.  But it's tight, and they all do need bid sheets.  

I only included one other xmas print: Midwinter Night.  I'm wondering if I should include Snowflakes are Dancing from last year's xmas card?  It's another large one, so it would take up the space of 2 or 3 smaller ones.  I'll think about it.

There are always other prints I could choose ~ that's the amazing thing about having a collection.  There are a couple prints I'd like to hang, but I need to frame them up again, and I don't think I'll take the time right now.

Scanned Image

Scanned in at 300 dpi and sized to 600 in preparation for making the xmas card on vistaprint.  Need to massage the black in the dog bodies, but otherwise I like the look.  Even the slightly toasty tops of the dog biscuits for Santa.  ;->  Shows it's hand made.

Same image at sized to 800.  Don't see much of an improvement.

~*~

Bill uploaded the full size image to vistaprint and sized it to card shape.

White Line Success!

Black and red printed over an ocher pass.

Waiting for Santa Paws

Block inked black and red, with some ocher tapped in.  Also powdered around the dog in the background to make sure the black didn't print thru.

This is the ocher pass I printed over ~ faint ocher didn't hurt the print any.  8-]

White line printing is much safer than printing all at once.  Also I can take better care to clean up lines, etc.  Need to ink the black sufficiently on the rotties.

~*~

Need a break.  Mostly working 'cept for some darkness around the rear rottie.  Having trouble getting rid of the excess black there.  Something to be said for carving 2 blocks.  ;- ]

When I get back to it I'll try tapping in the dog's head instead of rolling the ink.

 Not too bad, but having some trouble around the rear dog's head.

White Line Fervor

I carve a modified white line woodcut, but I've never actually printed it as a such, so today I'm going to play with the concept.

I'll ink up and print the brown and red bits today, then print the black bits tomorrow (or when the prints are sufficiently dry not to smear).  That should be interesting.

First I decided to try some whole ochre prints.  Then I went for just the brown parts (ochre ~ which is running low ~ with a dash of burnt umber).

Just the one color

Both the ochre and the ochre/umber.

I'll see how it prints the black (and red) tomorrow of when ever it dries.

Recarve and Print

Recarved fine lines, thicker white lines around elements.  Easier to tap in color, but having trouble with the black for some reason today.  Getting better tho.

Taking a break.

Getting better.  Done for the day.

Recarve

Recarving the more delicate lines.  I swear, I have to throw away my 1mm v-cut.  It leads me astray every time.  Either that or go back to intaglio zinc etching, where I can be a fine and I want to be.  *sigh*

Test Prints

Black and white test print.

Color test print w/ red and green.

Dropping the green.  Like this better.

Getting tired and missing steps.  Time to take a break.

Cleaned and powdered block.  I'll dust it when it's dry.  

~*~

Hard to cover block with color, so I'm thinking I might ink the whole block in brown first, then hit it with black, wiping out and tapping in where necessary, especially for the red.  A thought.  I'll try it when next I print.

Colored Faux Print

Colored in a pale faux print.  The dogs and portcullis bars will be darker.

Working Up to a Test Print Still

Time to test print.  I know I have some fine lines that will close up and have to be recarved.  I do that all the time.  Comes from carving with a 1mm v-cut tool.  I'm trying to ween myself of it, but it's just too addictive.  

I need to make a bw print ~ probably on archival drawing paper with a baren (or maybe rice paper, but I'm lazy and don't want to dig it out).  Story of my life.  I work twice as hard because I'm too lazy to do it right the first time.  ;- y

2 basic colors ~ black and a light brown, with tapped in red and green elements.  If I've carved it right, some of the elements will look shades of gray as well.  Can't apply myself to it yet, as we've got another engagement this afternoon and I can't concentrate.  Even tho I won't use it all, I need an empty expanse of time to throw myself into.  So maybe tomorrow.

Unless I can pull out the baren and black ink and do a test print without thinking.  Have to sneak up on myself.

Almost Ready to Test Print

I know some of my lines are too fine ~ my chronic flaw.  But it's just about ready to test print.

I'll go over a few of the finer lines before I print.  Then probably a few more after.  ;- p  My lot, I accept it.

~*~

Working my way around to a test print.  Need to break down some paper, work out colors (I pretty much have already, but there will be shades of difference once I apply them).  Test print will probably be black, just to define the lines.

Here's a faux print (bw/mir):

pale version I can color

Back to the Old Grind-er-Scrape

Closing in on it.

Time for a stretch break.

Carving Away

Carve, carve.

Taking a stretch break.

Another Day's Carving

Just carving away.  Paneling and thru the portcullis.  Also working on a font for Santa.

Taking a break.

Carving & Correcting

Carving and correcting the drawing ~ really just adding more detail to the paneling.

Yet More Carving

Another hour or so.  The view I see while I'm carving.

I can already see I need to make the higher stones a little more delicate.

More Carving

Working on lights and darks and paneling.

Also giving serious thought to staining the back and weighting the board to see if I can correct the rocking.  It's very slight, and I hope I don't make it worse, but it's enough to worry me.  Best take care of it early on so I can recarve if necessary.  0-O

~*~

Ok, I've stained the back and am now weighting it.  Hope this works.  If not, maybe it'll be ok.

I think I let my worry get the best of me.  Of course I should have carved some more today and then stained the block tonight.  Duh.

Carving

The usual snail's pace.  Taking a stretch break.  Then back to drawing with knives.

Stretch.

A look at it mirrored and darker.

Taking a break for breakfast.


~*~

Trying to decide how to carve the portcullis.  Whether to leave it dark, or carve it light with shading.  Hmm.

I think I'll do the white line around Fae and then see how the portcullis looks.  I need separation between the two.

Block ~ Cartoon

Correcting some lines on the cartoon.  I don't want to eyeball the paneling.

There's going to be a lot of white in this block.

As long as detail is sufficiently differentiated.

Taking a break.  Carving is compulsive and I need to stretch.

Xmas Card Musings

A bit of a hiatus.  I had a poetry book to get out (semi-annual distraction).  Now it's high time I knuckle down to carving the xmas card.

So today I'll work on shading ~ as in how I'll carve it.  I made a light version of the cartoon to scribble on.  Work out how I'll round the bars, how dark/light I'll make them, etc.  I don't want to start carving without some of this worked out.

Otherwise it's fairly straightforward.  I will want to get a little carved shading into the rotties tho.  Don't want them a solid black.