Xmas Card Ideas

Time to work on the xmas card for 2017.  Bouncing ideas around.  Here's one:

People like the idea of multiple SH critters, and I'm thinking something like this ~ only Therese would be replaced by Mrs. Claus.  And other dogs/cats can be added/subtracted as needed.

Just a concept, so of course I can use a different pic of Mrs. Claus, but it gives me an idea.

Mrs. Claus (or Santa) can have a basket of dog biscuits/cat treats (like a catnip mouse?).  Getting complex.  I'm sure I can cut it down to essentials.

I'd need pics of everyone's animals and work in what I can.  Maybe be real stylized or cartoony.

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I'm starting late, so I'm not sure I'll have enough time for so complex a card this year.  Perhaps next year.

I can do a snowy tree scene with castle on a hill.  Maybe a sleigh.

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Dogs from rear getting Santa treat.

Stylized breeds to match SH dogs.  I could do that.

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I'm liking this wintry scene with the SH castle instead of a tree.  Tina suggests a line of doggy bottoms in the foreground, with a title, "Have a howling good Christmas!"  Not bad.  Maybe a howling posture tho instead of the Jayne's view.

Or just the line of doggy bottoms w/o the howling caption.  I can pick some recognizable SH dogs, like Molly/Tay (border collie), shepherd, boxer, Gabby, Meechee, rotties, maybe Kim's dog, etc.

Crossing the Streams

This is the cartoon I came up with once I started thinking of it as a tapestry instead of a woodcut.

Can do either, or both.  8-]

carve this

Cartoon with swirls around stars (like a tapestry).

Cartoon with star echos like a woodcut.

Colorway that doesn't suck

Having trouble with color.  I have to go minimalist:  blues, blue-green, gold.  First colorway that I don't hate.

2015 Xmas Card

Doodling some ideas for the xmas card.

Going for a quilted look.  Needs a sheep I think.  ;- }

Medieval colorways:

Basically red/green/gold.

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Also, leaning toward Craftsman colors:

BW ~ More Variations

Coloring a print of a bw/color.

This one came out looking a bit green in the tree.  Gives me an idea.  What if I do 2 blocks, one with just the tree in green, one w/o the tree in bw with color tapped in?

Still fighting with the concept of color when my affinity is for bw.

I can do a foreground and a background block.  Foreground is everything but tree and table.  Background is table (red?) and tree (green).  BW foreground gets tapped in color.

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.


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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.

My Own Coloring Book

Coloring in cartoons ~ working on techniques and colorways.

This is what I'm liking so far.

The rotties and outside the portcullis will be the blackest.  Stone wall and portcullis surround will be light gray with white accents, lightening it up.

I'm thinking 2 blocks ~ one that is just brown with tapped in red and green; the other one all the blacks (may or may not be black lines in the paneling, etc.).

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And now with light sky thru the portcullis.

I think I'm liking that a little better.

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Cropped to card shape.

The Process is Processing

Looking at oodles and oodles of googled images of stone walls and nooks and hearths and paneling. Lots of angled images too.  I go thru a lot of printer paper and ink during this process.

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I don't usually do this, but I've drawn some perspective lines because the photo I'm using is rather acute.

I'm hoping this looks like a doggy-sized portcullis.

Starting to look like something.  ;-]

Move the cookie place down a bit and maybe round the table.

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Screen capture with plate oval.

I'll make the image a tad taller ~ 11.5" ~ on the board.  Probably add to the bottom a tad, so cookie plate isn't right at the bottom.

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So how many blocks and how many colors?

Stone wall, portcullus grate, card outline, dogs will use black.
Paneling, dog accents, table, dog biscuits will be medium brown.
Chiron's collar, plate rim will be green.
Fae's collar, lettering on card will be red.

I can have 2 blocks, one for black and one for brown.  Red and green can be tapped in, probably on the black block.

Try coloring up something like that.

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Better with a larger plate of cookies.

Santa Paws ~ More Sketches

Bill worked out the dimensions for me.  My block is 9"x12" so the image has to be approx. 6.5"x11.5".  I'll make it a bit wider, but it'll be detail that can be easily cropped out of the card image ~ more wall).  Card image is generally extra long to width ( ≈ 4.5"x7").

I'm also thinking of adding something in the foreground ~ say a doggy dish with bone-shaped biscuits for Santa (like a plate of cookies).

I like the plate of cookies.  Gives it foreground interest.

Green trim on the cookie plate balances the green collar.  Anchors the image.

Xmas 2013 ideas

First pass at a sketch for the SH xmas card.

Still working on the surround, but basically it's the rottie pups waiting for Santa Paws at the doggie portcullis.  ;- j

Maybe bows, maybe hats, maybe jingle bells, maybe reindeer antlers.  

Here's another set of sketches.

Show Prep

Working on Control Sheets.  Have to frame up half a dozen woodcuts.  Around 30 pieces, from small to large.  I think I'll have room for them all.  ;->

Bill's going to see if we can take the panels and the art all in one trip (previously we've been setting up the panels & pop-up on the day before).  Might be able to carry the panels on the roof rack of his jeep.  It goes up in 15 minutes now, so it would be nice to save a trip.

Panels, pop-up, back-pack-o-tools

Wooden table w/woodcut display

Display rack for unframed prints

Xmas card basket; xmas cards

Art

Food, water, etc. for goodies table

Control sheets; labels

Working on Insert Card

Working on insert cards for my mixes sets of xmas cards.  Printed on card stock and slipped into the back of the clear bags.

Add etsy addy.  8-]  I need to get my shop out of hiatus.

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2up version (same size as cards).

3card Scan

Scan of the 3 blank xmas cards I have available in sets and singles.  This (or something like it) will go in the back of the clear bag for the mixes sets.

Need to come up with some arty patter to go along with my contact info.

Garden Party Prep

Time to prep for the show.  See what I've got framed up, frame up new or sold pieces.  Pick some smaller pieces for (hopefully) easy sales.

Awaiting clear bags for xmas cards.  Nail down the pricing scheme for sets and singles.  Some display system.  Even a small box on a table.  Print up graphic card for inside bag with contents, contact info., etc.

Control sheets, labels for panels.  Business cards.

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Taking stock.  I have 24 pieces ~ large and small ~ framed up.  Need to frame up 3 that sold at last Loscon and one new one:

• Snowflakes Are Dancing! (xmas)
• Tay and the Night Visitor  (xmas)
• Straight On 'til Morning  (steampunk airship)
• Looking Out My Back Door (early bird)

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Test scan of the 3 xmas cards to go in the back of the clear bag.