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