Time to Test Print

Ok, time to test print and then recarve of course.  I have a tendency to carve details too lightly, and of course the block will swell a bit once I ink it.  So there are bound to be a few details to carve again, especially in the early bird.

But first things first.  8-]

Here's a faux print (bw, mirror image) to see what it'll look like:

Fiddly Bits

Working on those fiddly bits around the flowers now.

Time to stretch.

~*~

Back to work on the flowery fiddly bits.

Time for another break.

More fiddly blossom bits.

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Carve, carve, carve.

Getting there, one petal at a time.

Details

Sketched in some detail on the flowers.  More carving.

Mirrored and bw:

Lookin good.  ;- ]

More Carving

More carving.

Still need detail in the agapanthus.

Here's the full block so far.

~*~

Another day, another session.

Hmmm.  Can't seem to upload a pic at the moment.  Later.

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Now I'm working on the fleur.

It'll be easier to sketch and carve in black.

~*~

More carving.

Starting to Carve

And drawing a bit more detail.  I think I've fixed the feet.  A little more detail to the bee and flower too.

It's always a surprise to see what I'll carve first.  Looks like it's the bee.  ;- ]

~*~

More carvey-carve.

Need to take a break now, before my neck and shoulders turn on me.

Early Bird Cartoon

Early Bird cartoon transferred to the block.  Ready, set, go!

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Hmm.  Giving some thought to a background block now (the reverse side, as I'm down to my last (gasp!) block).  

I'm thinking a green ground and a blue sky, with a large fluffy cloud taking up most of it.  I like carving texture into the background and I don't want to just carve it all away and leave it white.  I'll doodle some color sketches.

~*~

Colored up a cartoon.  Something along this line (didn't have enough colors to play with, but it's the general idea).

Grass of course greener, sky bluer, bird orangeyer, with maybe a bit of brown for accent.  Bee will probably be black, agapanthus a bit purpley-blue.

The trick is in the texture.  Sky in striations, cloud in billows, grass in rows of hash marks.  And of course some texture to the dino-bird, perhaps as shading.

~*~

Ok, did a better job of coloring.

My plan is to carve the foreground first, and if there's time, carve the background.  I will eventually, but I'll have to see if I get it done for this exchange.


Not liking the coloration of the bird.  Work on the plumage.

Cartoon for carving the background block:

Carve away motifs, most of cloud mass (except for the swirls).  Carve hatch marks in the grass area, some striations under the cloud.

Early-Bird Sketch

Getting closer to finalizing the cartoon.  

Bee's a bit large, but that's as small as I want to carve him!  The flower is an agapanthus, a suitably alien-looking flower if I ever saw one.  ;- j

I'm still messing with the arms/wings, but I'm nearly satisfied.  I wanted to get the velociraptor-like feet in the pic, but I may move them around a bit more.

About ready to transfer the cartoon and start carving.

Early Birds

Worked up a loose cartoon, stained the board.  I'll transfer a skeleton image when the board is dry.  I want to work out the details on the board.

Might not use that bee, or that lavender, or even that dino-bird, but it's a rough idea of the image.  I'll certainly add colorful plumage and make him more bird-like.  I like it's posture of curiosity.

The hoatzin comes to mind as a model.  Heck, it's half way back to a dinosaur all by itself.  ;- j

Stamps Finished

Ta-Da!  I glued the stampy bits to the handle bits (and only glued my finger a little bit -- thank goodness I picked it up from the block in time!).  O-O

A little sand paper and time should do the trick.  ;- j

Anyway, here they are:

Britt & Cindy's letterboxing stamps

I'll deliver them this weekend when I see my sister.  It was her commission for her friends.

I want to make myself a chop next.  8-]

Peanut Britt Stamp

Transferred cartoon, now carving.  Pink stampy material sure takes up color.  I may have to use a different transfer system other than charcoal on the back of the cartoon for stamps.  Maybe the computer transfer method.  They sure get "dirty" in the process.

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More carving.

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Test printing.  Works for me.  8-]  Now to glue it to a stamp handle.

Cat & Bird Fights

Been googling cat fights and bird fights (those birds are fierce!), getting a feel for my early birds theme.  I'm thinking of a cat and early bird face off, perhaps over a tasty morsel.

This is the fun stage.  Well, the first fun stage.  ;- ]

Baren Exchange #56

Signed up for Baren Exchange #56, Size Chuban, Theme: Open, Sign-up January 1, 2013 due May 1, 2013.

This'll give me another chance at the Early Birds theme.  ;-]

Hm, so should I make the Leftovers IV prints from leftover paper from this project?

Early Birds

Oh I'm jazzed!

I have a theme I want to explore:  early birds, in the style of my paleo mythos (i.e., imaginary).  I want to regress birds back to dinosaurs.  Bright, freathery, feisty dino-birds.  8-]

I envision a backyard garden scene, with kids and cats and dogs and field mice, all interacting with early birds.  More cute than threatening (except maybe to the field mice), rather like a small dog or a cat.  (Or a dragonette, but that's another theme...)  ;- ]

I'm collecting pics to play with, but nothing is cobbled together yet.  Stay tuned!

feathered velociraptors

http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Top-10-Feathered-Dinosaurs-6.jpg/

Leftovers IV

Signed up for Leftovers IV print exchange.  The last couple times I've done long and thin pieces, because that's the size and shape of most of my left over pieces of paper.  But I'm thinking this time I'll make something more postcard or notecard size.  Even artist trading card size.  Something small.

I have a number of smallish blocks from a grab bag order of odd blocks from McClain's some time back.  

Don't have my subject yet, tho on another life line I'm exploring the archaic Southwest.  Maybe something petroglyph-like.  That would play into my general paleo mythos themed pieces.

That's a definite maybe.  ;- p

New Year's Projects

I've been struggling with my New Year's resolution.  Well, not so much a resolution as a direction for the coming year.  Often I have set myself a long-term project or process to explore, as for instance the year I applied myself to tablet weaving exclusively.  Of course, that was back when I mostly did fiber arts and woodcuts weren't even a twinkle in my eye.  Back when I only dithered between writing and weaving.

tablet woven band from the pattern on our wedding rings

See that's the problem.  I have too many interests, often in opposition to each other.  I have discovered that when I concentrate on my art, I let my writing slide, and vice versa.  Throw fiber arts back into the mix and I have a three-way tug of war for my attention.  And let me tell you, ink and fiber do not mix!  That's why I split my studios.

I think my hobbies need to learn to get along.  Maybe that should be this year's project:  learning to share.

Now hobbies are notoriously jealous of my time, and they're not inclined to share.  When an idea grabs me it's like a dog with the bone, and I'm the bone.  So how to set boundaries without interrupting the flow?

That's the real trick, isn't it.

What about a joint project?  I've done that before, as when I printed woodblocks on cloth.

Nothing to write home about, but it's a concept.  Mixed media.  I do it with my woven/beaded tapestries.

So a printed and woven tapestry is not out of the question.  I did woven paleo mythos critters before I did printed ones.

paleo-unicorn

paleo-phoenix

Bead and embroidery embellished woodcut image printed on cloth?  Still that's not specifically weaving, only embellishment.

Ok, weave the canvas.  Now I get really bored weaving vanilla cloth, but say a plain tabby woven section on an otherwise complex woven piece?  Dornick twill, double weave, summer & winter, rosepath.  Pull out some of my old favories.

This shows promise.

Carving a Letterbox Stamp

Carving a Letterboxing stamp for a friend of my sister's.

This pink stuff is easy to carve, but just as easy to mess up.  Still, it's not going badly.

It's a design of Live Laugh Love with a ribbon for the L.  It'll look something like this:

Blank Cards Printed

I took advantage of a cybermonday half price deal on vistaprint and got some blank xmas cards printed up from this year's Snowflakes xmas card and last year's Denizens xmas card.

When I can pull myself away from sending out my own xmas cards, I'll get these up on my etsy shop.  I know there's not much time left for this holiday card season, but at least I'll have them for next year.  ;- ]

They came out really nice -- glossy where the original cards were matte finish -- but I think I might like that even more.  The colors are a little richer perhaps, tho the matte finish was more like an actual print.  They both have their good points.

I can offer them as single cards, sets of 6(?), or some of each.  Anyone have any ideas on that?  I expect I can eventually get cards made from all of my past xmas cards, then offer a mixed set.  Something to ponder (as I'm not an up-and-at'em kind of person).  ;- ]

Loscon Art Show

Woo and hoo!  I sold two woodcuts and one etching at the Loscon Art Show this Thanksgiving weekend.  8-]

Snowflakes are Dancing!

Straight On 'Til Morning

Jingle Bell Rock Art

Here's a shot of my display booth:

I was supposed to have two side by side panels, but there was a mix-up and I had to squash everything into a corner display.  But there was a silver lining because it was also the first display through the door and everyone had to pass by it.  So as they say, location is everything.  ;- D

Someone else asked me if I had blank xmas cards of Denizens, the xmas tree woodcut, but alas I did not (but I will -- vistaprint has a great Cyber Monday deal and I have cards coming for Snowflakes and Denizens for next time).

Too bad Cyber Monday doesn't come before Turkey Day.  ;- p  

I'll have the cards in about a week (rush shipping was also free today), so I guess I can put them up on my hibernating etsy shop and see if anyone goes for them this late in the season.

All in all, I had a great Loscon Art Show this year.  8- ]

Christmas Cards Ordered

Woo and hoo!  Ordered the Schuyler House xmas cards of Snowflakes are Dancing! from vistaprint.  8- ]

We've had great success with vistaprint, but boy are they aggressive up-sellers.  Barely got off their site with my wallet intact.  Also 5 snowflake mugs.  ;- >

That's some of my xmas shopping taken care of.

Words on Woodcuts

Martha Knox has featured my print Tiger and Sloth on her blog Words on Woodcuts: 

http://wordsonwoodcuts.blogspot.com/2012/11/tiger-and-sloth-by-ellen-shipley.html  (one of these days I'll remember how to make this look all spiffy and linky).

Check it out.  She has an interesting take on the pieces she features.  8-]

Go back a couple days and see what Martha has to say about Annie Bissett's Sometimes I Am Married:

http://wordsonwoodcuts.blogspot.com/2012/11/sometimes-i-am-married-by-annie-bissett.html