Leafy Swirl

This is the gnarled block with chine colle and a leaf. The leaf worked as a stencil and blanked out the ink. But it also left an interesting leafy pattern of veins.
I like this look and may do some more with leaves.

Another Variation

Another variation on chine colle. I like the effect of the angular colors of this and the previous print against the undulating lines.

Chine Colle

Gnarled printed on Somerset grey with chine colle. I overlapped a red and aqua Japanese tissue with flecks of silver and gold. Where they crossed they made a lavendar.

I used methyl celulose paste in the lab. It acted just like rice paste I've used at home. Difficult to lay flat, but not a problem to brush flat with the brush. Easy to overlay. Would like to play with different colors, maybe tissue paper.

Gnarled

4" square

Gnarled is a close-up of a gnarled tree, but it can be anything -- waves, clouds, motion. This is black on grey Somerset. Black on white is good too, but I like this. I'll play with some watercolor on some of the b&w ones to see what I get.

Art Expo Honorable Mention

Letting Go, reduction block print, won Honorable Mention at the Learning & Product Expo: Art! at the Burbank Hilton this weekend. 8-] Not only did I get a ribbon, but I got $100 gift certificate for Dick Blick! Woo-hoo.

I entered 3 pieces and 2 got in -- Letting Go and Paleo-Umi. The two pieces inspired by Will. Letting Go was from a dream, and Paleo-Umi was a commission to illustrate his game character in ancestor form.

I guess it's true when you invest emotion in a work it comes through. These are two emotional pieces for me.

Now I'll have to tell Will Letting Go is an award-winning print. He has his print hanging by the front door. I think I'll hang ours over the fireplace. 8-]

Favor

Valkyries 4"x6"

Here is an actual print of the block on Somerset grey paper. I like the stone effect, as it's a runestone. The block needs some clean-up. Too many extranious lines for my taste. Kitty liked it.

I can see why Vikings carved such angular runes -- it's so much easier to carve straight lines than curvy ones. I like my spiral "es" but it sure is harder carving it in wood. Perhaps I need to make a chop. The double line "P" I'm starting to use in SCA blocks is much easier represented in wood.

Valkyries

valkyries 4"x6"

Mirrored woodblock faux print, just to see what it'll look like.

Sven & Kolfinna's thank you favor to Their Court.

A Fool and His Bunny...

...Are Soon Parted.

Shameless pun. ;- y This is a twist on the Fool Tarot card. The fool is usually accompanied by a small dog. Here he's traveling with a bunny...but not for much longer.

I used watercolor pencils to punch up a monotype ghost. Next I'll try ordinary watercolors.

Is It Live or Is It Memorex?

A fool and his bunny are soon parted. ;-j



Actually it's neither. They're both ghost prints. The plate was overinked and the first print was very dark. But there was still a lot of ink on the plate so I made several ghosts. Then, on a lark, I decided to see if the over-dark print would print, so I put it on top of the plate and printed several more. I actually ended up with an edition of 10 monotypes from one plate! That's gotta be a record.

What a Picnic Basket!

4"x6" intaglio etching & watercolor

Otherwise known as the Longaberger Basket Building, corporate offices of the premium basket makers. My sister works in the basket building. It's really kewl. 8-] This is an ant's eye view.

Diagonal Dog

I know, the orange is distracting, but which looks better do you think -- flat or on edge?

Loki Lounge Lizard

monotype 4" square

Here's Loki just lolligagging around. His favorite position on the couch. It's also my way of making lemonade out of a particularly sour lemon. The blue was way too sticky and hard to work with so I rerolled with red and traced again. Faint blue lines came up by way of outline, and as I worked I got a kewl grape (except for a few nicely placed patches of red). So all in all a success.
I liked the background when I did it, but I think I'd make it recede into the background next time. It does on the ghosts.

Ghost Whispers

monotype ghost, colored pencil 4"x6"

This is the palest ghost print -- barely an outline -- with colored pencil. Just the pimaries, red, blue and yellow. Softened and blended with a tissue. May do a little more, but I kind of like it. It was fun to do. Took me back -- waaay back -- for an afternoon. ;-> Just color, color, color.

Whispers

viscosity monotype 4"x6"

Whispers, more cave art, with an emphasis on secondary colors. Didn't manage any green, but I've got a nice maroon, purple, orange thing going on.

It's hard to tell intensities with a monotype. Hence the rock weathering comes forward a little more than I intended.

I have ghosts to watercolor, with one on Arches 88 for colored pencil.

Punkin

Monotype 4"x6"
Billy's first Halloween. Mmmm, tasty. I think he was trying to eat the light.
Monotypes are compulsive. I need to watercolor the ghost. It's overall softer with no dark lines. I'm really taken with the technique, tho you can't exactly make an edition.
I want to do this image as a woodcut. I think it would be pretty interestng.

Ewe & Eye

monotype, 4"x6"
Ewe & Eye

There and Back Again 8-]

Worm Wrangler's Reward 4"x6"

The Baren Summit was great. I never worked so hard for so long a stretch at having fun. It was exhausting. But in a good way.

I cut this silk moth in Vancouver. It's one of Michael Cook's pets. He gets a print for letting me use it. 8-] I learned a few tricks for printing with a baren and ran off an edition on kozo paper. I'll want to try it on Somerset when I get back to class next week. And I want to get some Daniel Smith water-soluable relief ink! Such easy clean up.

Met so many great people at the Summit. This is such a good idea. Can't wait for the next one!

Singing In The Rain

4"x4" monotype

Billy had just seen Singing In The Rain, so when it began to sprinkle, it was a natural. ;->

Sheep Monotype

4"x4", monotype

Working on tone and texture in my monotypes (thanx to Belinda's mentoring). 8-] As she says, it's just removing ink. Yeah, right. Like drawing is just adding ink. ;-j

Gold Dolphin

And here's a gold one. 8-] Daniel Smith metalic gold. Kazuko brought it in for her Koi. Smooth, easy to work with.