Nicky & Gabby Blocks

I want to print up my Nicky and Gabby blocks, but Signy's a bit of a drawback.  Right now she's in heat, so there's no sending her off to SH for the day.  So I need to come up with another idea.

It occurred to me that I used to wet the paper (especially for oil-based inks).  But it also works with water-based inks.  I can set up the card table(s) and soak and blot my paper.  Then I might try printing with a baren, counting on the damp paper to take up ink more easily.  At least I'd like to try it.

I'll only be printing b&w and adding pastel color later.  Just spots of color.

And here's mir image of the blocks.  Possibly print more of an ocher colorway?

Nicky Block Faux Test Print

Bw, mirrored block as a faux test print.

lighter bw, mir

lighter

lighter yet

Keep Gabby's faux test print in mind.  Match the sky.

Back to Work On Nicky

Back to work on Nicky.  Lots to do on the block.  I wonder why I'm having such a hard time sticking with it?

More Carving

More carving.  

BW.

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They're a pair, so I need to match up a few things ~ like drawing the cloud outside the lines, making the sky the same, etc.

Back to Work On Steampunk Nicky

Nicky's coming along.  Getting those fiddly details in.

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BW scan of block.

BW/MIR scan of block ~ faux print.

More carving.

More carving.

Taking a break now.

Steampunk Nicky

Transferred the Nicky Steampunk cartoon.  Started to carve and froze.  I wasn't sure how I wanted to carve it, so I ruminated about it.  I printed a light version of the Nicky "selfie" and got more detail.  Then I got the brilliant idea to print the block in light gray.  I'll be adding pastel anyway for color, and I can add black the same way.  But Nicky is a gray kitty and that's the best way to get his color.

Also, I'm going to make the airship much bigger in the background.  It'll only show the nose, maybe a bit of the gondola.