Kirin's Clothes

Here are the different color blocks for the final Kirin print. I had to sharpen my knives halfway into them. It was a long time in coming anyways. I hope and pray to god that I carved the kentos accurately. I've learned to give my brush a wide birth in cutting out room around the printed area because I can get a little spread out at times. I think I might want to carve one more block for adding luminescent dots in the middle of the scales if I can find an interference dusting powder to suit my tastes!

Chinese Brass Bell

I was pricing goodies for my open house the other day at World Market and fell in love with this little bauble! I've got it hanging above my door in the studio and sometimes I can come in a jingle it. It's a very cheerful ornament and I can't help but smile when I see it!

I've got my work cut out for me.

I can really be the queen of clutter. Stacks of paper seem to be my real problem but as a printmaker that's just habit. I snapped this photo of my studio in the morning because the light was so pretty but the studio is a little cluttered. I've got to clean up and have everything pristine for my open house this saturday!! I've been too busy to price picture frame rail for the place but I think that would make a world of difference. I could jam random nails into the brick and cinderblock like my my previous occupants had or I could line the ceiling with frame rail and simply move things whenever I wanted. It's one thing to spackle and paint drywall but I'm not about to try that with brick.
I spent my day yesterday sharpening all my knives and I think I ground my fingers off but most of my knives are razor sharp now. I still have a couple U-gouges to finish off today but my Kirin blocks are ready to carve and then comes the hard part of deciding which paper to use!

A Kirin in progress

How much wood can a block carver chuck if a block carver chucks wood all night?
I just love my little laughing Kirin! He makes me smile! I decided to pull a series of prints in black from the key block even though I'm still carving color blocks. I really enjoy the graphic quality of his lines and love his little tongue sticking out from his mustache. I may start a series of Kirins, who knows.
Here is an image of the key block and the scale block together. I enjoyed the sketch of Kirin's body so much that I didn't want to overlap it with real scales so I carved a scale block to go over his contours much in the way a dappled horse would look. The scales are meant to mimic a pattern of coat markings instead of the actual thing. I just pulled prints for 3 more blocks including his mane and tail, his horn and hooves, and a gradation block for his body. A fellow carver, Josef Beery, saw what I was doing and asked if I was going to mix metallic pigment in for the scales and I groaned because now I want to carve another block of dappling in the middle of each scale to dust with a metallic, agh! We'll see if it happens. Anyways, I was thinking of a wine and chartruese colouring for my kirin. What does anyone else think?

Into the white forest....

Yet again, I have neglected my blogging duties but at least it is evident that I was not wasting my time. Here is my most recent tree book, Blue Tome. I originally made this piece with dried ferns and dogwood twigs in the cavity. Somehow, when I dabble with found objects and assemblages of that nature it feels contrived and I can't quite get the results I'm looking for. After the show I had when I initially made the piece, I closed it up and it sat in the corner of my room waiting for me to be inspired to fix it. I finally pulled it out and went to work! There are three levels of cut paper and the bottom level was the most detailed. I was beginning to think I would never finish! The work space where I cut them out looks like it was snowed on with little niddled dots of paper everywhere. I'm really pleased with how it came out!
I'm in the middle of Ayn Ran's "Atlas Shrugged" right now and it's almost like reading a soap opera at this point. I like Dagny and wish James would just shrivel up and die and I'm also hoping Rearden gets rid of Lillian. Nobody ruin it for me!

Waiting for my Squid to come in....

It's obvious that I have neglected my blog this past week. I've been way too busy. I've had a case of the blues as well and here is where this little image comes in. So I was feeling sorry for myself one night and feeling particularly sluggish. When I feel like "rotting" my brain on some TV for extended hours at night I usually turn on the science channel as I frequently get inspiration for images from their shows. One thing I really like about the science channel is that if they are showing a repeat program and there have been developements as of late on the subject material, they will tack them on towards the end and constantly update the show. Anyways, I made a woodblock print some months back of a giant squid that I had watched a program about. That show happened to be on last night. A japanese squid scientist (I can't remember his name!!) had studied many corpses of giant squid that had washed up along the shore or were retrieved in fisherman's nets. A real breakthrough in his profession would come if he could snap an image of a live giant squid in its own habitat. He rigged up a deep sea camera and got a very patient fisherman to take him out to sea and drop this camera once or twice a week. This research went on for TWO YEARS with no results until this summer when he finally DID snap a photo of a giant squid taking the bait. Of course, this caused a sensation but true to human nature someone immediately piped up and said that a video would have been much better. Give them an inch and they take a mile. Did Mr. Japanese Squid Scientist give up and curse his fellows for looking a gift horse in the mouth? No, he took the time to rig up an underwater video camera and set out with his trusty fisherman. He also had a camera man to film the maiden voyage and it was a good thing he did. No sooner had he sunk the camera with the bouy when he turned and on the other side of the boat floated a 24 foot long female giant squid. The camera man got footage of her gurggling and splashing water out of her mantle as her tentacles drifted and writhed about! This footage the Science Channel tacked on to the end of the program and it was a nice reward because I think Mr. Japanese Squid Scientist had worked so hard for it. I got to thinking and here lately it feels like I make a lot of effort with little headway in my career. Some people wait for their ship to come in but I feel that opportunity and life can pass you by if you don't get out and work for it. Mr. Japanese Squid Scientist got out with Mr. Generous Fisherman and dropped bait for TWO YEARS until they got any results and then just a few months after the photo, Ms. Squid just swims right up to the boat to say hello. So, what I'm really doing is waiting for my squid to come in and that's when I came up with this drawing!

Been feeling kind of sluggish lately. Perhaps I need a nap.......

Candy Canes!

*Whew* Here's the next set design in my holiday cards. Candy arrangement printed in white and then dusted with silver. That was back breaking. I took a moment to rest at one point and I noticed, as I sat in my chair in the afternoon sun, that the air in the studio was glittering. Word to the wise, kids, use a dust mask or better yet a paint mask when dealing with powdered pigments. I can't wait to send these out to friends!!

Shameless Self Promotion

They're here! There here! My holiday cards are finally coming out of production! *Whew* Okay, maybe not clinically, but I think I might be crazy. Definately obsessive. You can read about the process and a little history behind these cards on my Etsy site (link at top of my profile) but the little glass "candies" were something else. In my wisdom, I thought that I could dab white glue straight from the bottle onto those teeny buttons. Yeah, didn't happen. The slightest pressure oozed out way too much so I found a solution through obsessive compulsion. I sat down with a straw I broke from my broom and a sake cup full of white glue and dotted them one by one. I made two passes (one for pink and one for silver) and was successful that way. I think now I shall take a nap!

Nashima's Leaf

Wow!! This is a finished print from a student who took my Japanese Woodblock Printing class at the McGuffey Art Center. Isn't it absolutely beautiful?! Of course, the scanner doesn't do it justice as one layer is in gold leaf but it is still a lovely contour and fitting subject for leaf season here in Virginia. Lucky thing! She's moving to Oregan where she'll be in Woodblock Country! I'm jealous. Anyways, great job Nashima! My first print didn't turn out this good!

Jingle Bells, Ink Sure Smells, Santa's on his way!!!!

This will be the anthem of christmas printers. Here's a shot of my gingerbread cookies holiday card. I'm almost done. All I have to do is print my info on the backs. I'm going to dot their little buttons with glue and spread tiny glass sprinkles on them. These cards will rock!

Ah, money....

Well, I've been sick the past couple of days and therefore rendered useless for a time. This is an old image that I did when I was attending the Corcoran. They have an event every christmas called "Off the Walls" where students can purchase a table and sell their work for some christmas cash. I like the idea because it gives students a taste of selling and dealing with customers (if you were lucky enough not to have to wait tables and the like). They would have a constest for a postcard design and this was mine. I lost but no big deal. I now have this nice image.
Point is I'm chewing my nails now over christmas stock. I've got to get the lead out and produce those christmas cards!!! I'm excited as I'm nearing the end of my Dragon Book and am awaiting the arrival of book board and 50 bone clasps in the mail. I still haven't made a decision as far as bookcloth or cover paper, argh!! I'm also hoping to have another tree cut book so maybe that will be the subject material for the next month. Who knows?

Stamp!

Yay! My stamp came in the mail today! Okay, I do love it and I will use it for a few months to get good use but I'm already thinking about designing a new logo. After seeing how much detail is lost in shrinking the image, I'm guess not many will know that it is a ferret riding a printing press. Also, unless you are a printmaker, there is no way in hell you'd fathom that the dark table-like shape is a press. Ah well, chalk it up to experience! At least my text came out well!

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw!

This is what I did all day on monday (which is not saying too terrible much). I was wiped out and didn't get up till 11:45am. Monday is my only day off and even then I do art! Thusly, I contend that for a true artist, art making is not a past-time but a bodily function. Anyways, this was on my to-do list as christmas is knocking on my door telling me to finish my christmas cards and get them out on the shelves. I can't do that until I get my etsy store and email stamped on every last one. I can't do that until I get a custom stamp and I can't do that until I finish a logo. And there you have it. The rubber stamp is currently in route to my house! Yay!
Anyways, I wanted to come up with an image that embodied a few things. Thing number one of course is Pistoles. You can catch that explanation in the post labeled "Ride 'M Ferret." Thing number two is relief printing which is illustrated in bucking C&P. Thing number three is the joy of printmaking exuded my a printing troupe from Tennessee called "Yeehaw Press." They came and did a demo at the Corcoran for the Southern Graphics Council meeting a few years back and those people rocked. Their love of printing and joy in the process as well as wild outfits and attitudes was infectious! I initially had the ferret weilding a cowboy hat and gunbelt slung with ink knives and a tube of ink but I abandoned that idea. I think the image still reads well without it.

Hand-pulled Harvey!

Yay, Harvey! Someone asked me what he's got. You decide! After we finish printing images for the beastiary, I want to print him up for my own personal christmas cards to read the greeting "May you recieve all your holiday wishes, be they diamonds or be they snowflakes!" I think only the people who know about Harvey will be getting them. It might startle some to receive a beast in the mail for christmas! I wouldn't mind a beast for christmas!

Kirin Proof

Yay! I've got no complaints! That one scuff on the shoulder is from me inadvertantly tapping the paper on the block as I was showing my student how to pull proofs. Actually, I'd like to experiment more with scuffing and different texture. I wish I new the artist's name....I saw a printer's work from Japan who did prints of everyday people and his family all in textural value and it was amazing! I was like he knew how to scuff an area to resemble the countour of a nose or cheek in one stroke. Anyways, I used a few scraps of mulberry to print this up and I'm glad with the results. You'll notice my Kirin has no scales. I was going to add them in the sketch but I enjoyed his contours so I am going to give him a dappled coat to resemble scales in my color bock. Any votes as to what color he should be?

Kirin in the wood

I think the image translates nicely for the class I'm teaching! I was going to carve it in All Shina, a product that McClain's sells, but in true fashion I always forget at least one item in the many that commutes with me to and from the studio and that was it. I left my nice piece of Shina at home! :( I am blessed, however, in that my sister's husband is a carpenter and he gives me left over scrap wood that would otherwise end up in the dump. I had a peice of 3/4 inch plywood in the studio and gave it a try. The grain held up okay but beneath the veneer lay a layer of soft fibrous wood that seemed to me rather weak. I put woodglue in a particularly large split that appeared beneath the face part of the kirin and am none too keen on the large black knot on the other end. We'll see what happens when I pull a few proofs....

Kirin goes to class...

In participating in the Beastiary class at UVA, the students were instructed to fill a newsprint pamphlet with sketches of fantastical beasts that they were inspired by or created.
Here is a two page spread that I drew of a Kirin and a Centaur. That yellow thingie in the middle is the thread that holds the binding together. I much enjoyed drawing both characters but delighted in the Kirin as his pose is very whimsical.
In later postings, you may see an image of my own personal beast by the name of Harvey. Harvey has a mouth full of canines and my mother used to shutter everytime I drew him. "Why don't you draw something happy or flowers or something?" I never felt as if drawing a bovine with fangs was unhappy but I can see her concern. Anyway, I love this image in that the Kirin's fangs are visible but his body language and expression are that of joy and excitement. I have come to love witnessing and expressing "ancient happiness" through my art as I settle into my aging process. When I refer to "ancient happiness" you can reference images past civilizations in their expression of joy. Examples that have enspired me are Ancient Egyptian artifacts of vases, pots, and sculpture of animals with their tongues out. An animal with its tongue out is supposed to represent playfulness and whimsy. Also relevant to the time period is the god Bes. Before it was fashionable to carve an s-figured statue into marble with a stoic gaze, Minoan statues smiled pleasantly back at you. Fu Dogs roll and laugh with a ball as an obese Bhudda laughs.
I have strayed from the subject.....I plucked my Kirin out as the image I will use to demonstrate how to practice Moku Hanga. I will have more updates on this as I go along!

Harvey in the Beastiary

A nice man by the name of Josef Beery came to visit me the other day a few weeks back. He is fellow block carver/printer here in Charlottesville and he is teaching a class at UVA on Beastiaries. Beastiaries are books containing fabulous animals usually accompanied by moral reasons why the animals exist or function. He invited me to join the class to offer my two cents on block carving. We had a visit to the rare books collection and saw some pretty amazing pieces from the time period. There were books set in hand carved wood type similar to the font Tudor Black! There were stunning woodcuts on vellum and handpainted images. We even saw an original worm eaten wood block for an herbal tome and a real illuminated prayer book. It was a very cool experience!
Our job now is to make a beast ourselves. We made newsprint leaflets to sketch in (more posts on that later) and after many neat creatures, I decided to revisit Harvey. Harvey is a creature and favorite of my design and he is creation that is 11 years old this year. He is a very strong beast with sharp teeth but I wanted to render him for this book in a more soft and quiet moment. He is seated inspecting a treasure of sorts. I really had fun carving this piece of linoleum and had fun watching everyone else carve and create as well. There are some really creative minds in our class!
I hope the hatching for the shining object comes through. I really didn't know what to put in his hands and I think the viewer would have more fun anyway trying to guess at what he's got. I did the hatching and hauches for this image with inspiration from an old book my mother had as a child called "A Leg at each Corner" about the trials and errors of horse ownership. A must read if you ever see it in a musty old bookstore.

Dragons are difficult to print....

They chew on your rollers and lick up all your ink. I'm STILL working on my dragon book. Whose idea was it to print two separate paragraphs of type on each page in two seperate colors AND have block images!!! Hopefully, I'll get my shipment of Soysolv II in by friday so I can keep going. I ran out after 2 years which is saying alot. I got 4 bottles of the stuff then. It's biodegradable and cleans my rollers up well. I tried Simple Green and it was horrible. It left ink residue everywhere. The ink that I could clean off with paper towels would be similar to what I could scrape off by hand anyway so there's no way I can plug on with just Simple Green. Lithotine is the cleaner of choice for most printmakers but disposing of the chemicals is a pain in the butt and the HazMat fee is an extra 20.00 that I don't have. The good news is that I only have one more page of major text to print and then I just have to print the title page and colophon and a few other things. Then we get on to binding.....LOL, this book will be nice when it's finally done but it sure is labor intensive. Such is the love of typesetters, blockcutters, and bookbinders everywhere.

Ride'm Ferret!

I've finished printing a butt load of christmas cards and some other cards and I'm realizing that I need to stamp at least my press name and contact on the back of them. I am going to break down and buy a cast rubber stamp for this rather than carve one of my own because that minutia is just rediculous. I've found a site that will accomodate a custom image and I've been agonizing as to what to do. I've decided that the Distinct Mink icon is just going to have to wait.
Not many people know what the deal is with Pistoles Press and in fact most nonprinters don't understand the title "Press" anyhow. My publishing press is called Pistoles Press in memory of my beloved ferret Pistol. When he was a bad boy, his name was Pistoles Frijoles.....yeah, gun beans. Well, pistoles is not even spanish for gun but for an antiquated system of coinage in Spain...but that's the beside the point. Whenever there was an upturned plant or ripped open bag of produce with little needle tooth bruises all over the apples, it wasn't Pistol's fault. It was the infamous Pistoles Frijoles! The thing that cracks me up the most is that he percieved that if he stayed stone still in the middle of the crime scene right after the act, he was invisible. As soon as I would yell "PISTOLES FRIJOLES!!!!!!" he'd spin rubber to get under the couch or bed. He was a real inspiration, however, as he would go after animals ten sometimes twenty times his size (he scared the shit out of my roommate for a while there) and would always be ready to play and get into something. Even though he was a runt, he was a true ferret's ferret and was always up for attack! His tenacity was a real inspiration and that's why I went back to an earlier image that had been floating around in my head. I had drawn a weasel with ink guns in a gun holster belt but it didn't have the dynamic energy I wanted. Anyone who's taken the time to painstakenly carve a nice block or set a page of type, then have to load it into the press and do all the make ready, counting the numerous proofs to make sure the registration and pressure is right and that the ink is the right color/consistancy, knows that feeling of finally cranking out the prints. That's the type of thrill I wanted to have in my logo. After wrangling everthing into place, the bucking bronco can't throw you once you're running that edition out! I decided to anthropomorphize the legs of the press into cow hooves and I think the tracks for the rollers mimic bull horns. Who else thinks the hat looks like a toilet seat? Any suggestions? Can you tell the weasel is happy?

Red Squid

So, I've completed a series of 80 prints featuring my squid in a red theme. I've completed the color printing in another set of grayish squid that I want to print silver spots on. I have to carve the block for that one and will probably print that one up on a transparent white base. Yay, squids!

Salsa the Octopus

So, here is the long awaited end to my friend the octopus which I started upon opening this blog. I went through a period of picking around the painting off and on for a while. It's been months since I last worked on it but last night I just felt the urge to pull it out and work a little and before I knew it, tah-dah! I think I finished it at about 1:00AM. I've already picked out a frame for it that is gold and intricate so that it will have a sort of museum quality feel. I'm stuck on the mat so far. I'm glad to see it done and it was a real treat to work on. The detail work was like piecing together an intricate jigsaw puzzle. I wanted the end effect to be that of an illuminated manuscript illustration or a story panel from the ottoman period; sparkling with rich detail. I don't know if the scan shows this well enough but I lined each sucker with a grass green mica ink I found at the local art store. Somehow, "Salsa the Octopus" sounds stupid for the gravity I want the work to hold but that's the only thing that pops into my mind at the moment. I'm open for suggestion!

Squiddles!

Now we're back to where we started. I finally got that damn jig rigged up to pull proofs from and I'm really excited about what came off! I made a bunch of proofs and I'll be carving the color block tomorrow. I want to do two editions of Squiddles so far. The first one I want to be a pink skinned squid with a red key block. Next I want to print the skin the same peachy color as as featured above and then do a key block in charcoaly silver. Yay!

My aching back....

Well, here's a little picture of what the studio looks like now. My sister, her husband, my husband, and two other friends helped me move in this weekend and I'm pooped. Technically, it's been more than a weekend as we packed things up on Saturday, moved studio stuff and both presses on Sunday, came back for a large table and my stereo system on Monday, and I still haven't set everything up by Tuesday. It's a working process. The studio space is wonderful! I've got three large windows, two of which open up to let in a nice breeze. The space is twice as big as my old studio and since it has a cement floor and is in the basement, I have no worries on weight constrictions. I went out and bought a papasan chair at Pier One and I will personally vouch that once you get in it, you won't want to get up.
I don't think it would qualify as a dirty job by some of the ones I've seen on the popular TV show but I was sidetracked unpacking by the Vandercook. I just noticed that the action was a little stiff and no wonder, the teeth on the tracks were caked full of some crap. Now, mind I've never used this machine yet, I've only been able to purchase it and store it due to lack of space. I got in there with WD-40 and loosened up the grime with nylon and brass brushes. It looked like for the most part ink, dirt, and crud that has accumulated over the years. Very nasty!

I'll post more pictures as things progress. Now that I'm in a good studio space, progress will definately happen!!!!!!!!!YAY!!!!!!

Moving into McGuffey

I wish I had a picture to show for it but in all the hustle we didn't have time. Yesterday was moving day for me to the McGuffey Art Center in downtown Charlottesville, VA. I am excited, relieved, and stressed out all in one instance. Lately, I've developed the habit of falling asleep at 8:00 PM and waking up at 3:00 AM as the update ticker will indicate. The only way to not go nuts is to get up and do something to wear myself down again.
I had some real great friends help me move again yesterday. They go around to auction and deal in antiques so they are used to manuevering clumsy and heavy objects. I think I dissappointed my friend Peter with the Vandercook press move as he said he was expecting this massive monster with all sorts of crap hanging off of it. I told him that when you didn't have any help that it feels like a massive monster. All went well this time around and my sister and her husband helped me with the Pilot press and other furniture in the studio. I wasn't able to fit my beat up old table in the truck yesterday and I have to go get that tomorrow because it's on their porch still and I'm sure they're not impressed with that! I was afraid about room in my new McGuffey studio but when everything gets in it's proper place I'm sure I'll have room to spare. It is such a great space! I've got a few windows that I can open and get natural light! This is going to be so much fun! I feel like a real professional too with my presses standing ready in the middle of the room. In our rush, we aligned the Vandercook's tympan crank wrong and I'll have to enlist a few strong friends to help line it up again but I'm sure we'll be cranking out prints in no time.
Yeah, that Z in the wood blocks is oriented totally wrong. What did I tell you about artists and day jobs?
I hope to have some neato pictures soon!

Finished Key Block

Ahhhhhhhhh, finished with the key block. I still have to pull some proofs and carve the color blocks as well as dig out the kento, but I'll save you guys the agony of those superflous posts. My little Zinc medicine cabinet is finished. I flipped the image in photoshop so you could see what it would look like printed. Let me tell you, after a few weeks of carving, that messes with you head. When I flipped it, momentarily I couldn't tell if the letters were backwards or forwards. I also thought I had drawn the side objects on the other respective sides. Printmaking is a little disorienting in that respect. Anyways, that's one monkey off my back. I hope to pull a proof of the squid too so I can start some prints of him. I have to build a special registration board for that one as I carved all the way to the edges of the block.
Things have been a little nutzo in my little corner of the world as I gear up for a studio move and job change. I'd be lying if I said it didn't scare me. Oh well, here goes nothing.....

Zinc Bottles and Antique shopping

Ha, ha!! The Zincy Goodness is not done yet! Okay, as I niddle my way outwards, you can see that it's an old medicine bottle. I've got more to do but I enjoy how the glass came out. Also, my signiture has been carved into the cork in the top of the bottle. I had a lot of fun wittling out all the little reflections in the glass.
Yesterday, my sister and I took mom out for early mother's day. We stopped into an antique store and wandered for a good couple of hours. I found an old spring loaded paper roller with tear bar for 20.00 and it just so happens that I need one for newsprint rolls. Score! I also found a huge spool of cotton twine like we used to keep in our old general store for 3.00. That will come in handy for tying up type forms and pamphlet bindings. I love shopping.

More Zinc

Okay, so I'll make up for my severe blog neglect by posting another image of my Zinc block since it's coming along so nicely. The zen thing about woodblock carving is that you get lost in the grain as you carve and the sap marks seem to flow like water as you carve.

Been a while

So, as usual, chaos has insued to insure my lapse in blogging. Oh well, I'll get settled one way or another. Here is a scan of some of the carving for the Periodic Table Print Exchange going on with some Etsy printers. Don't worry. It will get done. I got the two elements Zinc and Seaborgium. I am doing an old medicine cabinet styled print of the medicinal properties of Zinc. It is used to this day to cure skin burns and wounds and is taken as lozenges to help the body get over the common cold. Studies show that animals and plants that were denied Zinc in their developmental stages were stunted in growth.
As for Seaborgium, lord, that's another issue all together. There is little known about the substance as it is currently generated in particle accelerators and briefly at that. I think I'll do some sort of imagery about its theoretical valence shell. We'll see.

Ah, Saturday

This is a medallion I made for a sign in book at a show. It's funny, with my cut tree works, the big decisions are made at the bases of the trees and ultimately decide the patterns that follow but near the canopy the pattern becomes homogenous.
It's a really lovely day over here and I'm going to try and dig some of my garden beds later but I really hope to get more done on the Octopus painting. It's turning out quite nicely if I do say so myself. :)

A New Home!

I'm way excited (and pooped) as there have been some recent events that put good stress in my life. I'm so glad I found my lost cat but I'm still worried for her as she is so skinny! Hopefully, the loads of food and cream shoved at her will work.
Also, this past Tuesday, I got a studio at the McGuffey Art Center!!!! This means that I can finally have a working studio and that I can start teaching classes. The above photo is of my Chandler and Price Pilot Press that I acquired in Niagara Falls. Thus far it is the work horse of my studio as I have no room for my Vandercook. The poor Vandy is in various areas. The roller is in my dining room. The bed and bench is in my garden shed. I'm real excited to reassemble it and start cranking on some larger pieces! Unfortunately, the move is not going to happen until around July but boy, do I have something to look forward to!

Celebrate!

Much has happened in the last few days! I was going to go look at studio space this past tuesday when I got a phone call from my neighbor. Apparently, she found my 16 year old cat raiding her cat's food which was great news as she had been lost since February! I nabbed her and right now she is pretty scruffy looking but she is mondo thankful and pigging out on soft cat food and cream! This past Tuesday was a VERY lucky day indeed.

Squiddles

So, as promised, here is my little Squiddles woodblock ready for proofing. I think I want to have some light salmon coloured shadowing under a red key block. I'm a little leery of how this edition will run as this is a piece of shina from the McClain's grab box. It is the All Shina and is roughly 3.75" X 3.75" and I usually don't carve key blocks out of plywood as they tend to shed veneer easily but I was really surprised at how this held together. I still have yet to see how it will perform during printing as I've had plywood shed veneer from wetness too. I shouldn't have packed that much detail into such a small block of plywood but the Etsy Squid bug was fast upon me and those tentacles were just too much fun to draw. I've started to paint the Octopus and it's turning out quite nicely too...

The Octopus

So, I'm somewhat new to blogging. I had a site before on live journal but that fell to the wayside. I hope to post once a day so everyone cross their fingers for me.
Lately, I've caught this bug from Etsy. It's the Cephalopod Virus and all that seems to come out of my pencil are cephalopods. I bought a crochetted pink squid from an Etsy seller and have fallen in love ever since. Anyways, this is a pencil drawing of an octopus that I hope to paint and then maybe later I will make a woodblock print out of it. Maybe tomorrow I will upload the squid woodblock I carved.