12 foot Mongolian?

watch this space

Betty's Hen (work in progress)

I’ve started on a new print featuring one of my sister’s hens. I’ve been a bit distracted of late so to concentrate my thoughts I will post on each stage of work. That way if progress stalls my blog will be a nagging reminder to get on with it. So here are the sketches – a pencil sketch and then an ink version. The ink version is an attempt to work out the cuts that I will make in the lino. Because I find it easier to colour in the areas to be cut thaN it is to colour around them this is in effect a negative image. 

Usually I also create a colour mock up either in coloured pencils like this or on screen in coreldraw or photopaint. I skipped this stage for Magpie tree and paid the consequences for my haste. So below is my colour mock up for Betty’s Hen. I reversed the ink image and put in some possible colour combinations. This shows me that there is far too much white on the breast feathers in this design so it needs some adjustment before I transfer it to the lino. It will be interesting to see just how close the final print is to this.  

The obligatory bluebell photo

Its spring so every blog should have one (IMO).

A surprise trip to the

A ride on a tram and a walk along the promenade and blue, blue skies (with hardly a vapour trail in sight). A fine afternoon  in Blackpool. OK, a lot of the front is still a building site but where the works have been completed I think its looking pretty good, but then I do have severe beach envy and would kill to live near any open water.

A bit undecided

As I predicted in my last post adding the black to Magpie Tree didn't produce the image in my mind's eye. And now I've lost sight of what I was trying to achieve altogether, though I know it was heavily influence by the feel of this Charlie Harper illustration. I've ended up with 3 versions:


Left....the original orange on white (which I quite like)


Centre....the full black and orange on white (which just screams halloween at me)


Right....where I have cut out a lot more from the black plate

As a warm up for big GE I am inviting your votes, LEFT, CENTRE, RIGHT in the comments box purleeeez (for the image you prefer, not your political persuasions, though you can tell me about those too if you wish) thank you!

Magpie tree (work in progress)

The lino is cut and the first colour is on! Its seems ages since I did any proper printing. I kid myself that other tasks have sucked away all my time (we are at the start of a house move) but really I think apathy has played its part. Anyway it was nice to feel the same excitement when I got the inks out last night and I'm quite please with the result so far, in fact I'm worried now that the next colour might ruin it.  (Does anyone else find  difficult to deal with orange in photo editors, my corel was determined to turn it brown!)

Look what came in the post

Thanks to Jax’s Letterpress in the UK blog I now how have a newly emergent addiction to letterpress and a fresh way to spend my spar(s)e money. And look what the postman brought me! I don’t have a proper letterpress printer but I do have a nipping press and some embryonic thoughts on the practicalities of lino & type printing. Keep watching (unless you are a print purist in which case you’ll probably want to avert your eyes).

If this kind of thing floats your boat then you've probably already seen this .

Are the slugs on a diet or ...

did the harsh winter really see them off? There are a few nibbles in the hellebores but they usually look like Nottingham's best by this time of year. Long may it last!

A nice day cutting up stuff...

I came across the small caps blog recently the via the fab LETTERPRESS IN THE UK and thought this customization of an old letterpress tray was absolutely beautiful. So much so that me and small son just had to have a go. He’s a bit bossy and not keen on random which made for some arguing but we’re quite pleased with the result. Thanks small caps for a great idea.  

Beast or beauty?

I'm sure he's a beauty in his mother's eyes but he's just a bit too much like a Dr Who alien for me.

Black and chrome ...

always gives me a thrill and coming across these two yesterday in a printshop just over the valley was no acception. Ah the smell...

My first craft fair...

was ok. I would even go as far to as to say that I quite enjoyed it, in parts. P was very jealous of my opportunity to sit down and do b****r all for 6 hours, especially as he had to take our son to a soft-play party that afternoon.  The fair was really well organised by the WYPW and the venue nice and light and airy. And considering that Mirfield isn't the largest of towns the organisers had attracted a reasonable stream of visitors, and more importantly buyers. It was really interesting to hear comments on my prints for the first time and some quite surprised me. "Stork Landing" and the Chestnut prints were both discuss quite favourably (though alas not bought) though these have been the least viewed in my Folksy shop, whilst "Hardraw Force", one of my post popular prints was largely overlooked. Overall a good day, I might be tempted to do it again.