A couple of prints finished over the last couple of weeks. A simple 4 colour linocut printed to use as my Christmas Card and a small Wood Engraving of a Grey Seal and her pup originally sketched over 30 years ago at Pwllderi on the north coast of Pembrokeshire.
Next weekend I'll be taking part in the Saltaire Makers fair in the Victoria Hall in the centre of the Saltaire Village World Heritage Site. After nearly two years in the studio since my last event I've plenty of new work to show for the first time. So I've spent the last couple of days framing up a selection of the new Linocuts, Mezzotints and Wood Engravings.
Finally finished the platework on the new mezzotint and started to edition this afternoon. Managed 10 impressions in a 5 hour session.
Nearing the end of the platework now. Just some highlights to bring out on the foreground grasses and then the editioning can begin.
The latest mezzotint plate is not quite ready to edition yet but near enough to take a couple of impressions and start thinking about what ink I'll use to print it with. The first impression is printed with a blue-black, the second with Charcoal black. Both give a good range of subtle greys but I think I prefer the warmer tones of the Charcoal Black.
The highlights still need to be burnished to make the whites really pop out and some of the grass stems need to be highlighted to make them appear less flat. Other than that I'm happy with the way the print is progressing.
Much maligned and not everyone's favourite bird but an absolute gift for a printmaker. Given the subject matter probably not my most saleable print.
Magpie
190mm x 170mm
6 layer reduction linocut.
Edition of 10
A more experienced engraver than myself would have known not to bother taking a proof from the plate at this stage. I still find it hard to look at the image engraved on the plate and judge how it will look on paper. A mezzotint plate always looks more finished than it really prints.
