After the light blue background step shown in the last post, I felt a need for something more.... interesting... in this print. Clearly this is going to be a duck-on-water sort of thing. It needs something special. Like, I dunno.... texture, maybe. Perhaps something like wood grain.
Yeah. Wood grain.
Off I went to see Ves, the carpenter at our neighborhood lumberyard, lino block under one arm and one of the prints under the other. He understood immediately what I was after, and reached straight into the scrap bin for a gorgeous piece of oak-veneer plywood. The grain fell in exactly the right place. It was meant to be, so Ves trimmed the oak board to the dimensions of my linoleum block and I toddled back to the studio with two boards under my arm.
The oak was pretty tough to carve, so I was glad I didn't need to do much detail. I just cleared out the space for the duck and its reflection and was ready to go. I used three small rollers (as opposed to the single large roller, which I had already returned to its owner) to produce a blend and printed away.
You saw a corner of it at that stage.
I liked the grain but it was a bit too pronounced for where this image is headed, so I inked up the lino block with a transparent medium blue and printed that over the entire print again. Got that? Solid from the lino, blend from the wood, solid from the lino again. The difference was subtle, but I think it was the right decision.
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| Just look at where that wood grain falls around the duck, will ya? |
After this it was back to the lino block for some serious carving.
Very cool, Sherri! It's just like you to be innovative and all with your printing, with that oak-as-texture idea.
ReplyDeleteWe have a bunch Goldeneye spending winter on the Animas now; they are really attractive birds, but oy, are they hard to get close to for photos! They fly off almost the minute you take one step towards the river.
That woodgrain is PERFECT! This is going to be really neat.
ReplyDeleteVes isn't maybe, possibly the friendly gentleman with the waxed handlebar mustache at the place near Safeway? :)
What a great idea to use the wood grain as texture in your print! Awesome result! Can't wait to see the next steps.
ReplyDeleteI love goldeneye...and we are fortunate to have a nearby small lake that stays open all winter that they're happy to hang out on. (We even have the Barrow's species.) This winter has been so mild that only a couple dozen are hanging out. I've had as many as 120 of them there at once!
ReplyDeleteYes, Jill... the very same carpenter at the very same place. :-) He's great.
Next steps posting on Monday, Rozemarijn!
I think I'm falling in looooove....
ReplyDeleteOnce again you amaze me with your talent and inventive nature. Love the look of this one .
ReplyDeleteThat's fabulous and amazing that it's the same person that I remember! I had a crush on his mustache. I used to live in the red brick row house directly across from Safeway and I'd walk half a block to the hardware store where he'd patiently listen to what I needed for my various weird art projects and then find pieces of wood or masonite for me. It sounds like he's still doing an excellent job. :)
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm monopolizing your comment thread with talk of mustaches. I really look forward to seeing how this print progresses!
Genius!!!
ReplyDeletethat worked perfectly! hmm could it be classed as mixed media now?
ReplyDeleteI'm with Stuart on this one! Sherrie, you continue to be my relief hero(ine)! Love the water pattern of the wood. Kudos to your carpenter...makes me wish we were geographically closer! Altho the warmth of Phoenix might wreck havoc with the snow in Salida...
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