Linocut in progress: Step 7, a subtle tern

Oh dear. The puntification is only going to take a tern for the worse, I'm afraid. I'm glad you all can handle it.

I realized today that I've been approaching this particular linocut in a more "watercolorly" fashion: I keep applying transparent glazes as one might do with a brush. Except that this way takes longer. Of course.

Steps 6 and 7 for comparison.

Perhaps you remember I wanted the bird to come forward of the background without looking disconnected, and that I was considering whether a slight warming of the shadow might accomplish this.

I think it's working. I don't want to make the shadow too dark, but I think this subtle temperature shift is okay. There's one more layer of minor darkening to apply to the trailing edges of the wings... then the higher contrast of wingtips, head, and bill. If there were any other colors going into the background clouds this shift might be TOO subtle, but...

Probably the next step will be to work some of the water and distant trees along the lower part of the image. The bird itself will be too tacky to apply any more color for a day or two.