Monday, December 2, 2013

Back to the Laughing Gulls: To Sea or Not to Sea.... that is the question!

Work continues on the little puffin, but while I wait for ink to dry I decided to take another look at the laughing gull linocut.

In my original design I had these birds sharing a joke on a rock in the Gulf of Maine because that IS, after all, where they are. But as work continued on the piece I thought it might be getting too "busy," so I ignored that upper corner.

I had lots of technical problems with this piece, so I have plenty of rejects to play with before I give up on an edition. Today I pulled one of those rejects out and ran a bright blue just to see what it would look like.

To sea or not to sea? Click to embiggen and help me decide!

Hm. Okay. What do you think? If I DO use the blue, I would probably add a second, subtle tone just to keep it from being a flat shape. Too much? Or just what the jokesters ordered?

15 comments:

  1. I like the blue. Those rocks are amazing.

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  2. I like the way the blue helps to frame the image, although I also like the space in the original print, so I'm afraid I'm no help whatsoever! Either way, you've created a beautiful linoprint.

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  3. Love this print! The blue does liven it up a bit, but I feel it competes with the black and white contrast of the gulls and tends to send my eye up and out of the picture to the left.

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  4. To sea! I like the blue. (I like it without the blue, too, for the record, but I prefer the blue).

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  5. My two cents...
    It's not the blue that's the problem, Sherrie. That bright green is too vibrant. I checked BnB's back posts to see when it was more like the rocks.

    Could you print the blue sea and overlay a bit of it to push the green back? (You're in good company. The David Hockney show in SF was wonderful, with a bit of trouble with the greens...)

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  6. I like the sea and the bright green

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  7. Hi Sherrie,
    Both presentations a beautiful. I love your work!

    My thought, what would it take to create a different hint of the sea in the background that doesn't draw your eye's focus off of the canvas but a gentle sweep kinda curved a touch to bring the eye back into the picture like a wave crash on the beach.
    Yours in Art,
    Cheryl Turlin

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  8. I prefer a bit of sea, it finishes off the top of the picture. Though I'm not sure about the bright blue - perhaps a bit of transparent something to give it a greener look...

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  9. I agree with janemick; I like the sea on this already lovely print, but perhaps toned down... I would hate to have it out-compete those gorgeous gulls! As always, your work inspires!

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  10. Yes to the blue.
    Otherwise, maybe I'd change the tilt of the head just a little bit.....

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  11. Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful comments. This discussion has been hot on Facebook, too, and I really appreciate everyone's perspective. (Although Andrew.... about that head tilt suggestion... you're not a reduction printer, are you? ;-)

    In the end I've decided not to decide yet. I think there will be SOMETHING in that corner, just not sure what yet. So it's back to puffins for the time being!

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  12. I like it without the blue Sherrie. It might just be the angle of the blue, but for me, it detracts from the rest of the print.

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  13. LOVE the blue addition, but agree it needs something to make it less flat-looking...easy to see you are not yet finished. I wonder what 'foam' would look like...as if a small wave just retreated.

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  14. I agree with the person who said that the blue tends to take you up and out of the image. If you add the blue it will have to be lighter and grayer, and possibly greener,imho. Will be eager to see what you do with this! The blue area also adds to all those diagonals on the same plane, maybe a little different slant? Glad you have plenty to play with!!

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Linocut in Progress: The Third Act

Time to wrap up this linocut ! And we are wrapping at warp speed (see what I did there?)... because there are deadlines. Exhibition deadline...