Linocut in Progress: black guillemot

Yes, Stuart was correct... and so, I bet, was Ann... in their guesses about the identity of this linocut subject. It's black guillemot, a species known on both sides of the Atlantic pond. Far less flashy than its pesky puffin cousins, the guillemot claim to aesthetic fame is its fantastically red feet. (And if it opens its mouth to give you a piece of its mind, you'll find red there, too.) Licorice-green-black bird, white epaulets... red feet.

Guillemot linocut: Step 4

In this case we say red foot rather than feet, since one is all that's visible. A second bit of spot inking of a transparent blue throws a shadow across the foot and the rock and builds a little tone for the background.

Guillemot linocut: Step 5

The bird begins to emerge, although it's still very much a part of the background. I'm a wee bit nervous about allowing this much variety in color over the space where the bird will ultimately sit, but I'm hoping I can pull it off okay. I've made a risky compositional choice here... the area behind the (black) bird's head is destined to be quite dark... a suggestion of the burrow in the rocks outside which the guilly waits. We'll see how successful I am.

While we're waiting for ink to dry, be sure to mark your calendars for June 27, International Guillemot Appreciation Day!