Linocut in Progress: Slightly less vague?

When we last left our printmaker, she had spent several days creating print stages that were contenders for the "Most Boring Photo Ever Posted to a Blog" award.

I'm not sure we've fared much better in the photography department since then, although a lot has been happening.

Step 3 doesn't look very exciting from an image-development standpoint, but it does represent an interesting experiment. (Interesting to me, anyway.) I was ready to add a blue over the previous transparent pink and gray color passes, but I wanted the lower part of the image more blue than the upper part.

Linocut in progress, Step 3

I thought the solution might be to create a blended roll that changed opacity, rather than color. (In other words, ink that was more transparent at the top of the block and more opaque at the bottom.) It was a good idea, but after the first couple of pulls I decided the lower portion of the image had become TOO opaque. I ended up adding more transparent base to the lower color of the blend, which made the transition much more subtle but kept the water feeling luminous. The result looks like a subtle gray-to-blue blend, but it's really just one blue.

After that I "enjoyed" several days of rather confusing carving. For Step 4 I did use a transparent gray-to-blue blend, to keep the less intense color towards the top.

Linocut in progress, Step 4. (This photo you can embiggen with a click.)

Here's a detail of part of the right-hand side of the print after Step 4. This one is also embiggenable with a click.

Linocut in progress, Step 4 detail

So now I'm back to carving again. The good news is that this stage should go a little bit faster, as there are some larger sections to remove and not as many noodly shapes. I might turn my attention to the birds for the next few steps, and then the final darks should come along quickly. And hopefully the photography will get more interesting, too.