Linocut in Progress: Greens... without using green!

It's been one of those weeks. As I mentioned in my last post, a couple of weeks ago I finally broke down and bought a new computer to replace the ten-year-old one that had ceased updating and was starting to have some issues. The new machine sat on the floor in its box for an entire week before I was brave enough to set it up, because I knew the cascade of issues I was about to unleash. 

It's been another week where many hours were lost to transferring a terabyte of information between incompatible machines and installing additional memory chips and downloading new software. But as of last night I think I am finally more or less functional... still some loose ends to tie up, but the major headaches are hopefully behind me. 

It was just as well that I had that distraction, because after the steps you're about to see, these prints became just too wet to forge ahead. I tried... and made a mess... so had to walk away and deal with a techno headache instead. Wheeeee.

But once again I'm getting ahead of myself in the storytelling. Let's see where we are right now..

Reduction linocut in progress: Step 10 on the press

The goal for these next few steps was to add some value changes to the green without making it any brighter. The best way to do that seemed to be to use a transparent warm gray... it's a mix of a skosh (technical term) of black and another skosh of sepia in a whole lot (the anti-skosh) of transparent base. And hey! Let's roll it over the entire block, no masks required. 

Step 10 printed

Not bad, not bad. We were headed into the olive-y realm with the green... and that was okay. Plus a hint of definition was developing in the bird. 

Works for me. Let's do it again! More carving, more black/sepia/transparent base.

This time, however, I wanted to avoid letting the bird's head get any darker... so I cut some funny little head-shaped masks.

Step 11 on the press

Yes, a good call. We're seeing some subtle value changes in the water and a bit more in the bird, but the head hasn't gone too dark. Seems like we're* on the right track. 

(This would be the printmakerly royal "we." You, me, the tools, the ink, the paper, the weather...)

Step 11 printed

Step 11 on the left, Step 10 on the right.
It's like one of those "spot the differences" puzzles we did in grade school.

I was starting to feel really excited to finish up the water... one... maybe two... more passes with a gray to create darker values in the green... and then the finishing touches on the bird! Yes, let's go!

Or not. I tried to print the next color pass, but the prints were just too wet and the new ink layer printed speckly and gross. Nothing to do but clean it all up and walk away for a few days. (How lucky that I had Computer Hell to keep me occupied instead, eh?)

It's possible that I'll be able to get back to it tomorrow. Everything's still a bit tacky tonight, but hopefully by tomorrow afternoon the prints will be dry enough to get that next color pass down. I had hoped to have the entire thing finished before I run away from home for a few days this weekend... but it's not looking promising at the moment. But we're getting close! "We" need to catch that bird before she swims away!