Posted in drawing

Lino-Cut Fun

On Sunday I posted the sketches that I did in anticipation of a print-making class I was planning to attend. Today I’m showing the fun stuff I made at that class.

The instructor, Justine Cherwick, was quiet, modest and thoroughly prepared. She started us off with a circle-in-a-rectangle design for practice. Each quadrant was carved in a different design.

Stamp and Print

That was quite easy and very satisfying. Next, Justine transposed our initials in reverse on a blank block and we carved stamps of them.

So far, so good. For our third exercise, we each selected from a group of Halloween designs to carve a 3 x 4 block. I loved this cat with a skull and sickle.

The stray faint lines and dots you see around the edges of the main design are called “noise.” Some artists like this effect, others not-so-much. It’s easy to carve them off after you’ve done your test print.

And now for the big finale. I chose to carve the beach scene. Here is my sketch.

You will have to imagine that the dark marks will become white and the white background will print black. Here is my finished block.

And my print.

For a first try, it’s not too bad. Good enough to encourage me to try making more lino-cut work.

And finally, here are the Halloween postcards I printed and sent to the grandkids.

Dressed up with some echo lines.
A touch of orange and a barbed wire border
Posted in drawing

Sunday Sketches

I spent some time this week-end preparing for a class in printmaking. This will be an introductory class for me, since I’ve had no previous training in the art. After dreaming up a few ideas for print images, I started sketching them out. Here’s what I came up with in the space of a few hours.

To start, I went to my photographs of Belize for inspiration. Here is one that I snapped of the beach as seen from our front porch. The view faces east and the time is shortly after sunrise.

Nice, huh? The tree and hammock are silhouetted against the water and sky, so I made them the primary subjects. Keeping in mind my inexperience with carving a print block I vastly simplified the scene. I also chose to reverse the tones and turn day into a night with the moon rising.

Next I went through previous saved photographs. This is one of a monarch butterfly I downloaded from a free use site. I was attracted by the strong contrast of its black body and wing edges with the warm background

For my third sketch I worked from my imagination. I wanted to play with a basketweave pattern, but in an unusual context. The idea of a cloak came to mind.

The class took place yesterday. It went well and I had a great time. I’ll show you the subject I chose and the block and print I made in the next post.

Posted in knitting

FO Friday: Forestry Cardigan

Finished at Last!

I’m pleased to unveil this cardigan which I started back in May. In March of this year, I had visited Ewetopia Yarn store in Veroqua, WI. Noticing this yarn on sale, I picked up enough to make a sweater. In fact, I purchased all skeins available in this colorway.

Roslyn by Cascade Yarns

Roslyn is a blend of 65% wool and 35% silk. It is so soft that I posed for this photo shoot wearing the sweater next to my skin – in other words, no shirt! The finished fabric is very drapey. It almost lacks enough structure to be used in a cardigan.

This pattern came from Vogue Knitting: a retrospective on seventy years of the magazine’s history. Forestry originally appeared in the 2008 Fall edition but it strikes me as having a vintage vibe.

I had some trouble with errors and vague instructions in the pattern. Even though I researched it in Ravelry’s database, I don’t think that all the errata had been discovered and corrected.

…….specifically, the shawl collar did not come out right. It was after I had finished my knitting and scrutinized the photograph closely that I realized I had placed the stitch markers for shaping the collar in the wrong location. By then I had lost all interest in ripping the collar out and starting over again.

Close up

I made adjustments in the best way that I could. I added a loop closure near the collar’s beginning so that the neckline wouldn’t gap open.

Despite its imperfections, this cardigan will be a nice addition to my sweater wardrobe. I have a vintage wool A-line skirt in a darker moss green color that will work nicely. Adding a chunky necklace like the one worn by the model and my brown leather boots and I’ll be good to go.

Posted in painting

Special Delivery Sunday

The doorbell just rang and I knew that my package from Amazon was here.

I have enrolled in a class on printmaking. While I have made a few stamps to use in my painted fabric projects, I have never been very satisfied with my efforts. Part of my difficulty was due to inexperience, but mostly it was due to poor tools and materials. So when my art association offered a class I was keen to enroll.

The instructor suggested that students purchased this Lino-cut kit.

It seems to have every tool needed to cut and stamp a mono-print, except the paper, of which I have plenty.

And while I was looking for something else to buy (you know, so I could get free shipping,) I found this porcelain palette at a very affordable price.

I don’t need 18 wells, but I do need a large area for color mixing. In the past I’ve tried larger plastic palettes, but was disappointed by their tendency to get stained. This porcelain palette will not stain. And Bonus! When I turned the palette over,

…the reverse side had 12 mixing areas. That’s a useful option.

Now, of course, I’m itching to get out my watercolors. ‘Bye!

Posted in drawing

Sunday Sketching: Belize Journal

My week in Belize was filled with wonderful experiences and unforgettable sights. After getting in very late Friday night, it has taken me almost two full days of rest to recover my energy.

I thought today I would sketch in graphite one of the sights I saw in paradise. I chose this fellow:

On our last day at the resort, I took a late morning walk with the goal of photographing some picturesque scenes that might inspire my artwork. Nearing the end of my stroll this iguana appeared on the sidewalk ahead of me. Seeing me, he froze momentarily. I slowly moved into position and snapped a couple the images. He cooperated quite well. As you can see the light is harsh giving very strong shadows. I had to lighten the image just to see his face clearly enough to draw it.

Contour Drawing
Shading Applied
Some background details hastily penciled in

I have to say, this is the first reptile I’ve sketched. Getting the proportions right took me a few tries. The wrinkly skin was the most fun to draw. I liked it.