Studio Window

First proof

2011-11-30T13:08:00.001Z

Here's the block inked up and locked onto the press bed.

The first proof. I need to do a fair bit of tidying up, removing especially the spots in the sky area and tonal adjusting generally. The edges need to be more irregular so I'll fade off the squareness a bit down that left hand edge. The forgeround lady's cap needs lightening somehow. The shadow under the wave is too regular and needs adjusting.

I'll leave it for the rest of the day and think about it.

Almost there!

2011-11-30T08:55:00.001Z

As you can see, I made good progress yesterday and just have a small area of wave to engrave, along with a cozzie and a few tweaks here and there. If I get on ok today I may be able to run off a first proof to see how the print looks.

A Watery Rave? (ouch!)

2011-11-29T08:40:00.001Z

A bigger view of the block this time if you click on it, so you can get a feel for the cuts. I'm loving the swish and foam of the water but having to take the cutting cautiously as I don't want to lose the light and texture.

Give us a wave!

2011-11-26T14:10:00.001Z

Here's the block as it is so far sitting on it's leather sandbag alongside one of my favourite tools, the spitsticker. I've made a start on the wave and am enjoying depicting the textures and movement of frothing water.

Cutting the sky

2011-11-24T15:44:00.001Z

Coming along now, the worst bit is gouging the larger areas of white. The best bit is 'discovering' nice textures and ways to depict areas like sky and water. I'm enjoying this immensely. :-)

Go for it, Mildred!

2011-11-14T14:32:00.001Z

And a detail shot of the work being done on the wave and sky in the top right.

More coming soon....

Engrave the wave!

2011-11-04T09:18:00.000Z

Yesterday's work saw the ladies progress further. I still want to put a pattern on the lady in front's costume and a few other bits but now I'm going to engrave the wave (I like that phrase!). Wish me luck!

By the way, the size of this block is 3" x 5" (75mm x 136mm)

Snicketty-snick...

2011-11-01T14:23:00.000Z

Progress made today on the ladies...

A new engraving

2011-10-13T13:09:00.000+01:00

Here's the latest page in my sketchbook, along with a block bearing my chosen design in black ink. (in reverse of course, so that it prints the right way round). I shall begin to engrave today, hopefully it won't take long as it's only 7.5 cm x 12.4cm.

The block is an old one made of (I think) box wood and resurfaced by Chris Daunt.

The subject matter is one close to my heart (or perhaps I should say, my belly!); three bathing beauties bellyboarding in the summer surf. I love using my wooden bellyboard and I shall be down at the beach this evening after work, surfing on it and perpetuating a tradition that has been on these shores for at least 100 years.

I shall, however, unlike these brave ladies, be wearing a wetsuit!

More bellies

2011-10-04T11:45:00.001+01:00

A couple more bellyboarder sketches:

The knitted stripey creation sagged alarmingly after his first heat and he had to re-tie the straps cross-wise to prevent any untoward malfunctions!

Junior (under 60s)Womens' heat. The water didn't seem too cold after the first couple of immersions!

More to come.........

New sketches

2011-09-14T09:19:00.000+01:00

If you want to take a peek at the first batch of my new sketches (these are about the 9th World Bellyboard Champs, that I entered) pop over to my surfy blog here: Swellchaser

The event was held at Chapel Porth in Cornwall and attracted over 300 contestants, some from as far away as New Zealand and New York. Wetsuits were banned and many came in fancy dress or period swimwear, to enhance what was a very retro feeling to this competition. Contestants ranged in age from 6 to their 80s and the contest was split into age groups: children, under 60s and over 60s (and the sexes were split too). A great time was had by all, despite the weather, which held out till lunchtime, then threw torrential rain and gale force winds at us.

The World Champion was declared to be Naomi Perkin, who accumulated more points than the rest of us! Well done to Naomi!

I was placed 86th overall (out of 329, and am very pleased with that. (Hubby came ... 87th!)

2011-08-30T10:16:00.000+01:00

I have ideas circulating for a new engraving. I want to try and depict the speed and thrill of riding a wooden bellyboard in the surf. The sort of wave that you catch and which then carries you pell mell with walls of foam sizzling past your ears and dumps you onto dry sand! Here's a first scribble:

I might paint a watercolour of it too, as a part of the process. Watercolour by it's very nature can create unexpected and pleasing effects, something I might be able to translate into the wood block.

In the meantime, here are some more beach studies:

Is it telling that I'm drawing people facing away from me? Hmmmmm........Will have to rectify that. I'm taking my sketchpad to the World Bellyboard Championships at Chapel Porth, near St Agnes on Sunday 4th. I hope to sketch between and after my heats and to that end I'm taking my special gel handwarmers with me! Seeing as the rules don't allow you to wear a wetsuit for your dips in the surf, I think I'm going to have to try and keep warm!

Rainy summer

2011-08-17T09:22:00.001+01:00

I feel for the visitors down to Cornwall this year. Apart from some glorious weather in early Summer, it's been unpredictable, showery, windy and dull, with the occasional fabulous day just to tease you. It's fine if all you want to do is get wet anyway in the surf, but pretty grotty if you want to sit on the beach. Beach visits are cut short by mischievous showers and the escape back to the car to sit in fug with damp gritty sand between your toes is unattractive. Especially when the last one off the beach has the car keys!

Still, one day the sun will reappear and when it does........

There's fun for young........

And younger!

Just a few old sketches......trouble is when I go to the beach, it's in a wetsuit with my board, not my sketchbook. I must rectify that on the days I don't surf.

A Bookplate

2011-08-11T16:56:00.000+01:00

Not engraved, but drawn on the computer, as my client wanted to have a rubber stamp made of the artwork so that he could print bookplates as and when he needed them.

New Blog for surfy posts

2011-07-31T16:34:00.002+01:00

Just a quick note to tell you I've created a new blog to cover my Surfy postings, so any further board art will appear there. The blog's URL is: http://swellchaser.blogspot.com

It's in early stages yet, but it'll include any surf-related vintage pieces and news we pick up. In our first post.....a couple of vintage postcards of Polzeath and Bude, showing surf bathers using their bellyboards.

This blog will continue to feature my wood engravings and bookplates. I have a bookplate to blog very soon!

Wanna see my board?

2011-07-23T10:56:00.000+01:00

I'll give it a day for the oil to bed into the wood.....then hopefully take it to the waves tomorrow.

Thanks to Traditional Surfing for their advice re: linseed oiling.

Colouring up

2011-07-22T08:26:00.000+01:00

This is what the board looked like about lunchtime, after a few hours work. I'm really enjoying giving it life with colour.

At the end of the day's work, it's starting to come together.

I have to go out in the morning but I shall be working on the board when I return. Will I finish it in the next session? Who knows?

2011-07-21T09:00:00.000+01:00

At last....time to start putting some colour onto the board! I'll start with the flesh (there's a lot of it!) and also I'll have to make sure I don't dip my brush into my coffee mug instead of the water!

That's the first two figures; I may adjust the paleness a little but will decide later, because the whole tonal range will change when I linseed the board.

Husband came home from work at that point and offered to take a photo of 'The Artist At Work'.

I have to take my glasses off increasingly for close work; obviously I need to think about a trip to Specsavers!

Here it is, ready for a colour OTHER than pink to be applied!

Another update tomorrow.....

Onto the board...

2011-07-20T09:02:00.000+01:00

Right....so the sketch is transferred to the board using half an acre of carbon paper.....

And the seagull comes last above the sea spray.

Now for the painting! I need to keep the design simple, so black outlines and colour inside, but I plan to add some nice pattern/texture too. This is how the board was last night:

My mission today is to finish the linework and start on the colour. I shall use acrylics, in a medium-thin consistency and mixed with gloss medium, which imparts partial transparency so you can see the wood and also seems to add a little more depth of colour, waterproofing and protection to the paint. (This further to my very scientific trials, which consisted of chucking the trial offcut out into the garden during a heavy rainstorm and leaving it there overnight, wet through. Just wanted to see if the paint would start lifting off. It didn't, but the colours I'd applied using the gloss medium seemed to have bound closer to the wood than the thicker-applied paint. Probably a lot of nonsense, but there you go.) As I said from the start, I will not be varnishing this board. It will get a nourishing coat of linseed oil applied once a year. The oil won't protect the paintwork at all, just the wood. Still, I want the board to get weathered, dinged and distressed, otherwise it just wouldn't look right.

The saddest thing in the world is an unused bellyboard!

Can you see what it is yet?

2011-07-19T13:11:00.000+01:00

Full size finished rough on the kitchen table; it being the only place large enough to see it in full. Next.... transfer the rough to the board. Carbon paper at the ready!

Plus we have just ordered another unfinished board from Gavin at Traditional Surfing! A 'special' called 'Da Bomb', more of an animal! It's for hubby. That'll be next on the list!

How's that crab you?

2011-07-18T11:37:00.000+01:00

You'll remember from my last posting that having obtained a scrummy bellyboard (unvarnished and ready for paint) from Traditional Surfing, I did some experimenting with paints and various markmaking options, on offcuts. (I even tried rolling printing ink onto a small indian fabric block and pressing it onto the board. I'm sure you'd get away with printing lino blocks if you use waterproof inks! That's another experiment for another day.)

Here is the original scribble design that I have chosen for this board. It shows the stampede to the waves, bellyboards clutched in anticipation of that smooth, fast glide. There are old and young, various shapes and sizes.

The Traditional Surfing logo is incorporated into the waves that the surfer at the top is launching into. A crab chases the pack looking for toes to tweak and those who know my wood engravings may recognise the sea gull cruising at the top.

Next stage was to do a full-size drawing, improving details and generally developing the composition to that it works well on the board. I intend that only the figures will be painted, and the white water. This is because I want the natural wood to feature on the top (deck) of the board and act as a sort of frame to the figures.

To get the life-size board shape the best way was to draw around it. Then I drew a grid over the outline to aid the transfer of the sketch proportions from small scale to large. As you can see from the sketch photo above, I have drawn a corresponding grid over it too.

First in was the crab. I have so far drawn in two of the figures now, but not photographed them yet so that will be shown on the next post.

Bellyboard Painting

2011-07-14T16:43:00.000+01:00

And now, as they say in Monty Python, for something completely different:

I surf waves in the shallows on a bellyboard, a tradition that's been around for around 100 years in the UK. I used to use a foam boogieboard but just over a year ago, something changed....... I bought a wooden bellyboard.

Ever since I got my first Bellyboard (pictured below) 15 months ago, I've been hooked. I love the ride, being IN the wave rather than ON it. I love the fact that I'm riding wood rather than a synthetic material, not sure what those foam boogie boards are made of. Since I started bellying, I have only used my boogie board once. My Other Half, who normally surfs a longboard and looked down his nose at my foam boogieboard, tried my bellyboard once and was hooked! As was our son, who came down for a holiday, tried the belly and wants one! They are such FUN!

Now, being the arty type, I've quite fancied getting a blank, unvarnished bellyboard and giving it a personalised paint job. Enter Gavin Randall of the Traditional Surfing Co, a surfing pal who has started making by hand a range of very nice ply bellyboards that are made using FSC certified marine grade ply and finished with fishy-friendly linseed oil rather than varnish. (I love the smell of linseed oil; I used to oil paint, many years ago and the aroma takes me right back to the studio.)

Anyway, he had an unfinished board ready that I could buy and I grabbed the chance. It's been propped up in our lounge for almost three weeks, teasing me.

What to do with this blank canvas? What subject matter can I paint? (more on that later) What paint do I use? Not oils, too long a drying time. I have some acrylic paints that might do. (I may try and source some more eco-friendly paints later) I've never even painted on ply before and I wanted to treat it with linseed after painting too, so Gavin kindly dug out some off-cuts that I could sand down and tinker with. I tried different paints to check bleed into the wood and when that dried I brushed it with linseed oil and polished it to see how it looked. And that's what I've been doing today.

I tried a line with thick permanent marker pen, which wasn't bad and didn't bleed much at all, but I have doubts as to it's light-fast qualities, so I opted for the acrylics, which went onto the un-primed board very nicely. They dried fast and when I wiped linseed over it only had a very small effect on the colours.

I did a fair number of sketches over the past few weeks while different ideas fermented in my head. I wanted to come up with something that conveyed the fun for all ages and the tradition of bellyboarding. I found myself thinking of the cheeky Donald McGill seaside postcards that were so popular in the 30's and 40's. I think I've come up with the answer, which I'll show in my next post.

The 'shortlist reject' ideas I'd still like to do, especially the hunky merman and the comedy apron format (take a bow, Anthony!) which you'll have to wait to see on a later post!

First proof

2011-06-23T09:38:00.000+01:00

I hand-burnished the first proof this afternoon. I'm quite pleased with it. It's rare that something prints more or less as you envisaged it, while engraving the block. There will be little tweaks and a tidy up but nothing major. I'll post the finished print next.

Ready for a proof

2011-06-21T12:14:00.000+01:00

I'm ready for a first proof, to see what needs adjusting. (There's nearly always something!)

A little progress

2011-06-10T08:28:00.000+01:00

The other actor has suddenly burst onto the stage....what is going to happen? The audience grip their cups of coffee and glasses of wine, in silent expectation. The seagull looks impassively on, she's seen it all before and knows that if a pod of dolphins pass by, the dramatic moment and the audience will be lost.

Besides, it's way past the gull's bedtime!

Into the light....

2011-06-06T17:38:00.000+01:00

...come the details. The pillar, the ivy, the grass. And a hint of audience seated further round the auditorium. I should get an earlier start on the block tomorrow, I wonder how far I'll get?

More details

2011-06-01T18:13:00.000+01:00

It's coming along; work has been done on the plants and the lady's spotty shawl/blanket. I've drawn in the celtic pillar to the right bottom and scribbled some ivy just to remind myself to do it!

More tomorrow.......

Enter stage left...the audience.

2011-05-27T11:08:00.000+01:00

The audience is starting to appear. The lady centre foreground is going to be wrapped in a spotty blanket. She had acquired a glass of wine to keep her warm. Theatre dress is definitely skewed towards warm and weatherproof! Performances continue through wind and rain.(The audience also bring picnics, flasks, wine. I was offered a slice of home made sponge cake last time, by a lady sitting next to me! She had brought the whole cake in a tin! )

The plant right will go, to be replaced by a piece of stonework bearing some celtic carving; the theatre is full of it. Amazing that it was all done by Rowena Cade, in partly-set concrete! I will probably twine a little ivy or some such plant around the stone base to soften it. To the left the spears of Euphorbia will stay, their tiny round-ish flowers an echo of milady's blanket.

It's evolving......

2011-05-25T09:46:00.000+01:00

The sketch is generally only a rough guide to follow and if I'm very lucky, I find the block evolves as I engrave it. Things get altered; a bit lighter here or a texture there and additions or deletions (before they're engraved, of course!).

I think the central stage area will be mostly white with small areas of light texturing (I shall take away some of the texturing I've already done as I like the bold silhouettes of the audience against the white.) I'm seriously considering removing the plant from the bottom right and replacing it with something else Minack-ish. Maybe a portion of the wonderful carved stonework they have there. Or a half-finished cup of cocoa on the grassy ledge perhaps!

It really is a fantastic place. It was created by one determined woman and her grumpy gardener. http://www.minack.com/ Below are a couple of photos I took when I went.

A panorama of the auditorium

And just before the play opened. Note the moon over the distant cliffs. Magical!

Thinking time

2011-05-16T16:47:00.000+01:00

I do find that engraving a block, given that each cut is irrevocable, lends itself to a certain amount of 'thinking time'. If one has the luxury of course and isn't harnessed to a deadline, in which case it's as best to have decided your approach early on so as not to incur any delay.

I had hoped to be further along with this block but was called away to do something else. But I propped it up so that I could see it and take my time in fixing in my head what was to remain black, what should have a hard edge, what textures, etc. I like to do that. I have enough 'hurry hurry hurry' in my 'day job' and to be able to relax a bit is liberating.

Anyway, I'm on the block again and this is this afternoon's work. More tomorrow......

Engraving the lettering

2011-04-20T10:11:00.000+01:00

I have darkened my resurfaced pearwood block with a little writing ink and transferred my design (in reverse!) ready to cut.

Yesterday the weather was so gorgeous I couldn't resist sitting outside in the garden to start on the lettering at the top. I'm going very very slowly as I don't want to make any slips. The pearwood is beautiful to engrave.

Here's so far:

And a detail of the lettering. The large letters are 4mm high and the small ones 2.5.

Block prep and the miracle of technology (barring crashes!)

2011-04-15T14:51:00.000+01:00

Receiving a new block from the blockmakers is a tactile experience. I love unwrapping the package to feel the cool, smooth wood and admire the close grain.

This is a resurfaced block, which had been engraved on some 30 years ago. I sent it along with some others to Chris Daunt, (who doubtless had to give himself a steadying moment when he stopped laughing at the toe-curlingly bad engraving) and he shaved away the existing engraving and smoothed the block to a glassy shine on the engraving face.

You can almost make out the old design but the block is smooth and silky to the touch. A new engraving block is a thing of beauty. Contrary to the label on the wrapper, this is not lemonwood, but pearwood. I bought it from TN Lawrence in London in 1980 and it arrived neatly wrapped in a piece of newspaper. Now I hope to engrave on it a second time and I hope the result is more competent.

First I darkened that smooth shiny surface, by rubbing a little dilute writing ink over it, with a cloth. I darken the block so that I can see the engraved lines better, as they will stand out white against the dark. I don't darken it too much though, or I won't see the lines of my design.

As for the design...here is a rare shot of a drawing in the process of being tweaked and refined on my computer. I use a professional drawing programme, called Corel Painter and use it every working day for illustration work in my 'day' job, so I am very familiar with it. Mostly I draw for publications and educational material. In the days before graphic computers, we worked on paper, with pen and ink and paint. (Sometimes we still do.) Clients were supposed to make any amendments to a drawing at the rough sketch stage, but frequently we got asked to amend a finished piece of work. If it was only something small we could over paint or patch but often it was a big alteration that involved starting the drawing all over again. With the computer all this changed (when we got used to using the dratted things!).

Using a graphics tablet instead of a mouse I can sketch onscreen just as I would in a sketchbook. It's important at this point to realise that the computer DOES NOT DO THE DRAWING. If you aren't good at drawing on paper then you won't be any better using this programme. It's a tool, like a pencil. If the computer did the drawing, I would have left the profession and gone off to do something more interesting. The big difference for an artist is that pretty much everything done this way is editable, so I can change the size of my drawing, erase and redraw, reverse and change colours, you name it, it can be altered with no damage to the drawing. This is a huge advantage when you consider publishers are forever changing their minds about things!

I make no apologies for using the computer to prepare my sketches for engravings. Some purists may argue against it; but then consider that I could easily draw what is on the screen, on a piece of paper and it would look no different. But it would take ten times longer, with all the adjustments and rubbing out and redrawing. Life's too short, engraving time doubly so ; the computer does the donkey work of erase, resize, reverse etc and leaves me to do the creative bit.

So there you have it...here's the preparatory sketch done completely on computer but still drawn by hand. The lettering at the top is useful to be able to drop in but I still have to engrave it by hand with the rest of the composition. Wish me luck!

First thoughts....

2011-04-11T16:46:00.000+01:00

I've been scribbling ideas for the next block. Having been well impressed by a visit to the Minack theatre in Cornwall I decided there must be an engraving in there somewhere.........

Oh... and spot the seagull.......

Final printing

2011-04-06T11:17:00.000+01:00

Here's the final print. I made few changes to the block. Just opened out the two 'l's in Woollatt at the bottom and added a few more lines of texture to the gull's tum.

I haven't editioned it or anything, just made about 20 prints but I'm happy to swap if anybody wants a bookplate swap. I'm thinking of doing a bookplate for my Mum, an unrepentant bookworm; she's got so many books though, I'd never be able to print enough by hand to keep up! Just a small edition, then that she can paste into her favourites.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a new block idea and will post the sketches as soon as I have something intelligible.

Proofs

2011-03-31T17:34:00.000+01:00

The first proof. You can see the background/white areas need gouging a little lower to get rid of the spottyness where the ink roller has found bits not cut low enough.

The second proof, after more cutting and tidying up. Just a couple of little blips to shave off on one edge. I'd like to practice my lettering cutting some more, as I'm very picky. Also if I'm honest, I should have raised the composition up on the block so that the swash of the 'L' in Libris wasn't so close to the base, but as a first time it'll pass.

Final tweaks

2011-03-31T08:02:00.000+01:00

Just the sky to finish then a trial proof.

Not far off

2011-03-29T16:17:00.000+01:00

It's coming on by degrees.....one more good session engraving should finish it to first proof level.

Bookplate update

2011-03-25T18:06:00.000Z

The block so far...............

The lettering's going ok, given that maple isn't quite as good for tiny detail as other woods but the style of lettering is fairly flexible anyway. I'm really enjoying doing this and time has flown this afternoon. I've put my typescale next to the scan to show you how big it is overall.

Feeling peckish

2011-03-24T12:05:00.000Z

As a change from the relative slash and burn of lino cutting I've gone to pecking at wood again. I've just started a small bookplate engraving on maple wood. I've not done much in the way of lettering in engraving, so this is a bit of a test. I've picked a typeface that's fairly forgiving insofar as it's casual in design and will take a little thickening of line if necessary. The block is 5.2cm x 7.6cm (about 2" x 3")

The rough sketch

The block in progress

I have cut the 'Ex Libris' lettering at the bottom, but nothing else yet. I'm just refining my name at the top slightly, then I'll cut that. The seagull needs a little tweaking; I'll do that after cutting all the letters.

I smell the smell of burning martyr......

2011-03-22T13:27:00.000Z

Further to my last posting, where I extolled the virtues of cutting lino blocks with my engraving tools I have just one thing to say...DON'T! The lino seems to take the edge off the cutting surface and I have just spent ages and ages re-sharpening several of my burins. They were as blunt as a blunt thing and useless for engraving on wood. Unfortunately that leaves me halfway through cutting my crowd lino block and only relatively coarse lino tools to use instead. I shall persevere using lino tools, but it may show in the final print.

That said, this was always just going to be merely a 'try-out' and I didn't expect much from the tough old slice of lino I'm using. It's fair to say I shall definitely buy some fresh lino sometime soon and see where that takes me. I shall do my best to finish this first.

Another little trial I'm having to bear is that the lino is easier to work when it's warm and although the radiator's great for that, the heating isn't on all the time, so I've been using a hairdrier. All well and good; but it does make me feel hot, having to heat the lino every ten/fifteen minutes or so, it affects a lady at my time of life who's already a martyr to hot flushes. Suffer for my art......? ;-)

Crumbly carving, seals and a bit of luck

2011-03-11T09:35:00.000Z

I have carved my lino block some more, as you can see below. As the lino must be about 30 years old it's tough and crumbly, but relents a little and cuts cleaner when warmed up, so I'm persevering. I fully intend to get some fresh lino soon for some other ideas I've had.

However, my great love, wood engraving is still to the fore and I thought I had run out of blocks, hence the quick diversion to lino. But I have just discovered a small 75mm x 53mm maple block hidden in the corner of my block box! So I may try and engrave some seals I saw playing in the shallows at Godrevy, Cornwall, near where I live, alongside the lino block. I have sketches ready:

And the really good news is that over the weekend, I won just over £100 in a draw, enabling me to send a batch of 30-odd year-old, engraved box and pearwood blocks to Chris Daunt, the blockmaker, to be resurfaced, so I can engrave on them again. Recycling at it's best! So I shall have enough wood to keep me busy for some months to come. Hooray!

Exchanging wood for lino

2011-03-01T08:53:00.000Z

I have lots of ideas brewing for new engravings, but my stock of wood blocks is empty. And so is my piggy-bank at the moment, but I can't wait to get going again. I need to get some more, but in the meantime I have dug out a vintage set (unused!) of lino cutting tools that my mother passed to me and a piece of lino that has, frankly, seen better days. I can't be bothered to trail all the way to the nearest art or DIY shop just for that, so decide to go with the distressed look! What better excuse to freshen my artistic outlook with a 'bit of a play' with unfamiliar materials?

I haven't lino-printed since schooldays and I know that lino doesn't take fine cutting as well as endgrain wood, so no minute detailing then. The lino tools felt clunky and clumsy, so I got out my engraving tools and they worked just as well and felt more comfortable to use. The lino itself is cutting a little crumblier than I hoped, probably to do with it's advanced years, but when I warm it up with the hairdrier, it's better.

I have had a sketch floating about for years, showing supporters at some unspecified ball game, caught at the point where their team scores a much-needed goal. I wanted to show that moment of sheer exultation (or disappointment for the scored-against).

The print-savvy will have noticed that in my eagerness to start, I failed to reverse the design onto the block, so it'll print the other way around. Sigh....... I don't think it'll really matters though.

Lizard Lifeboat house

2011-02-07T15:54:00.000Z

At the weekend, I spent time setting up the printing press and positioning the engraved block, ready for a print run. Fortunately, today I had to wait for some sketches to be approved from my illustration job, so I decided to use the time and get on and do some printing.

Although I had feared this block would be difficult to print, given it's size and the unforgiving areas of black, I'm pleased to say it went well. I always lay a few sheets of thin paper and/or card between the paper on the block and the press roller, so that by adding the odd sheet, or taking it away I can adjust the pressure and therefore fine tune the darkness of the print. For this print, I added 3 small torn scraps of paper in addition to the rest of the overlay. These small scraps were positioned over the uncut area of the sea. This area would need the extra pressure to print a satisfying black without putting too much pressure on the finely cut areas. I also rolled more ink onto that area of the block as uncut wood is greedy and needs a good layer of ink. That said, I'm not averse to a little paper texture showing, if it suits the print, but too little ink makes a grey print and that's no good at all.

(Apologies for the watermarked name on the image above.)

Marking up the proof

2011-02-01T11:41:00.000Z

I have a brief gap in my work schedule and am concentrating on finishing the lifeboat house block. I have marked up some areas on a spare proof print in red that I want to attend to. Hopefully it shouldn't take too long and I can get to printing.

First proof

2011-01-26T16:37:00.000Z

In haste....I have just run off a very quick proof of the block so far. There will be a little more work on it but I'm pleased with it so far.

I spent a few weeks unable to use my tools, as I'd strained my wrist; most frustrating! Lots of ideas for new engravings are forming and I'm keen to get more engraving time. I may try my hand at Ex Libris labels sometime. (labels to paste into books, with the book owners name on. Literally, 'From the library of...' . Fascinating possibilities.

Now you see it, soon you won't!

2010-11-27T17:39:00.000Z

I'm not too far from first proof time. Another good session should see it.

Something that has to go is the seagull on the lifeboat house. I'm not happy with it and I've decided I want that side of the 'house' black against white swirling sea. The enlarged pic shows what I mean, I've 'painted ' the area on the computer roughly to illustrate this. (The shape of the swirly bit is subject to more tinkering)

The Lair of Mrs Magoo

2010-11-10T15:56:00.000Z

Here is my engraving space today. You can see the block I'm working on. It's lying on a leather sandbag for ease of moving the block under the tool. That's raised up on top of a computer software manual, which is just the right thickness! The small block next to it is a scrap piece used to try out textures before I commit them to the block. The small grey corner of card is used to protect the block from being bruised by the back of the tool. My tool sharpening block is on the tabletop, along with a nice stiff (ex-stencilling) brush for sweeping away the wood chips and my magnifying goggles which make me look like Mrs Magoo, but save my eyes from undue strain. For light I use a vintage Anglepoise lamp, which I would like sometime to exchange for something that runs a little cooler! And there's a nice cup of tea to keep me going, served in a jolly mug I received from an illustrator friend in a 'Secret Santa' exchange.

Today I have been concentrating on the plants at the bottom. I've rubbed a little talc in the lines to show them to you clearer. I wish I hadn't used that white paint to sketch on the block though, it has proved impossible to wipe away and makes gauging line size harder. Luckily it'll go when I pull the first test proof.

Chips with (and over) everything!

2010-11-09T17:57:00.000Z

All over my desk, teeny wood chips where I've been picking away at the block. I'm working on some fiddly areas that need lots of stipples and texturing. Down at the bottom of the image I'm engraving the plants that cling to cliffs, samphire and candytuft. More tomorrow, unless an illustration job I'm expecting, comes in. Secretly, I hope not!

You may be thinking this is taking a long time....you're right, but it's quite a big block (7" x 5.5") and given the cost of wood at this size, I REALLY don't want to mess it up! Tomorrow I'll show it on the sandbag, alongside my tools, to give a better idea of scale.

Christmas card additions

2010-10-25T16:53:00.000+01:00

Taking another look at my card design today, I felt it needed a little more jollity, so I added more fairy lights around the village and some chimney smoke and a few snowflakes spiralling down. Also the pub got a little facelift. It is called 'The Pirate', but you may not see that in this web-sized version. That's better!

And some details:

Just a quickie

2010-10-20T16:05:00.000+01:00

I have just finished my Christmas card design for this year and thought you could take a sneak peek. I wish I could say we live in a nice converted mine engine house, sadly we don't, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

Back to the engraving tomorrow!

Decisions, decisions!

2010-10-15T16:48:00.000+01:00

A full day's engraving today and good progress is being made. As you can see, the apron is cut and I'm heading down the slope to the beach. More detail in the boats has been added, soon I shall have to start thinking about how I'm going to tackle the samphire plants at the bottom. Or shall I do the sea next? Or the seagulls? Decisions, decisions, I'm pleased to say!

Back to the block

2010-10-14T08:30:00.000+01:00

The day job has eased off again, after a frantic couple of weeks trying to do two urgent illustration jobs. Jobs done and sent to the clients....time to turn back to the engraving. It's a blessed relief!

I'm working slowly at the moment as there are a lot of fiddly textures but overall I'm feeling good about how it's progressing.

Call of the Sea(gull)

2010-09-22T16:04:00.000+01:00

I've been busy with the block as you can see. I've added some more gouache sketching in white to guide me, as pencil and carbon paper marks rub away quite easily. My efforts have been concentrated on the figure and boathouse apron area. Below is a detail.

You can see my friend the seagull is calling. The dog tries to will him down from the roof. Is the human figure an old sea dog? He looks a bit stern, as if the little boats aren't tidy and ship-shape enough for him.

You can tell I'm enjoying this, can't you?

A starting

2010-09-07T07:44:00.000+01:00

Alas (or thankfully for my bank balance!), the day job has lurched into life again and is taking my engraving time away. (For now.)But I've started engraving the new block. You can see I've painted some areas in white gouache on the block. This helps me to balance the lights and darks in my head as I go. Strictly speaking, I should paint all of the concrete pan that the man stands on, but I think I've done enough to settle things texturally in my brain. More soon!

Further to the last post......

2010-08-19T17:22:00.000+01:00

Going on from my last post, I have now turned the composition 90 degrees to 'portrait' ratio, putting the split on the block on the bottom third (see red line on the scribbled rough). With a fair bit of compositional squeezing and jiggling it now misses all the vital components and can be gently eased out of a starring role.

While I was there, I have enlarged the rock samphire plants at the bottom, added a flying gull and given the whole image a cut-away outline. I like this version better.

Again, what do you think?

A new block...and a challenge!

2010-08-19T10:37:00.000+01:00

A couple of blog posts ago, I showed a sketch of my next proposed engraving; the old lifeboathouse at Lizard Point.

The block I have decided to use is the last uncut block of my vintage early 1980's stock. I bought several good size pear and boxwood blocks back then (when I had more disposable income!). But my first attempts at engraving at this time were unsatisfactory and my interest and patience waned. Working in isolation didn't help and I went back to painting.

Blocks, burin tools, roller and sandbag all ended up in a box in the loft, surviving 3 house moves, until 2008 when the engraving bug bit me again. Harder. Out of the loft came my engraving equipment. The roller had melted, not unsurprisingly, but the new durathene roller refill fitted my brass frame and was even better. I had several of my smaller old blocks that had been engraved (with toecurlingly bad results!) resurfaced by Chris Daunt, who recreated a fine surface for my newer work.

This particular block is 7" x 5 1/2" , one of the largest I've got. It's pearwood, I think and has never been touched by a tool. The challenge lies in the fact that the block was made using three pieces, jointed and glued. One of the joints has over the 29 years in storage, opened out a little.

To see how much of a problem it might create, I inked the block up and ran it through the press.

Granted, it's a relatively light impression, but the split is still clearly visible. The question is: can I work around it and obscure it when I cut the design? I think probably, the human eye being what it is, it will be slightly noticeable, even if I position the design so that much of the split is cut away or textured. I'm not overly bothered by it really.... to me it speaks of the wood the design is cut into. It's not a perfect, inert plastic surface, impervious to changes of temperature and humidity.

What do you think?

Print success

2010-08-16T16:53:00.000+01:00

I recently sent two of my engravings off to the selection panel of the Society of Wood Engravers, to see if I could exhibit them in their prestigious travelling annual exhibition. I've had prints accepted the past two years.

I'm very happy to reveal that both the prints have got into the exhibition!

They are:

Late Shopping and my latest print, Winter Walkies.

Details of the exhibition venues are on the SWE website, more venues to be announced.

The Old Lifeboat house

2010-08-10T14:27:00.000+01:00

I've been working on a new idea for my next block. A few weeks ago we went walking down to the old lifeboat house at Lizard Point, Cornwall and I was taken by the viewpoints down onto the boathouse, fishing boats, clinging samphire plants and beach from the cliff path. I managed to take two photos before my camera batteries died on me, but it was enough.

The black area of sea I'm still thinking about. And the scribbled reminder in the margin is so that I don't forget to flip the design when I trace it to the block....an engraver's nightmare!

The finished print

2010-07-16T10:33:00.000+01:00

I should have been working, a stack of black and white illustrations need doing..... but I took a chunk out of the day to get this printed. It took several proofs with minor block tweaks before I was happy to go for the edition but I was done by 3pm; just enough time to get some of those dratted illustrations done!

And now all I have to do is think of a title for it! Image size is 7.6cm x 9cm.

The building itself is based on a traditional Cornish tin mine engine house, the like of which dot the landscape hereabouts in great profusion. Everywhere you look are crumbling mine buildings. I think they're wonderful places, massively built like ancient castles, yet only a century ago these were working mines.

First proof

2010-07-06T08:39:00.000+01:00

I pulled this quick proof yesterday morning, before 8am. As you see, some tweaks to be performed and some ragged bits to tidy up. Despite my careful cleaning up of press and inking table after the disruption in the studio, a small bit of dust has managed to sneak through onto the figure's ear.

I will be working on the block this week and hopefully have something further to show by the weekend.

The last stretch

2010-06-29T07:58:00.000+01:00

After a period during which the whole studio had to be dismantled to allow the laying of flooring, coupled with the arrival of visitors and lots of work for the 'day job'....finally....I managed to get some more engraving done last night. It's tantalisingly close to being finished, but I don't want to rush it. This block is so satisfying to engrave, it feels 'just right'. I hope the print is as satisfying.

The wall

2010-05-17T10:20:00.000+01:00

This is Friday's engraving work. As you can tell, I've been dealing with the engine house wall. I gave this area a great deal of thought; it needed to be light, but darker than the snow. It needed to show a little texture, but not too much because of the size of the engraving. I think it will print ok, I'm happy so far.

I'm working now on the illustration work I mentioned before, but will carry on engraving a little at the end of each day till this is done. I'm looking forward to seeing how it proofs up!

Snow, snow, quick quick snow!

2010-05-14T10:10:00.000+01:00

I'm engraving again today, as the illustration brief I was expecting hasn't come in yet. :-)

Our Cornish Heritage

2010-05-11T17:41:00.000+01:00

Another day's engraving and the image is taking shape. I'm very much enjoying the vigorous cutting of the snowy bank and looking forward to another day engraving tomorrow.

This building is on an old tin mine, on the edge of our village. The whole area is riddled with old tin and copper mines and they mostly closed forever in the early 20th century. Only one still survives, soon to be re-opened; South Crofty, in Camborne, just down the hill. This is Marshall's shaft Pumping Engine house once used for pumping water out of the South Condurrow tin mine workings. Another set of mine ruins not far away (still in the village environs) on the fabulously-named 'Great Flat Lode' are softened by moss and mounds and constitute part of the best network of traffic-free bridleways in Cornwall. We went walking there for the first time a couple of weeks ago, without the camera, unfortunately, but I shall take it next time as it's a wonderful walk.

Another illustration job is due in the next few days, so I'm making the most of this free time. Hopefully I shall be able to finish this block soon and get a proof run off.

And the next one please.....

2010-05-09T15:57:00.000+01:00

The idea for this block has sprung itself on me very quickly and I'm really enjoying engraving it. I should be able to crack on with it this week, as I'm awaiting the brief for the next illustration job to come in.

Although the left side of the building has been shaded on the block, I have had a change of mind and the front will be the darker side, with the light coming from the left, instead. I've changed my paper rough accordingly but must be careful not to get carried away and forget I've changed my mind!

This is another resurfaced block. That dark blob going up the right hand side goes right the way through the block; not sure what it is, but the wood feels very slightly different under the blade there.

I have some more old blocks to get resurfaced by Chris Daunt, when I dig them out. I'd also like to try lemonwood and resingrave too.

Terrah!

2010-05-06T15:28:00.000+01:00

As promised, I have set to and printed the block. It was probably the easiest block I've ever printed....hardly any duff prints, at first glance, but I need to have a good look through them later, when they're dry. This is a vast improvement on my duff/good print ratio when I first began printing....then it was almost 50%!

The block is 12.6cm x 8.8cm and was an old pear (I think) block that I sent away to be re-surfaced and thus re-used. It's a very good type of recycling, as it saves you the cost of a new block (and end-grain blocks aren't cheap) but you do have to contend with the block being lower than type-high, as the original design has been shaved off it. Nothing a piece or two of card under the block, on the press bed, won't fix though. Of course if you print without a press, say, you burnish your prints with a spoon, then the height of the block becomes irrelevant.

It was printed on a thin Japanese paper called Sunome Senaka, using my old Farley cylinder proofing press.

And a peep now at the sketch for the next idea, one that I have actually started to engrave. The image is 7.6 x 9 cm and depicts one of the many engine /winding houses that dot the Cornish landscape hereabouts (I live in the Camborne area) and the image also celebrates the rare snow that covered Cornwall this winter.

This is a smallish block, (another re-surfaced one) so I think I will keep it simple in detail and clean-lined.

Printing tomorrow!

2010-05-05T12:11:00.000+01:00

Here is the block, elements adjusted, re-cut to let in more light and parts that needed more in the way of defining have been defined. Printing tomorrow, or maybe....later today! As soon as the print is dry enough to scan I shall post it here, so keep an eye on the blog.

First proof and the amendments to be made

2010-03-26T16:05:00.000Z

Well, it's been a long time! I pulled this first proof two weeks ago, but at last I've had the time to consider the changes that need to be made. Overall I'm quite pleased with the way it has come out; it just needs a little lightening here and there to lend some definition and focus. One print, here on the left, I have left as it came off the press. The other has been worked on with white gouache.

You can see I've lightened the foreground figure as he/she was getting lost in the background. There are some roof lines more defined and the seagull. Then I've added more rain coming in and softened the horizon.

I'm going to keep looking at these over the weekend before I cut any further. I may lighten further areas.

Not far now

2010-02-19T16:00:00.000Z

I had a reasonably good day's engraving today. As you can see, I just have an area of cliff face to do and one or two other minor bits that I'm not happy with yet, plus what crops up after a trial proof. I have no idea whether I'm going to be pleased or disappointed with the proof print, but I do think I might have to lighten and define one or two areas a little. I'm as certain as I can be that it is going to be a bit of a pig to print, as it contains a lot of finely-cut detail...the photo doesn't show it at all well. Hey ho, that's engraving!

A stage further along....

2010-01-29T17:44:00.001Z

I've just spent over a week fighting off a cold; I tried very hard to work on this block but I just developed a stonking headache, so that was that till today. I feel a lot better now and was more than keen for another fruitful session engraving.

I'm enjoying playing with textures on the roofs and walls. I haven't yet decided how to tackle the squally shower coming in, watch this space! It won't be too long before I try a trial proof, to see how the cutting's getting along. Some places on the block I think will still be too dark and the purpose of proofing is to pinpoint any areas like that so that you can deal with them.

Another chip off the old block

2010-01-04T09:39:00.000Z

As promised, my efforts of yesterday. I'm starting to pick the foreground figure out a bit now and have cut some more background houses and some beach.

Sadly, the day job has a claim on my time today but I hope to do some more this evening.

Back to the block

2010-01-03T10:41:00.000Z

Since the house move I've managed little engraving time, but progress is visible. I'm doing more today so there will be another update by tomorrow.

I'm trying to retain the gloom of a cold and blustery winter afternoon; there's another shower coming in off the sea and the best place to be is in front of your fire.

An update

2009-12-29T14:13:00.000Z

Just to let you know that the move to the South West went as well as could be expected and we are ensconced and blissful in our new home. What with that and then Christmas and the (very welcome) visitors we have just waved bye-bye to, things have been almost too hectic to get out my engraving things.

My studio is in the spare bedroom again and is stuffed with boxes and art stuff that will ultimately go into the studio I hope to put in the back garden.

In the meantime I have been able to do a little bit on my latest block, not much but I'm dying to get back to it. A backlog of illustration work is being shifted and more looms, but once 'back in routine' I'll be able to get on with it again on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, if you would like to go on a little walk with me, click on the link below and I'll show you in photos how beautiful it is in this quiet corner of Cornwall.

Bolenowe walk

Moving Day looms

2009-11-24T17:17:00.000Z

My life is boxed up and ready for the removal truck tomorrow. We're driving 350 or more miles to Cornwall. Nerves are jangling, we hope it all goes smoothly. I had a photo of all the boxes....alas, I went and packed the camera!

It'll be a week or two till I'm online again as due to a series of events we weren't able to book a phone line in at the new home till we actually move in. Please bear with me; I shall be back!

I'm off now to finish packing the kitchen.

Interesting times.........

2009-10-01T13:53:00.000+01:00

It's been a hectic, stressful time, since I last posted. We had our house on the market and now have accepted an offer! So there are huge wodges of paperwork to fill in and a surveyor checking out the house structure, little jobs to finish for the electrician and plumber. And the hunt is on for a new home in Cornwall. The shortlist is still much too long and our miniscule budget means that compromises have to be made. So sadly, the cottage of my dreams, the sort of thing I draw, that clings to the cliff and overlooks the sea in all it's moods, is just not going to happen. I always knew this, short of a lottery win, anyway!

We will not be more than a few miles inland, however...nowhere in Cornwall is very far from the sea. We may even end up tucked away in a small town, but it doesn't matter. We'll be in the place we have wanted to be for so long, we can surf and watch loads of enthusiastic rugby games, go to the fish market and the Tate St Ives and....my favourite printmaking supplier, TN Lawrences, will be on my doorstep! Result!

Now all we have to do is pray the sale doesn't fall through......

Good news in the meantime, a couple of my 'Dinner is Served' prints have sold out of the browsers, at the Society of Wood Engravers Annual exhibition. Very gratifying.

Engraving-wise, I've been finishing off my illustration work and have only done a little more to my block. But I'm taking my kit with me (including the headset magnifier, modeled above!) as we head down to Cornwall to house hunt. (Oh, and surf!) I should have something to show you when I return.

I have trouble thinking of titles!

2009-09-10T17:34:00.000+01:00

I have awful trouble thinking up zippy titles to my blogs, which usually means I end up naming them something pretty lame like 'Progress!' and 'More progress!' Sigh........

I have stolen some more engraving time from my 'ordinary' work schedule and the block is taking shape. I rather enjoyed doing the texture on the stonework of the foreground cottage. At the base of it I have decided to add some dark foliage, as if there's a sunken courtyard garden down there.

I must away now and sharpen my burins, it's amazing how quickly they lose their edge.

Progress...

2009-09-04T10:04:00.000+01:00

Here is the block as it stands. I'm amending and altering as I go, trying out textures and tones and generally just enjoying myself. I want to allow the background to be a bit gloomy, as if a showery squall was heading in to add to the figure's discomfort.

The Society of Wood Engravers' 72nd Annual Exhibition is now displayed online at their web page; click on the 'online gallery' button. My submission, 'Dinner is Served' is on page 10 and I'm pleased to see that they have used it also in larger form to embellish the page.

A new block

2009-08-25T17:40:00.000+01:00

I've started engraving the latest block after chopping , changing and tweaking the rough sketches. What you see on the block as it stands is only the basic outline. The rough is full of tones and textures, which I love experimenting with. The porthole-shaped window on the side of the house is way too big and will be adjusted down, when I get to it.

I've also pencilled in a chilly seagull, if your eyes are sharp enough to spot it. I'm not sure she'll make an appearance in the final cut, but she's lurking, just in case.

For the interested, the block is an old pearwood block that I had resurfaced by blockmaker Chris Daunt. And it's 90mm x 128mm.

More tomorrow, all being well.

A small triumph and new thoughts

2009-08-10T14:19:00.000+01:00

For those of you who didn't hear the yodeling from the rooftops...my latest print (Dinner is Served, above) made it into the Society of Wood Engravers 72nd Annual exhibition. To say I am pleased may seem a small understatement given the happy dance I performed on opening the letter, but more importantly it means I'm finding my direction at last. 'Dinner' was the first time I had engraved and felt in control of the way it was going to look at the finish. The composition and subject matter were all me; the sort of thing I've done for a number of years in other media and feel at ease with. The distortion of perspective was new for me, a brave move but it felt right and gives a twist to the look of the piece.

Above is a scribble of an idea for another piece, exploring further the movement created by distortion and perspective. Also it's a small dig about the encroachment of big-league supermarkets into our smaller communities. There is still a goodly amount of re-sketching to do, there are parts that feel wrong, parts that grate and parts that need emphasis. It's a start though.

Dinner is Served!

2009-07-10T17:22:00.001+01:00

That's the title of the print, and here it is. I'm pretty pleased with the way it's turned out. I had a good print session, the block printed fairly easily and I was able to make full use of my home made drying rack. It's so much better than laying wet prints down over surfaces, windowsills etc! Here are a few pics:

Here is the rack strung out in my studio. I've only made half the length of pegs I originally planned for now, till I can move into a bigger space. There are 48 there though and that's not bad. Each colour represents 12 prints so I can keep an eye on how many I'm printing without all that tedious counting.
Many thanks to David Harrison for his idea, which I adapted. This rack cost me about £15 which includes postage and packing charges. I didn't have to buy the cord as I had enough in the shed, but blind cord would do the job. It needed an application of hair wax to the cut end though, to make it easier when I was threading the cord through the beads as the bead hole was only just big enough.

And here it is in use. The only thing I found was that the thin Japanese paper I print on was almost too thin for the pegs to hold. However, I merely tore up small strips of tissue paper and folded them between the jaws of each peg, as I pegged each print. It serves a dual purpose of protecting the paper surface, too. I'm really pleased with it. When I have a permanent spot for it I'll make up the other 48 pegs/ beads so I have a print hanging capacity of 96. Double that, if I put them back to back.

Now onto the next engraving!

Almost there!

2009-07-09T09:26:00.000+01:00

I have just proofed the amended block again and here it is, alongside the last proof as comparison. (Latest one to the right)

Just a little tidying up and a few thin cuts of the shaded decking, extending to the base of the shaded wall. I will possibly soften the white line around the roofs edges to give them a little more space between them and the background. Then I *think* that's it, ready to put it to bed.

If I don't print today (I have a migraine coming on, so my vision is not too good at the moment), it'll be tomorrow. Possibly I'll leave it till tomorrow, as I can have a full day taking my time and also I MIGHT have my home-made print drying rack finished! I would love one of those smart wooden racks with marbles that hold the sheets in place, but at nearly £100 it's out of my range. So I'm basing my home-made affair on a design thought up by David Harrison

As they say, 'Watch this space'!

Comparing proof stages

2009-07-06T09:31:00.000+01:00

Here are the two proofs side-by-side on the same image. You can compare them a bit easier. It's a larger file, just over 300k but the images haven't been reduced down, either.

First proofs

2009-07-05T14:51:00.000+01:00

Here's the block locked up in the press, ready for rolling with ink. As this block is a recycled, resurfaced block, it's height is somewhat less than type high. This isn't a problem, it just necessitates the insertion of a couple of bits of stout card beneath the block to raise it slightly. Although my press has an adjustable height roller, because of the card I haven't needed to alter the height setting from it's normal block position.

And here's the first proof, complete with many scrawled instructions to myself. I try to make sure untidy bits are sorted out and unsatisfactory areas highlighted for more work. As you can see, I managed to forget to engrave the little stove chimney coming out of a roof! I also feel the courtyard scene may be a tad too dark and have earmarked that for another look after next proof. The two round marks on either side of the print, are where I forgot to wipe the stray ink off the quoins holding the block secure in the galley tray! Silly me!

As I make amendments to the block I tick off each point so I don't forget. Time to run off another proof!
The quoin mark strikes again! I think I shall set up the block next proof so that the quoins are set further away from the inked area and behind some wooden 'furniture', which is printer-speak for the wooden spacers used to secure type and blocks in position for printing.

This proof is a bit light but ok for checking all is well. I still feel the courtyard scene could do with a bit of a lift. The sunlit wall is too dominant in comparison and the surrounds need toning up to create more of a pool of light. I shall have a ponder. Pondering time in engraving is at least as important as the cutting itself .

Ready for proof.

2009-07-03T17:36:00.000+01:00

The block is cut as far as I want and I now need to pull a proof to make sure all is well. If I need to do any additional cutting, the proof should show me where. You can see from the scan above that I've brushed out all the white powder that I had rubbed into the engraved lines to help keep an eye on where I was cutting. You have to be very thorough about this and make sure none is left because it could make the ink clog the engraved lines or cause the prints to be spotty.

Hopefully I shall proof it tomorrow and blog the result as soon as the ink has dried sufficiently. If it needs any more cutting I'll mark up a proof and blog that, too, for the interested. And I have to think of a title...something I'm really not very good at!

And now, I must have a tidy up of my studio, because there's the detritus of a full working week, papers, briefs (not the sort you wear!) and reference books all piled on top of my press bed. Oh for a larger work space!

Concentrating on the sky and background...

2009-06-29T08:02:00.000+01:00

I spent another session outside in the hot sunshine yesterday, engraving at the little table, while hubby laboured mightily pulling weeds under the deep shade of the old apple tree. It was very hot indeed and I had to sit in shade, too. Engraving outside is a joy, quite different to sketching, I find. When you sketch, your focus is more outward, towards your subject; your general awareness taking note of the light and atmosphere around you, which you hopefully transfer to your sketch.

Engraving outside is insular, inward-looking. You're concentrating on a block of wood (or resingrave!) a few inches in front of your eyes. Your subject is set days before, perhaps weeks. Every cut is considered carefully. You enter a gentle meditative state, lulled by the rhythm of your modus operandi. The way you hold your burin, the act of cutting, slow but deliberate, brushing away the tiny burrs of wood that form in front of the blade as you make the mark. At the same time, you're aware of the warmth of the sun on your back and sounds around you and what could be better than birdsong? It's a sublime state.

Back to the block, and I decided to cut the sky / background area because I wanted to see how the lighter area would affect the rest of the design. It's hard to tell from this photo what will print and what not, but generally I have scorped out much of the sky, leaving small pieces and ridges of wood to flick life into the white. Also I've cut a wispy cloudy formation to help act as a bit of a frame and hold the design in. It's a device I use a fair bit in my illustration work, not just to act as clouds, but gentle curvy strokes around certain elements of a composition can unify the whole. I had wondered how I could start to translate the technique to the starker wood-engraving medium. We'll see how this prints up.

For now, it's Monday. I have a lot of illustration work to do for Cambridge University Press and when my daily quota is done (or if a thunderstorm turns up, forcing me to switch off the computer!) I shall set to and carry on cutting. I hope the next stage you'll see will be ready for a first proof.

Engraving en plein air

2009-06-26T14:34:00.000+01:00

This morning was warm and sunny so I decided to take my engraving kit outside to the patio and work there.

I set up my stuff as usual; block on the leather sandbag, burins in groups to the right for easy access, dish of talc to rub over and make the cuts more visible and small practice block to the left, on which to check tool sharpness and test textures. Also visible is the little arkansas block for sharpening and my sketch. The only thing missing is my lamp, but I have plenty of light coming from the great lamp in the sky..........

......and an engraver !

Surf's up!

2009-06-25T16:13:00.000+01:00

I cut some more to the block again last night. You can see the seagull's mates hoving into view and the harbour water.

It's a lovely sunny day today...if it's like this tomorrow I will take my burins and block outside and engrave on the terrace! :-)

Getting on with it.....

2009-06-22T08:51:00.000+01:00

Just a quickie to show you the latest stage. Mostly the work has been done to the courtyard area. I shall be doing more tonight........

More progress

2009-06-12T17:17:00.000+01:00

I had a marathon session today, adjusted the seagull and concentrated on the courtyard scene. I had to get the magnifier out for the seated figure, my eyes aren't as good as they once were. Note the radioactive-eyed cat in the window! What do you think it's seen? I think I'll leave the uncut courtyard wall behind the seated figure as it is, as deep contrast. I'll decide for sure after first proof.

I've also moved one seagull down away from the distant houses and added another to the left. I don't think I've mentioned the size of the block but if you're interested, it's 9cm x 12.7cm (about 3 1/2" x 5" ).

It's been ages since I've worked with such enthusiasm and reluctance to pack up at the end of the session. The temptation to just cut one more passage........ but that must be it for today. My eyes are complaining and I have a nice glass of red waiting for me in the evening sun of the courtyard; a bit like this couple on the block. Hopefully no predatory seagulls lurking, though!

Sorting out the seagull

2009-06-05T09:08:00.000+01:00

I was engraving this sitting on my meditation cushion, with the block raised on my burin box (on the coffee table) and the leather pad, using an anglepoise for extra light. It doesn't sound very comfortable but I was able to work for a couple of hours before my knees cried for mercy. I wouldn't normally work like this, but having been ensconced in my studio all day I wanted to keep hubby company in the sitting room. I think it worked well for the short period I needed.

Anyway, I managed to start bringing the seagull out. I shall take him so far but pull a proof before I lighten him too much. I can always engrave away a bit more if he's too dark, but I can't put wood back. I think he's coming along fine. Next, the courtyard scene.

Another evening's work

2009-06-04T10:32:00.000+01:00

I seem to be working on different areas at once this time. That could be dangerous if I start losing touch with the tonal relationships of adjoining areas. I'll have to be careful.

I'm making tiny amendments and additions as I go; in fact I woke in the dark of the night, thinking, "Oh no! I must remember to make the seagull's chimney granite, not brick!" This because granite is the building material of preference down Cornwall and would go better, rather than brick. I hoped I would remember when I woke up and not too late when I'd cut it; luckily it popped into my mind as I got up and I was able to scribble a note on my sketch.

Tomorrow is engraving day! Hooray! A whole day on it. Ah well, for today...back to the deadlines......

2009-05-27T17:37:00.000+01:00

Here is another stage of the cut. I managed to do a little last evening, but the light wasn't too good as I was out of the studio, so I took things slowly. You can see I rub talc into the engraved lines so I can see a little better where I've been and how I'm doing. It's a useful trick, but you have to be scrupulous about brushing it all out before you approach the block with a rollerful of ink!

I've decided to add a little foliage to the patio area; a few pencil marks on the block serve to remind me. I hope to cut some more this evening, maybe I'll remember to take my lamp this time. I think my eyes would thank me for it.

I wish I could ditch the day job and engrave more, but, sadly, a living has to come first. I do actually enjoy many aspects of the day job (educational illustration), it's often fun, sometimes a challenge and importantly, a steady income. I can work in my jim-jams if I like (but I never do!) as my studio is a spare room at home. No rush-hour traffic for me. This is the life I always wanted, so bring on the lottery win....then the day job can be gently released into the wild and I can enjoy my printmaking more often.

A new cut

2009-05-21T15:31:00.000+01:00

It's been so long since I last posted....various reasons such as the dratted 'day job' , but I have managed to snatch the odd Friday for my engraving work. I have temporarily shelved the engraving idea posted in my last but one post, showing the young bather. Something kept poking at me regarding the composition so I haven't started cutting yet and the block will remain on the shelf while I think about it further.

However, hubby and I happened to take a trip down to our favourite part of this lovely island, to Cornwall, in late April and I came home with photos that have formed the twinkling of another idea. A day trip on the bus to St Ives, where we were stalked by predatory seagulls as we ate our lunchtime pasties, the great way the houses seem to stack on top of one another, as they march down the hill to the harbour. The tiny little back yards glimpsed from vantage points higher up, which I'm sure the seagulls would also take advantage of, watching for hapless patio diners.

Well, here's my idea...and my first cuts. Wish me luck! I decided to get the cutting of the seagull's eye out of the way first, in case it went horribly wrong. Happily I exceeded my own expectations and made a decent job of it! I am so enjoying this one.

Finally.....

2009-03-27T12:28:00.001Z

I feel as if a corner has been turned. Another sale of the "Charlie" print (that is on tour with the Society of Wood engravers exhibition at present) necessitated another print session and last weekend was the best yet. I had had so much trouble and too many duff prints and varied results, using the lovely thick Zerkall paper; I came to the conclusion that my press, being originally designed for use with newsprint which is very thin and smooth, I should have another go with the Japanese Sunome Senaka paper. This is also a lovely paper, thin and strong and I was amazed and pleased at how quickly I started to be able to print out consistently good impressions on it. A goodly little batch of Charlie prints and an edition of 10 of my rugby print took no time at all.

You might notice the rugby image has been slightly modified from the one in my last post; I have lifted the tones on the tackler's face slightly and adjusted other areas. It is improved for it I think. On with the next block!

Creative drought over!

2009-02-03T16:02:00.000Z

Before Christmas, I was scrabbling to get jobs finished from the 'day' job and trying to finish an engraving that I'd promised for a friend as a present for a family member. After Christmas I was trying to hit the deadlines for another few jobs that had been rescheduled or altered and messed up my schedules. It was pretty chaotic and exhausting and I ended up being rather dissatisfied with the engraving that I was having to find time for in odd moments. That's the trouble with rushing. Here it is:

It's not defined enough, I could do better and I feel I need to get some defining highlights into the faces and the ball. I shall have a play....and when I am happy I shall have to give my friend the option of swapping her print for a modified one.

Meanwhile, a couple of illustration jobs were supposed to start this week but have been delayed. So I find myself with a few days free, and I have decided to design my next block. This time I'm doing a detailed sketch on the computer to size, trying out ways of interpreting different areas in ways that please me. Working on the computer gives me the option of altering, resizing and testing textures out without all the tedious redrawing that working on paper would entail.

The subject is taken from a holiday sketch I made a couple of years ago, of a pretty young coloured girl, who having just come out of the sea is sitting in a towel on an old concrete tank trap and watching the surfing while the sun dries her out.
Above is a scan of the original sketch and below, my idea translated ready for a woodblock. The piece of pear wood I have is old, some stock I bought back in the 80's, and quite large for me...71/2" x 5" approx.

I find I'm still looking for a 'style' or my way of interpreting subjects into engraving, rather than copying someone else's style because I like it. This drawing is very similar to how I draw and it's going to be a bit of a challenge technically to cut some of those small swirls...but definitely worth a try.

Christmas card 2008

2008-11-13T17:34:00.000Z

Here it is then.....shades of Barbara Hepworth's garden with a sprinkling of Cornish tin mine and coastal village goodness. Mart and I are walking the dog and son and his fiancée are admiring the tree. The pub is the Pentreath Arms, named after Dolly Pentreath, she died 1777 and was reputedly the last Cornish-only speaker. The seagull is obviously a Cornish Pirates rugby club fan and wears a club scarf to keep his neck warm.

I'm getting the card printed by a proper printer this time, as my poor old Canon is coughing it's last. I hope my friends and relatives like it!

Corel Painter magazine

2008-11-08T10:25:00.000Z

Terrrah! This month's Corel Painter Magazine contains a tutorial by yours truly, about making an advent calendar. I did the images and write-up on the first two pages and the designer did the other two about assembling the calendar.

I found the images easy to create, but oh...the text caused some headaches! I'm just not used to writing in that sort of vernacular. Luckily, Hubby came to the rescue and helped me iron it out a bit so there it is.

On the engraving front, instead of editioning my block yesterday, I had to get on and do some work on my personal Christmas card, otherwise it won't be printed in time. Here it is so far..........

Last proof and xmas card

2008-11-05T17:20:00.000Z

I finally managed to get time to run off another proof of the rugby block. Cutting away the background further and lightening other areas has improved it enormously, I feel. Looking at it I feel it just needs the end of the ball lightening slightly as it's getting lost in the player's armpit. That'll be done Friday and hopefully I can start a print run.

The other important thing to get on the go is my personal Christmas card. I shall have to get it printed at a print shop as my own printer is on it's last legs, so time is of the essence now. Here's the line work, done bar a few details and extra bits I slip in. That's hubby and I walking the dog and son and his girlfriend admiring the tree. I shall probably insert a few more hapless souls before or during painting it.As usual it's on a Cornish theme. And as usual, I've used my Mac and Corel Painter to create it.

Incidentally, speaking of Painter, the Corel Painter official magazine Christmas issue contains a tutorial on how to create an advent calendar, all painted images and write up by yours truly! Get your copy from Nov 6th! ;-)

First proof

2008-10-17T16:22:00.000+01:00

I ran off a proof today to see how the print was looking. As you can see there are a few issues to deal with. The rugby player in the background has increasingly troubled me and on proofing struck me as a bit like a 'Mini-me' perched on the foreground player's shoulder! I painted onto the proof to try and knock him back further and he just looked like a phantom and I was being constantly distracted by him. So.......I think he has to go.

Other little adjustments include (as you can see where I've made notes on the proof) softening edges, defining the hand grasping the jersey and evening out tones. It won't be a long job and I hope to have 'proof mark 2' ready to show soon.

For now, it's clean up and go downstairs to make my favourite onion, bacon and potato hotpot (in a cheesy sauce) Yum!

Almost time to proof

2008-10-11T13:20:00.000+01:00

As you can see, progress has been made and although I need still to lighten some areas, such as the ghostly player at the back and one player's shirt, I'm just about ready for a preliminary proof. I'll keep the background a bit rough and choppy for now.

As this is a maple block and a bit crumblier than box I'm having to keep my burins very sharp. It's quite tricky to do without bowing the cutting face of the blade and I definitely need more practice to get it right.

And here you can see the beast I've got on 'permanent' loan from my mother...a 'Vision England Stereoramic 'magnifying light. It's rather heavy and was rescued from my Dad's drawing office back in the 70's, when it was being thrown out. It has x2 magnification, which is perfect for my purposes. Just enough to take the strain off my eyes, not so much that I'm tempted to cut detail too small for the naked eye!