Slow start.

After what seems like an age since my last post, almost a full month. It's time for a catch up with the latest linocut on the bench.

Colour 1. A pale blue grey. At this stage it's hard to judge if I've gone too pale. Hopefully not.

Colour 2. A darker warmer grey.

Colour 3. The first pale green.

Colour 4. A second darker grey.

Colour 5. The first blue. A turquoise to ultramarine blend.

Colour 6. The second darker green.

Colour 7. A second darker blue.

Two further colours should see this print finished. In between working on this I have also been preparing another Mezzotint plate and managed to draw out and print a Drypoint.

Cliffs near Llangrannog.
Drypoint
150mm x 200mm
Edition of 10.

Intaglio Printing

Way back in mid summer I posted a couple of images of a proof of a Mezzotint that I had been working on. Since then things had gone a bit quite on this topic, not because I had given up on it and sold the plate off for scrap. But not having anything to print it on I had worked the plate as far as I could and then put it to one side. However, having treated myself this Christmas to a small Hawthorn etching press I've spent the last few days playing around with it.

As I haven't done any intaglio printing since I was at college (around 30 years ago), and I haven't had any experience of working on a mezzotint at all. I started off with a quick drypoint to get used to the press and to try and remember how to ink and wipe a plate (You Tube came in handy for this).

Bamburgh Castle from the breakwater at Seahouses.
Drypoint
152mm x 203mm

It took a bit of experimenting to get the pressure right and my inking technique was a bit rusty but after a while I got the hang of it so then I inked up the Mezzotint.

Now there is a lot that is not right with this, but as a first go at a technique that I had never done before I wasn't expecting to end up with a saleable print. It is however a better print than my first reduction linocut was. I have overworked a few areas on the wall and the hillside on the right. The pressure was a bit light and parts of the foreground are a bit vague with no definition. On the positive side the black areas are ok which means that I must have rocked the plate correctly in the first place - I wasn't sure that I had done that well enough and there is a feeling of depth to the print which I was trying to get. As a trial print I was satisfied with the outcome so I inked up a second plate that I had worked on.

This first proof came out much better than I expected. The pressure on the press again was too light and the plate needed more work on it so 5 more proofs later and I ended up with something like I had intended.

This is Spurn Point Lighthouse at the mouth of the Humber.

Just need to print the edition now.

Happy New Year.