Tynemouth Update

Finally got the mezzotint to a stage where I'm happy that it's ready to edition. Just a little more burnishing on the foreground grasses to bring out the highlights and it's finished.

Tynemouth
Mezzotint printed in 3 colours.
150mm x 200mm.

Lindisfarne

Above the tide line - Lindisfarne
Reduction Linocut
245mm x 360mm
Edition size 9. ( Started with 10 but lost one due to sloppy registration)

Finished the print with the addition of the final colour. Not sure how to describe this though. It was printed in 11 stages, but counting all the colours used in the blends there are actually 20 colours on it. Anyway there is much in this print that I am pleased with, particularly the treatment of the foreground grasses which I would like to develop in future prints. As usual there are a couple of areas I'm not so happy about, but overall it has come out pretty much as I hoped.

For anyone interested in purchasing a print it can be found here

All that is left of the block.

Lindisfarne print - nearly there.

The block inked with the 6th colour. Another blend from blue grey to green.

and printed. This has made the colour of the boat sheet too dark and grey in tone, so the next colour will be printed just as a correction to this.

Colour 7. A blue, slightly darker in tone than the darkest blue in the sky.

The block inked for colour 8.

and printed. Another, darker blue.

 Colour 9. A brown for the upper paintwork on the boat.

and colour 10. Some darker details. One more colour will see it finished.

New Print

Started this print last week but for one reason and another progress has been interrupted. Another few days of concentrated work should see it finished in time for the Printmakers Art Fair at Chester on 6th June.

 Colour 1.
A blended roll top to bottom from cream through cool grey and back to cream.

 Colour 2.
A second blend top to bottom from blue grey to a warm mauve grey.

 Colour 3.
A third blended roll, top to bottom from blue through light blue to pale green. This finishes off the sky area.

 Colour 4.
A light blue printed across the bottom of the print. This finishes the patch of sea in front of the castle and gives the highlights on the sheeting covering the boat.

Colour 5.
Another blend across the bottom of the print, from mauve grey through bright green to a darker green.
By now the location should have become apparent.

Lindisfarne

Yesterday I delivered some prints to the By Hand Gallery Shop at Salford Art Gallery. Today has been mostly spent printing this edition of 20 Drypoint prints. Once they are dry I'll scan one and post a better picture.

Lindisfarne
Drypoint
144mm x 210mm
Edition of 20
Printed on 250gsm Somerset Satin.

Hitting a wall

Struggling a bit with this print. I'm working on 300gsm Somerset Satin paper, and whilst it is lovely paper to print on, especially using the baren, I've had some registration problems which I can't explain. On the face of it it looks ok, but a close examination of the left edge shows that the second colour is out of registration. It's fine everywhere else, top, bottom, right hand side, it almost looks like the paper has stretched lengthways. This means that some fine white lines across the darker bit of sand in front of the waves have now disappeared.

Colour 7

Block inked for colour 8

and printed

Colour 9 inked up

and printed.

Only another one or possibly two more colours to go but the jury is still out on this one.

Catch Up

Since my last post, work on the latest print has been progressing slowly. I haven't had much time to work on the piece continuously so I've only got three more colours printed.

Colour 4. The first pale blue

The block inked for colour 5. A second blue.

and printed.

Colour 6 is the first pale green and just maybe the subject is identifiable now.

The Angel of the North - 20:20 Print Exchange

Finally finished the small print for the 20:20 Print exchange. 8 colours on 25 prints.

This was supposed to be the final colour but after spending most of yesterday evening staring at it I decided to add a final dark.

Drying on the floor as I'm running out of space.

The final print after 8 colours with some glare from the still wet ink.

I also printed a simple 2 colour version using the same block.

Not sure which version I prefer.

Angel of the North

Almost finished this small print and after 6 colours the subject is now obvious. The Angel of the North at Gateshead. Only one more colour to go so it should be finished this weekend.

The Angel dominates the landscape around it and I was keen to retain this aspect in the print. Not easy working in such a small format. The image is only 140mm x 140mm. Hopefully this will come across in the finished print.

Etal Castle, Northumberland

Etal Castle
11 colour reduction linocut.
270mm x 169mm
Edition of 10.
£110.00 Unframed.

A bit of a rushed one this. I had 8 prints ready for the Biscuit Factory Summer Exhibition in Newcastle. Then at the last minute decided to do another one. This was intended to be a simple 5 colour print but as usual I kept adding colours as I played around with the texture on the stonework. Just finished it in time, finally framing it on Friday evening ready for delivery to Newcastle yesterday morning.

This is the Gatehouse of Etal Castle near Wooller, not far from the Scottish Border. The print is available to purchase from my Folksy Shop here