2012/365 - Day 8 -- part two

making artist trading cards

Ruth did come over and we worked on artist trading cards. The time flew by so fast!



The theme for the January exchange is: Weather.

I started this lino carving a couple of weeks ago. I finished it up tonight but I did not make the prints...just a test print or two.










Here is Ruth starting her Weather cards.
















This is an overall shot of our main work area.












The bear in the snowstorm in the upper right is the first test print...then I added more snow.

I kinda like him better with less snow (I am not very good at making random patterns) but it does not make much sense with less snow. I still like the image.






This is Ruth finishing up her cards.

I hope I get to pick one of hers in the exchange!

365 Day 359

possible image for January's ATCs

Yesterday while I was sorting things (again) in the studio, I found two tablets of tracing paper. They had been in the very bottom of an old Rubbermaid bin that was full of paper stuff that I have been saving for years and years. I didn't think much of it at the time...just "cool -- more tracing paper." Last night when I needed a piece of tracing paper I grabbed one of the tablets and this full size page fell out. I don't remember exactly where the image came from but it looks to me like I traced a "real" bear for a simple outline to carve, leaving one plain/smooth and doing one fuzzy. I thought "ooh -- neat -- I will do something with these guys sometime."


This morning they were really bugging me.

I have been a bit stumped for an idea for the ATC exchange for January. The theme is Weather.

When I was looking at these two guys together I thought it looked like the smooth bear was dry and the fuzzy one was wet. That gave me an idea.




This afternoon I have been playing with the image in my photo program (I wish I really knew how to WORK that program) -- trying to resize it (the guys on the tracing paper are about the size of my hand), photocopying the image and changing the size that way, scanning the newly re-sized image, and then trying effects on it to see if I could make a negative (like I used to be able to do with my old photo program on my old PC). (It's not that the stuff on my Mac can't do what I want it to do -- it's that I don't know how to make it do it. Sometimes I accidentally stumble on a workaround but I never remember how I did it...LOL...and I just do not care enough about computers to take classes.)


So I finally got an image I could use and I transferred it (very messily) with a soft pastel to the carving block.












This is the cleaned up block after I went over the transferred lines with an oil colored pencil (that just happened to be in my desk drawer) -- I couldn't find a wet enough thin line Sharpie...LOL.













This is a group shot of the various stages of what I did today.

On the bottom left is the carved (so far) linocut block...I'm taking it slowly.

In the middle is the test print.

On the bottom right is a photo program doctored version of a scan of the test print...to see what I might be able to do with it.


It has been an enjoyable process (when I let go of the frustration with my lack of computer skills). I like the idea of the bear up to his shoulders in a nighttime snowstorm.

But then again...I might come up with something else now that I am partly on a roll with the Weather theme.

365 Day 357 -- part two

too much time on my hands today...

Like I was saying in the earlier post from today, my routine is really thrown off when the television programming is changed around for the holidays. I have had too much time on my hands today...I did my first project too early in the day (for me) and I think I kinda burned out. I have tried several other things throughout the day, but with little success/satisfaction.


Looking into the base of the cat-creature.


















Twink was all like "Noooooooo -- don't climb into the cat-creature!" He was really kinda frantic about me working with the cat-creature while it was laying down sideways on the table. He generally will come to the door and look in...perhaps lay down for a brief time...but with this he was standing up and looking at me, looking at the cat-creature, looking at me, etc...and meowing.










Well, I didn't heed Twink's advice.

This was going to be the BIG project for this evening but it just didn't go well. At all. I laid down 6 strips of plaster cloth, had to wet, re-wet, spray with the spray bottle of water, and still it just wasn't happening. Only one stayed put and I am not so sure that I want to put all the effort into trying it again -- AND -- getting the walls of the base soaking wet again.

I will test the dryness of the strip at the end of this update.









I think the guides are on holiday today...I had no inspiration whatsoever.

I tried cutting off the legs on this tomato cage (this is one of the thinner, smaller, easier ones). It was a fight, but they came off.










But there was no way to get the antler/horn guy onto the tomato cage. Just not the right size or shape. Too much thinking and trying...just wasn't meant to go on there.

I also patched up the round guy on the right. The one with the x on it. I think I remember him falling over shortly after all six were done and piling up. At the time he seemed okay. Today I realized his inner ball must be deflating and there was a smallish collapsing spot...kinda like a sink hole. I was very careful not to use too much pressure because it was like a crack in the ice...the soft spot just kept growing. I think I got it to stop.

I knew when I was first making these guys that this was only the first layer. I knew they would need a lot more work. I just hope they keep their basic really round shape. I think that is what is so appealing about them (for me).



Later this evening I started to play around with this linocarving again. It looks like I will be able to salvage it. I will have to work in very short blocks of time, though...it is too hard on my hand.

This much wasn't too bad. Plus I wasn't doing the outlining -- that is the hard-on-the-hand part.






Okay -- I just checked on this strip of plaster cloth. It seems to be attached fairly well. I can't really pull up the edges. But at the same time, I don't really think it is doing all that much structurally.

I will think on it some more. Perhaps my guides will return and give me some hints.


That is all for today. I'm done.