Old and new Technics

So studio time this week consisted of doing 3 of my prints and also purchasing some materials for a new project which i will mention at the end of the page.

I started with my Thistle print which i managed to reduce at home. I didn't want to take too much off as i wanted to give the illusion of a morning glow around the thistle. I went for darker colours to make it pop. I will do a few more reductions on this print. 

I really like the result so far. I have kept the rest of my ink in some pots so i can add a richer colour next week. I soaked the paper and it gave it more depth.

Teasel

This is a new lino print that i have been working on. I love the textures of seed head plants. Especially when they are all dried out and crisp.
I used my burnt umber Hawthorn ink on this print. The sharp edges have really popped. I think i will refine the colour a bit next week. I was having some issues with the press i was using and didnt manage to get the pressure quite right. It is an old press and normally it is my favourite. I used a different press so i could at least get 4 decent prints completed. I found out from my boss later that the press didn't need to be measured on the bolts both sides but rather do it by feel. Which is something that i always do but this time did not trust my own instincts. I won't make that mistake again.

The last print i tried out was a cut that i did over half term. It is of a Humming bird diving into the water and a mirror image -

I went with a rich blue and it came out better than i hoped. In the last print i did a graduation and made it slightly darker in the mirror image just to define it in the water.


So i have decided to try out some drypoint etching. When i started back in the studio in January as an exchange i felt at the time that God was prompting me to try out different ways to do print. In my head i said i would do something different each month. Realistically i am doing a different print each month so i am not bothered that i have not done other technics so far. This week though i felt drawn towards trying out some etching. So i bought some perspects and asked to borrow an etching tool which is like a sharp needle. I am sure a needle would work just as well but the handle helps stable it.
I took it home and really thought about what to etch. This was the hardest part. I prayed that i would be given an image and that he would bring something to mind since it was a new thing and i have never done it.
I settled on a close up image of a dandelion clock. The details in a photo i found was just what i wanted.
I stuck the image on the back of my plastic and scratched away.
This is my result -

I held it up to my lounge light so you can see the image.
I will try a print out today but i think that really i need to use the studio press. I am just impatient and want to see what it looks like.
I'm really happy with the image and hope that it prints out nicely.
Watch this space.