Final prints and Thistles

Fourth week \\ T r e e B a r k //
Second week \\ H u m m i n g B i r d //
First week \\ T h i s t l e //

Back in the studio this week and i actually couldn't wait. It was nice to get away from all the poorly sicks in the house. Husband has a cold. 7 year old son has a cough and even the puppy has a cold!. I am keeping the germs at bay. I thought i might have had to sacrifice my day. My precious 'me time' and stay at home with my boy but husband said he would look after him.

I had kept my ink from the precious weeks and added some darker shades to it for my last reduction print.

 It ended up a richer dark brown which was exactly what i wanted.

 Inking up my lino

Here were a couple drying in the rack. The one in the middle i printed upside down. I still like the effect.
Never throw away any pieces of art that you think it a mistake or wrong. You can always use them. Or maybe someone might want to buy it because they like it.

 Here is one o my final prints. I have a crease in it which will smooth out later when dry.
I love the fact all the different colours compliment each other and give a different dimension to the bark.

Second week \\ H u m m i n g B i r d //

I wanted to go for some darker since last week i want for crazy bright colours. I wanted to have the bright colours just pop through.

 Here is my first test on some newsprint. Loving the graduation on the inks.

 Each print i did turned out slightly differently.

 Here is my print on top of the screen print that i did a last week. Its all about Humming birds.
Love the effect.

 A few of my prints below. Looking forward to seeing these develop the next time I'm in the studio. After half term.

 I think i will do just one more reduction cut on this. I think too many would spoil it.

First lino print \\ T h i s t l e //

The was another image that God has been talking to me about. I love that it is so beautiful but grows in harsh terrain and can survive harsh weather. 

This is going to be a reduction.

My idea is that it is first thing in the morning and the sunlight is catching the Thistle. As i do the reduction the ink will become richer in colour. The first one i did today is the lightest colours. 

 My lino cut

 The colours that i chose. The purple will get much more vibrant and purple.

 A few drying on the rack.

 My first reduction print. Really excited to see this progress.

Humming bird Lino Reduction Part 1

So i was planning to go into the studio and do my 4th reduction on my bark but after a week it was still tacky and not completely dry so i had to change my plan. So i started on my humming bird.

 I started cutting out my basic shape.

 I wanted to start with some really bright colours then next week start toning them down.

 Mixing my ink

 For my Humming bird i am trying out a graduation reduction. Should be an interesting result.

 Inked up and ready to go.

 I had to make an extra registration sheet as my paper was a bit larger and i wanted to be able to line it up next week. Here it i on my press that i was using.

 I used some really lovely paper which i decided not to wet first. The finish was nice but not quite what i wanted.

So i decided to put the rest of my paper in the water bath for 10 minutes. 

 The result was much richer and fuller. Just what i did want.

 I have been saving up tea bags and stuck the emptied tea bags onto a piece of thicker card to experiment. This will be a mixed medium print and i may do some stitching into it too. We will see. I think it is really interesting.

 This is one of my final first prints. Im really happy with the result. I also cut the lino outwards and put some lighter paint on it as i wanted to look like it was shining.

As well as doing these. I also made up 2 silk screens. One with my humming bird design on it and the other with some words about the humming bird.
I am planning to print my humming bird over the top of the written word. I will do this next week when i have some more time.

 Job 12:7 and 9 says: ‘Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee … who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?’

Third week Lino Reduction \\ T r e e A n d B a r k //

And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].

PSALM 1:3

Final week for my tree print.

 I cut the rest of my tree at home and just left the outline and a few shapes for shading.

 Mixed more of the blue in that i wanted.

 Some of my prints drying on the rack.

My finished print. Im really happy with the end result.
I used a few different papers and got quite a few different results.


2nd lino cut - TREE BARK

 Here is my 3rd reduction. I wanted finer cuts this time.

 I added more of the brown colour

 It was a luscious rich brown.

 A few of my prints drying

 My 3rd reduction print of my Bark. I love the colours but have decided to do 1 more cut of it at home.
I used Japanese paper for these. It is lovely and thin but give a great coverage.

I also decided to do some single prints of the lino that i had and chose a more expensive paper called Archers88. This ink soaks in lovely and give it a lovely finish. Below is one of my prints from the 3rd cut. I will print over it next week.

Second week Lino reduction - \\ Tr e e A n d B a r k //

I was really looking forward to this second week. I had put in the prep, saved my ink from the previous week and ready to go.

 I added some more of the blue i used to get a darker shade and when i was happy with the colour started rolling it out.

 My first print

 A collection of my prints on the drying rack.

My second lino reduction finished!
I have taken this home and cut away some more for next week and that is the last reduction i will do on the tree.

Onto my tree bark reduction -

I grabbed the previous ink colours i used and started mixing a more richer colour than previously.
I love colour!, and i love how vibrant this was mixing.

 When the sun was hitting the ink, it glowed :)

Once happy with my colour i started rolling it out.

 A few of my prints drying on the rack.

My second lino reduction on my bark. I am loving how this is coming along. I have taken the lino home and have done some more finer cuts on this and have decided to do 2 more reductions on it. I love the layering which i feel is giving it a depth and texture about it.

What is your gifting?

Ever had a chat with God and asked him what your gifting is? Even though you are grown up and have been using your gifting all through your lift.
Yup well i had this chat with God on holiday in Turkey.
I was feeling frustrated and wondering what i was doing with my life.
I didn't feel satisfied with being a Mummy, homemaker and a kids core leader in my church. Deep down i needed more.
So the conversation went something like this -
God - Use whats in your hand
Me - but what have i got?
God - Sarah, i gave you creativity
Me - oh yeah.

Everything, (well most things as God only gives you a bit of the jigsaw puzzle at a time) became a bit clearer from then.
I decided to start up my own t- shirt company selling hand printed tee's with Christian messages on. And alongside that i will sell an overflow of my gifting. Which i did'nt know what that mean.

I looked up a print studio and came across one close to where i live. As soon as i got home from Turkey I did a silk screen printing session with an amazing Lady who explained it all to me with such ease. She is an incredible artist and specialises in fabric and rust dying textiles. Everything came flooding back and i found myself being the intern the following week. Working on a Tuesday doing intern things - cleaning, stock counting the paper, updating the diary, helping the open access artists, updating the notice board and lots and lots of cleaning. I loved every minute of it. On a Thursday i helped teaching the Special needs adults. They had a class in printing once a week.

Once my 3 months internship finished the Lady running the studio and my lovely boss,  asked me what i wanted to do.
I explained that when i heard the Artist in residence do their final end of year talk i felt that i have missed out on doing 'art' without a purpose. She offered me and exchange!
I continue working with the group on Thursday and i get Tuesdays to use the studio and equipment. I love being with the group on a Thursday. It is so rewarding and i genuinely enjoy spending time with them. It is also very therapeutic.
God has really been chatting to me about 'being me'. Being me is all that i am and the gifting that God has blessed me with. I missed creating without it being for a purpose. All over Christmas i have been making things, (which i love doing) i printed Christmas cards, made secret santa gifts, knitted a scarf for my daughter and various other things. And i love doing it all. But i got to a place where when i looked back, i didn't remember a time when i just 'played'. Just saw where my creativity took me.
So i accepted the exchange joyfully.

That night whilst i was sleeping, God gave me 3 pictures of art i would use to create with.

1 - Was a hummingbird
2 - A picture of bark that i took at my church women getaway
3 - A self portrait that i took of me in a frosted glass window.

God has also been talking to me about trees, a lot.
Trees that are fully grown, still keep growing. The bark is strong so that it protects from all the harsh weather. Roots go deep to hold the tree firm in strong wind. Seasons change and leaves drop but strong stands the tree.
I want to have armour like bark that stands agains the enemy.
I want to have roots that go deep in the word of God

So since my gifting from God is creativity. Its who i am. I am going to blog my progress and see where it takes me. Where God takes me.

I have started off with a 2 lino reductions.

I started with this picture i took on a walk with my new puppy.

I used Hawthorn ink and chose to mix a light grey with a touch of blue that will gradually go to a darker blue.

My image that i have cut out. I rolled the ink in and popped it into a registration sheet that i had created earlier.

Through the press.

Final images of my trees. Colour one completed. I have now brought my lino home to cut into it some more. 

I also did my bark.

This is the original picture. 

I don't seem to have taken a picture of my lino. 

The colours i chose. They will go darker redish, brown. 

I used some fantastic Japanese paper. These are my first images. I am also going to cut into this lino more and go print again next week. 

I love lino cutting. It is really calming to create in lino. I am excited to see how both my prints develop as the weeks go on. 

I will update next week.