pseudo-tapestry, rocks, minis

 The unicorn has a landscape [thumbs up!]

It was an adventure making the ground...I tried something new.  Last week, I made a collagraph plate, and this week, I added to that plate and reprinted it.  Then, I used a gel plate to add viscosity monotypes on top of it. This was sort of like flipping paper marbling in a way, because instead of putting the paper onto the water's surface, the paper was fixed, and the gel plate went on top of it.  It was still somewhat dependent on natural phenomena for the pattern, but gave me more control in terms of where I placed the plates and where I wanted the densest ink.  I then added a wash of gray-green to help unify it.

Then...I decided it really needed some rocks (doh.) So I went out to the driveway, scooped up some gravel, and carved some rocks.

Then...I decided it really needed a band of foliage between the ground layer and the mesh background. And, naturally, none of the dozen plant blocks I have were quiiiiite right. (doh, again).  While it may just seem like me being picky, in this case, I think it is really necessary - I have single plants, and while I could print them multiple times, I really want a horizontal band that can be a bridge between the randomness of the ground and the mesh, which is a repeating pattern. I think multiples of the same plant would be too repetitive; so, I planned a 12 x 18" block to work in very structured repeating lines between the scattered leaves - the block will create a horizontal band with few repetitions and will contain both organic and repeating pattern elements [thumbs up].

It sounds good, and I'm excited to see how it will work...but execution is challenging.  I used one of my existing blocks as the foundation, by printing it on the new block multiple times at different angles and then editing to make sure each iteration is unique and that they flow together. I've been working hard on it, and it is moving forward, but it's slow going at the moment.

 In addition to carving new blocks for the tapestry, I also put together a submission for the Center for Contemporary Printmaking's Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition. I picked my favorite minis from the last year and pulled new prints just for the show and ironed them so they are nice and crisp and flat - fingerscrossed!

I also had a chance to do some figure drawing.  It's been a little while - I was a little rusty, but it's coming back, and I had a good time and got in some good practice adjusting to a variety of pose lengths - 5, 10, 15, 25 minute poses.

Onward!