First proofs

I came home with several prints from the summer in different states of readiness, and I've been testing them out on the press this week. The top one I drew out while away but carved on getting home. It's on brown Kraft paper, and this is the first time I've seen both blocks together. It's almost finished. I just need to do a bit of touch up.

The Explore block I brought home almost fully carved, though I'm still working on the tree tops. I realized in my first proof that I'd carved away too much of the area underneath the higher trees, and it felt bare in the center. Since you can't put things back once you cut them away, it occurred to me to do a gradient with the green background instead of a solid lighter green. The darker green at the top would help fill in that empty space. It's a darkish iphone snapshot on a rainy day, so the trees and dark green are blending together a bit more than they do in real life, but I'm happy with the solution. I'll keep tinkering it with, but it's quite close. I wanted a block to capture the adventure I had this summer, and I'm pleased with the outcome. I knew Alice (the camper) would be handy in a pandemic -- all my own food and a private bathroom -- but I didn't expect to enjoy sketching her as much as I did. I'm going to enjoy documenting our explorations.

This last print I left finished but hadn't actually printed. I'm trying it on different colored paper this week, and I've got a range from white to fawn, light blue, warm gray, and brown. I quite like all of them for different reasons, and I figure others might too. This one is available now. $90, and the paper is 13.25x14". Holler if you'd like one for a holiday present. I'll get it up in my store soon.