I used this block for a previous letterpress poster print, "If you don't want my peaches, don't shake my tree." But the original image several years ago was born out of the Song of Solomon quote, "Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its choicest fruit." I thought it would be fun to do that text with the wood type as well.

First I laid it out on the block to get a sense of the placement.

Then I did some color tests in watercolor.

And once I settled on a green, I printed the backgrounds. Then I went dancing for the weekend and left them to dry....

Finally I set the type and locked it down into the press and printed on top of the background image.

Here's the final product.