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Every once in a while I'm lucky enough to go out for a sketching dinner with some like-minded girlfriends. We catch up on our lives, eat good food, talk about art, and draw while we're doing all of it. Last night we went to Next Door in Crosstown. I had the meatballs, and they were utterly delicious. I've traveled a lot over the last year, and it's good to have relaxed, sit down, face time with friends I value.
I'm also still working on drawing people more, so I did a bit of that too.
I'm also still working on drawing people more, so I did a bit of that too.
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I’ve been working for two days on stuff to be published (a cover for my Mr. Darcy book plus an album cover, my first ever), so I don’t have a lot to post. But I did do one double page in my sketchbook over the last few days. It just kind of happened that way, but cupcakes and my favorite tree together make up one exceedingly happy journal page.
I also realized that I hadn’t posted a couple of sketches from my last trip to Concrete. The feather and penny were both found on one of my walks, and I ended up really liking that sketch. The other is my Coronation teacup. I had seen it over the summer, but it was pricey. Then when I was there after Christmas, the antique mall was closing down and having a major sale. I went in to see if it was, by any chance, still there. I was so delighted that it was. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying The Crown, and it’s fun to have a teacup from the actual celebration.
I also realized that I hadn’t posted a couple of sketches from my last trip to Concrete. The feather and penny were both found on one of my walks, and I ended up really liking that sketch. The other is my Coronation teacup. I had seen it over the summer, but it was pricey. Then when I was there after Christmas, the antique mall was closing down and having a major sale. I went in to see if it was, by any chance, still there. I was so delighted that it was. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying The Crown, and it’s fun to have a teacup from the actual celebration.
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I've been doing some random sketches scattered into the main work of book manuscript and painting. Here are a batch of them, including two different trips to Muddy's bake shop. Cupcakes were called for.
I've also been working more intentionally on people practice lately. I have to get myself out of the house and away from my easel to do this, though.
I've also been working more intentionally on people practice lately. I have to get myself out of the house and away from my easel to do this, though.
Plus I always enjoy sketching my tea things.
One last one. Memphis Urban Sketchers met at Cleveland Street Flea Market (a recent victim of gentrification) on its last weekend. I've bought many clothes there, including cowboy boots and my current favorite sweater, plus my dvd player and vacuum cleaner. It was a great community of folks every weekend and an irreplaceable personal resource. I am so very sad to lose it.
One last one. Memphis Urban Sketchers met at Cleveland Street Flea Market (a recent victim of gentrification) on its last weekend. I've bought many clothes there, including cowboy boots and my current favorite sweater, plus my dvd player and vacuum cleaner. It was a great community of folks every weekend and an irreplaceable personal resource. I am so very sad to lose it.
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Here is. The carving process. The top right is the earliest, with just the moon and stars cut out to print the sky. Once I had the skies printed, I could carve down to the tree. Before putting the tree on the good backgrounds, I proofed it a few times on newsprint to make sure it looked like I wanted it to, carved a little, proofed it again, etc. Finally when I had it ready, I went ahead and printed on the sky backgrounds.
I finished a new print for my letterpress. I haven’t done too many prints on it, mostly note cards, since it doesn’t do big images well. It was made for type, and my blocks have a huge amount more dark space and much less white, which means it’s hard to get enough pressure across a full dark surface to print it evenly. I had mostly given up for several years after getting it, but it occurred to me fairly recently that it would be a lot easier to print smaller blocks on the treadle press instead of inking each by hand and carrying the plate and paper together to the proof press. So I started thinking of designs where the foibles of the bigger press would be an asset.
I’ve been thinking about nocturnes a lot lately, and it occurred to me that a dark tree against a dark sky would work better (be more visible) if the sky were not fully dark. The mottled printing texture would be great. I also have wanted to try a reduction print. Usually I do separate blocks for each color in a multi color print, but I thought if I’m locking a block into the metal chase to put it in the press, that would hold it steady and secure if I could leave it in there to print, so my blocks wouldn’t have trouble lining up.
For a reduction, you carve a bit, and then print, and then carve more before printing the second color. The upside is the block stays steady. The downside is that you can’t proof it with both colors and then adjust. You’ve already committed and printed the first color and gone past the point of no return.
I’ve been thinking about nocturnes a lot lately, and it occurred to me that a dark tree against a dark sky would work better (be more visible) if the sky were not fully dark. The mottled printing texture would be great. I also have wanted to try a reduction print. Usually I do separate blocks for each color in a multi color print, but I thought if I’m locking a block into the metal chase to put it in the press, that would hold it steady and secure if I could leave it in there to print, so my blocks wouldn’t have trouble lining up.
For a reduction, you carve a bit, and then print, and then carve more before printing the second color. The upside is the block stays steady. The downside is that you can’t proof it with both colors and then adjust. You’ve already committed and printed the first color and gone past the point of no return.
Even with the block in a steady place, I still lost some prints when the paper moved on me. I ended up with an edition of 28 on 9x11” paper. It was a good learning process for me, but I still think I prefer doing separate blocks so I can color test ahead of time and get the colors just right.
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I was unexpectedly off the grid last week, so here are a few sketches I haven't yet posted from a sunny day out in the country with my dad and our dogs. I loved walking around the farm with him and letting the dogs romp, but I also got some sketching in. I went out specifically to draw a tree called the Hawk Tree (hawks nest there) for a new print, but I did a couple of others as well. After all the traveling and holiday shows, it felt good to get back to just sketching again.
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I'm having my annual Valentine Open Studio Sale this coming Sunday on Feb. 4th. It will be from 12-5 at 1780 Autumn Avenue in midtown Memphis. I've got new "Midtown" note cards (that several people have been requesting for a while), bunny prints, watercolors, and some oils on paper of clouds and skies. Please come see me if you're around this weekend, and feel free to invite any friends you think would be interested. I'm working on a new tree print as well and hope to have it ready and dry by then.
