Mixed-media Lammas print

After this, I decided to try printing onto an acrylic-painted surface. It turns out that it works rather well, but takes quite a bit longer to dry - I suspect I can generalize from that to say that the drying time depends on the absorbency of the paper beneath.

Here is the result, which is now framed and hanging on my kitchen wall. (Mounted in a simple A4 clip frame, with a sheet of neutral-grey acid free paper between it and the mankboard backing.)

I don't feel I can sell high-days prints, but I'm happy to give prints from this block away to good homes.

Lammas prints

Yesterday was Lammas, or Lughnasadh if you prefer. It's mostly an agrarian holyday, but I was brought up a pastoralist (Welsh hill farming isn't really so concerned about the grain harvests) so the only aspect that really speaks to me is the sunlight. I started carving the block as the sunlight faded, and was printing these over midnight.



Linocut on smooth white drawing paper, and on blue rough-weave handmade paper.

Relief printing with linocut - first attempt

I've been playing a little with relief printing, and I'm enjoying it immensely so far. This is my first piece. It's actually the second impression I took off the first block I made, but since it's my favourite of the edition (of three) this is what I chose to upload.



The paper is Velin Arches, and the ink is water-based lamp black from the Graphic Chemical & Ink Co.