"Solstice" woodblock prints

Ready to cut -

 Trial by rubbing, thinking about colours -

It was at this point that I realised that what I was seeing was how I wanted it to print, really - which would mean cutting the block in reverse. Duh!

Start again, on the backs -

There's a technique called white-line printing, in which the areas are inked up separately. I came across it while chain-watching youtube videos, but can't remember which video showed it. That artist had done a big print, one colour at a time, with the paper clamped to the table or pinned to the block to maintain the registration for subsequent colours. My block was quite small (20x8cm) and my methods, such as they are, are more slap-dash, ... well, let's see what happened ...

The first print (bottom) was a reminder about using enough colour

With a total of four blocks, in various combinations, and three colours, and the single shape (the arc) I set out to make six prints, aiming to put them in pairs for eventual "books" -

Spot the difference! One pairing ....

... and another

The third pair, and the blocks

The colours are quite pale because my old tubes of watercolour had dried up and drastic measures had to be taken to be able to use the contents - rather too much water was used - but this allows the wood grain to come through, and I like that subtlety -

The "books" that I'm aiming to make are simple diptychs - here's one I prepared earlier -

A sample of the format (concept becomes reality)

Its cover doesn't relate to, or harmonise with, the contents; it was just a bit of painted cartridge paper that was the right size (and rather nice) -

So many possibilities ... so many decisions...

The idea of the books needs to incubate some more in my subconscious. There are so many possibilities within this simple format - cover weight and design, binding stitch, inner endpapers, inclusion of text (or not), weight of printing paper, colophon (or not), wrapper? - oh yes, and the actual images that are printed - and the colours throughout. 

With all these decisions ahead, a thought-through, finished book is a long way off. (But what fun to move towards it!) I know what, or how, it will be, but don't yet know what it will look like.