New "issues" with the same old woodblocks

Continuing with making prints to use in the book, which we'll be starting work on next week...

I've had two sessions printing at home (on thinner paper), but had to miss class last week.

 Once the background was printed, the ribbons on the "afterthought" block (when I stopped carving away all the background and tried some texture) came out very light first time -

Instead of making notes on the wet print, or in a separate book, I wrote them on paper and took a photo -

 All together -

Second home session - using the "shoebrush" and the "blobby transfer brush" -

 At the end of the day - uneven colour and misregistration - again!

But I quite like the blotchy look - let's call it a misty haze effect - and the way the white lightens the print.

 And I'm getting used to those ghostly "islands", the leftovers from Plan A.

So far there were these to choose from for the book covers -

 ... the same, but different, each one -

 They certainly do benefit from contrast, whether of dark or of light.

So in today's class I wanted to print two sets onto the remaining four sheets of the thicker paper, hoping I'd learned enough to fix the registration, and that the Gods of Humidity would be on the job ... but it seems they were having an away-day, and I struggled with getting consistent colour application.

The colour wouldn't spread out but wanted to form streaks and/or hold brushmarks -

 so I used that patterning in another layer, getting crossing lines -

diagonal

horizontal/vertical

When it came time to print the ribbons, lots of paint was showing through the back -

 but again ... splotchy ... and so gloomy!! -

Leaving the print on the block and re-inking one half at a time (I've become very nervous about registration so didn't want to risk it) -

 One set is ready, the other ... well, I might leave it as is ...

 After all it has the nice look of fabric in the background -

We'll be starting the book making on Monday evening.

I'm thinking of what the next woodblock print will be, and looking forward to the cutting.