Woodblock Wednesday

While setting up the workspace I came across the circle pints and blocks and played around with the idea of printing a long scroll -

 ... or using the existing prints as a sequence -

 Another set of prints would make a nice long piece on the wall, and would have a 3D effect -

 Sew them into a length of chinese paper? -

On with the day's printing. Last week I did two layers with the "water" block

 This week I printed the third layer onto most of these -

The aim was, partly, to make them less green, and also to experiment with colours (second print in top row) and sequence of layers (very-green print in bottom row has two layers of different yellows).

These three are my favourites -

 And these two were left with just two layers, so that I could cut back the middle layer some more, in order to get more of the first layer showing -

At the end of the session I felt that it's time to retire this block for a while. 

Tutor Carol started a whatsapp mokuhanga group, for questions and discussion - we meet at the usual class hours, 10-1 Wednesday, and can show work and chat. Keeping in contact in this way is very motivating. 

Carol put together a quick project for those who wished to try it - white line printing. I had unwittingly used this technique  for my "solstice" prints and think I'd rather start carving the reduction print that's jiggling round in my imagination -

It's currently 10x12cm  - oh those skinny legs! - it needs to be almost twice that size.

Drawing Tuesday - chairs

The room with the sunlight contains eight chairs and a sofa and a footstool, and seven tables of all sizes (and a trunk and a desk). Only two of the chairs are red leather tub chairs - I approached them from different angles.

Quick blind drawing with inktense pencil

Getting solid areas and tones with waterbrush

Intensifying the colour

Six tables and four chairs in this frame (two tables hidden)

From Najlaa: I drew this in 7/9/19 from my daily draw notebook. I just repeated today.

From Carol:  Not very highbrow but more difficult than I thought. I had not realised that highchairs were so complicated. Also first attempt at drawing little Charlie, not great but a start.

From Sue: Here’s my sewing chair - bought in Upper St. years ago.

From Janet B:The office chair (Andrew’s Walthamstow c1998) was my warm up. I’ll be sitting on it this afternoon when I get on with some dressmaking.

My museum piece is from the V&A new furniture exhibition 1901.

Eventually I must get round to sorting out all my chair drawings into a separate album. When I looked for photos of chairs in museums there were quite a few I had drawn.

From Janet K:I drew a dining room chair - I am sure it took me more than 2 hours yesterday afternoon. Used Van Gogh's chair as a reference.

From Judith: Nice shapes from the Design Museum Denmark and some fun Art Nouveau chairs

From Joyce: Here is my sewing chair, tucked away in the corner when not in use in the dining room.

From Mags: Inspired by the drawing I did at the V&A in 2017 of ' Soft Little Heavy ' by Ron Arad

I attempted a biro continuous drawing of Erica the Excercise Bike ( which I use every day ) The seat isn't too bad but you know when the more you draw ,the worse it gets......

From Jo: Someone gave the folding chair to my father. He admired the design, but I don't think he ever used it: it weighs a ton!

Child's high chair (mine). Arms & footrest long gone.

Easy recipe - Kobi Sabji

I'm making a record of some of my favourite recipes, so that I can easily find them.

Ingredients
Not in photo: vegetable oil, salt
I used 3/4 of the cabbage and just one of the chilis

Onions and tomatoes chopped and sauteing

Add chopped cabbage and spices

It's ready!

Kobi Sabji (for 4)

Chop 2 onions
          2 tomatoes

Heat 4 Tbsp vegetable oil

Add 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds, fry till they pop; add onions and tomatoes, cook 10 mins, stirring occasionally.

Chop a small cabbage
           2 green chilis

Add to pan along with 1/2 tsp turmeric

Cover and cook till cabbage is tender, about 10 mins.

Add 1 tsp salt, or to taste.


The recipe is easily halved, if you're cooking for one, and leftovers keep well in fridge/

Studio Saturday - a couple of shelves

Encouraged by the clear surfaces, but appalled by the general pandemonium, I took my camera into the room "to photograph a few details" - ie, without the clutter.

The overflow of my cloth bag collection hangs in the studio -

 ... next to the bookshelf, on which were two old atlases, from 1928 and 189? -

The embroidery on top of the books has its own history, dating back to the 1990s.

A quick look through an art catalogue turned up some more ideas for the upcoming reduction print -

 This possible starting point is from "Ernabella Batiks" book -

Also among the books was the calendar put together by Camden Age Concern, illustrated by artworks based on items in the British Museum.

It was made for CQ's "Celtic Connections" challenge in 2009. Machine-quilting the rust fabric put an end to quite a few needles as they hit heavy-metal patches.

In no time at all, two short shelves were tidy, even roomy, with a few books de-selected for redistribution when that becomes possible. (A pile is growing, in a dark corner.)

Package delivery

So exciting to get a package! Oh but it might be contaminated, eek -

The virus can be active for up to 24 hours on cardboard, up to three days on plastic and steel, up to 4 hours on copper. What about wood, fabric, cork, unglazed ceramic....?

The advice is to open it at the bin and put the wrapping straight in. Take the contents inside the house and wash your hands.

 Asian ply and a porcelain palette -

 And by the time it's unpacked the sun has moved round and the secretary-bird is throwing a long shadow -

... which has absolutely nothing to do with anything ...

Woodblock Wednesday - "Water" revisited

Returning to an old block, using paint that dried up in containers - just add water and it comes back to life!

Start with grey

Or start with green (algae, perhaps?)

The second layer is blue

The work area is getting chaotic

At the end of the session - two layers each, one more to go,
next time - experiment with colours

Ready for next time

Before "next time" I hope to start cutting a reduction block. It's been on my mind for a while, even to the point of jotting down a few ideas, and cogitating on a few photos seen on instagram -

Too simple? Needs to be large, with strong colour? 

Positive and negative, not sure that would work

Using gouge-marks to make areas of different
tones - would the registration have to be perfect?

Love the way the subtle red lines work, and the texture from
rolling oily ink on - how to get that with watercolour?

A pack of carefully cut circles, made in 2009 and rediscovered
 in 2019 included some ideas

Or maybe this, a printout of a screenshot of a photo?