31 Jul 2013

Ramblings and Sketchbook peeks: more lino printing.

sketchbook1

Before I start on the actual aim of my post I just want to ramble a moment.
Yesterday was strange day.  

It was James' last day before starting his first, full-time job as a Doctor and he spent hours skittering around the house with nervous energy.  
There were thunder and lightening storms from dawn to dusk and the cowardly hounds spent much of their day also skittering with nervous energy or trying to convince us they could be lapdogs (they are not small critters).  
At midday I left the nervous nest and braved monsoon rains to go to an appointment at the job center and was basically told, that with my sizeable baby bump, the chance of them finding me work is close to zero.  The woman was lovely, she suggested some places that might offer me temp work if I was lucky and then, in a lowered voice, whispered 'enjoy it, you might never have free time again once the baby arrives'.  

So I came home and spent an hour feeling a little lost.  Many years of juggling part time jobs, volunteering and studying has given me a need to schedule every hour of many day, to always have an aim and to always have a clear idea of what the next step is going to be.  Not always aims and steps I have liked, don't get me wrong, finish the dissertation or get through finals or get the store cupboard at work organised in time for the inspection have not exactly nourished my soul!  But they were present nonetheless.

After this hour, I stood up, boiled the kettle, put the chicken back in her roost, set the bath running and decided:
oh my gosh, this is going to be awesome

Until baby comes in November I am both goal-less and aimless.  And the next step involves meeting baby boy.  I don't think there could be a better next step.

I said it was a strange day.

sketchbook2

Anyway, here is my latest lino print.  The pears were from a drawing I made some time ago in an old sketchbook; I adapted them from a piece of artwork I saw on the internet of which I am completely unable to recall.  So if they look familiar, please please let me know the name of the artist as I am desperate to rediscover his/her work!

This weeks 'lesson learnt' was regarding the quality of the ink.  
Whilst I find the carving side of this process satisfying and therapeutic, until yesterday I found the printing side somewhat less enjoyable.  I tend to focus to highly on the imperfections of the print and get frustrated when the inks aren't exactly even.  Yesterday I tried printing in a different colour (the green print) and the quality of the print immediately improved, I think you can see the difference in the top picture.
The lesson learnt: don't buy the cheapest ink, it ain't worth it!
(If you are UK based, the high quality inks are made by Seawhite of Brighton)


2 comments:

  1. these are amazing!! so sorry it's taken me this long to pop on over, thanks for being a sponsor again, it's lovely to be reminded of your lovely blog and congrats on the pregnancy!! How exciting! off to read some more of your posts now, the blog is looking fab! x

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  2. those prints are so lovely! as for not having a temp job, i agree with the woman, it's great! enjoy this mini vacation! use this time to pamper yourself, keep your emotions relaxed, your body healthy, and your home ready for your baby!

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