Change of direction

I thought I’d got it all sorted, collagraph images, two prints to a page, working through the colour wheel and assembled in a stab bound book.

I did print the first plates. 

I like the grid structure and the size and style of lettering but the areas of flat colour are boring.

So I’ve had a rethink. I started with some of the grids and I’ve been playing with paint, palette knifes, bubble wrap, polystyrene... exploring textures, making tiny abstract paintings. 

While I was sorting out the paints I discovered a tube of Prussian blue, it works well with phthalo green and deep violet, so the colour scheme has changed.

And I haven’t a clue how I’m going to put it together!

More letters

I'm still experimenting with letters.

 I thought I might print the first alphabet so I've been experimenting by making simple collagraph blocks using acetate, silver card and different types of tape. Hope to hope to have time to print them later in the week.

Starting a new project

At the moment I'm experimenting, trying to work out a starting point for ALAW.

Playing with letter forms,

with structure,

and with text.

I like the textures that I'm generating using the computer but I'm concerned about copyright on some of the quotations that I originally thought of using. I think I'll leave the peace alphabet until later in the year and begin with a simpler, hand rendered one.

New Year’s Resolutions

I’m not good at keeping resolutions so last year I didn’t make any.

Instead I joined BAO edition 4 and started this blog to record the process. I thought this would give me the impetus to sustain (and if necessary fight) a project through to its conclusion. It did, and more. 

I’ve made books, received and exchanged books and had kind, encouraging comments from people I’d never have met any other way (thank you all).

This year I’m not going to make resolutions either. But I’ve joined ALAW (and if BOA moves onto edition 5 I hope to be part of that too). And I’ll definitely keep blogging.

Happy New Year to everyone out there and may it bring all that you wish for

An electronic sketchbook?

I’m not a sketchbook person.

Or rather, I’m not good at keeping a sketchbook going, although I do keep trying. I love the idea of them.  I collect all manner of shapes and types of them. But think I suffer from a strange book phobia. At first I’m frightened of starting the book, all that clean potential, in case I spoil it. Then if the first few pages are successful I get even worse - what if I spoil it now!

I tend to work best on bits of paper that I can spread out so it doesn’t matter what I do to the separate pieces. Then, when a project is finished, I keep one or two bits that I think I might find useful in future and bin the rest.  The problem with this approach is that there’s no record left at the end of how I got there, and ideas for future developments get lost.

Looking back over this year’s posts I’m finding things I’d forgotten I’d done and it’s jogging my memory about things I thought I’d like to revisit. I wasn’t sure about blogging when I started but I think it might be filling a gap in the way I work.

(Except, strangely enough for life drawing, for that I’m quite happy to work away in a sketchbook until the end then just start a new one.)