I like to jot down the odd thought whilst I’m working – sometimes it does get a bit out of hand….
Day 13 – Taking Notes…..
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Day 12 – Halfway Through Re-Proofing…
A quick bit of cutting on the second block – this was previously the third block but I’ve decided to swap the order of printing so that the blue goes on before the yellow. Desperate measures……
And a quick bit of printing later, here is a proof. The paper has come out a bit yellowy, which I quite like – maybe I should have a creamy-yellow next, rather than that slightly sharp lemon. Hmm….
Day 11- Four Versions of Liverpool Street Station
Today I’ve mostly been staring at these four different proofs. They’ve been stuck up on the studio wall and I’ve come to the reluctant conclusion that none of them are working (in other words, they’re all horrible). Not only that, but I’ve completely lost sight of what I was aiming for.
Still, I do like a challenge and so I’ve decided to do one last batch this week. And if they’re still unresolved – well, I may have to go and work at Tesco’s….
Day 8 – And Procrastination Sets In
I thought I’d catch up with a spot of editioning in the studio, while I do what I think of as ‘mulling over’ the other work in progress.
Although to be truthful, it’s more a bad case of ‘let’s not think about it today’.
Day 7 – Proofing Liverpool Street Station Again
From the top, the first block is printed in a deep purple, the second block is overprinted with primrose yellow and then a close-up of some of the crowd of passengers at the bottom. It’s looking fine at the moment but this is where it all went wrong last time….
Day 6 – How Not to Leave Well Alone……
I’ve decided to give the new London Bridge linocut a bit of a rest for now and I’m back to wrestling with the Liverpool Street Station one.
I remember that I was quite happy with it before Christmas but not anymore. So, I’m just doing a bit more cutting and some tiny colour adjustments. A little light tinkering should do the trick…..
I wonder if I’m suffering from some sort of delusional disorder?
Day 5 – First Proof
I’ve finished cutting the block and taken the first proof of it. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this now.
I was thinking of an early morning scene, with those beautiful pale colours and pearly light but in that case, a dark chocolate brown was probably not the best start….
Day 4 – Cutting the First Block
So this view is of London Bridge train station, currently being torn apart in the name of progress. Network Rail in their wisdom have decided to take this beautiful Victorian roof down and replace it with (and I quote directly here) “An eye catching roof-scape, made up of undulating canopies”. Oh dear.
And alas, you won’t be able to see this panorama again either, as the old footbridge between the platforms will be replaced by underground tunnels.
Anyway I’ve had the drawing for this linocut ready for a while now and thought I’d better get going with it as quick as possible – a last hurrah for poor London Bridge Station…..
Day 3 – Planning For Next Week
This afternoon I’ve been getting to grips with the colour separations of my next linocut (it’s of my favourite station, London Bridge). I find it helpful to get the basic areas sorted out in advance, as I like to see an even distribution of colour over the whole print.
Of course what’s really exciting is what happens when the inks overlay one another – all sorts of unexpected colour combinations start appearing like magic. Using four colours will guarantee lots of surprises (and, let’s be honest here, the odd shock too).
Tomorrow I start the cutting….
Day Two of a Photo A Day
Here we have a corner of the studio where old paintings go to die. I’m kidding – they’re just waiting for another session (of torture) on the easel…
This is day two of the Photo a Day Marathon and I’m wondering – surely I should be getting the weekend off?
But I guess that’s not quite in the spirit of the thing….