It’s been… a while. I wouldn’t quite say that burn out got me entirely, but keeping up an online presence did get tired. I’ve been working on new things while I’ve been absent from posting, as well as refocusing my energy on in-person events as they pop back up, and getting excited to make new things. I’m also excited to share what I’ve been up to while AWOL.
New Work: The Highlights
In one of my long-ago updates, I was eager to try doing chin-collé prints with some new paper and a particular type of cheap glue I’d gotten my hands on. (It’s amazing how important weak glue is to the whole process.) It worked! Wonderfully. Combining the colour focal points chin-collé provides with the texture of handmade paper and fine lines of intaglio resulted in prints that really embody everything I love about the medium.
This one is going to be staying in my personal collection. I really love the green on the light grey and white of the paper, and the combination of contour line drawings with intaglio print-making. I carved this plate specifically with the green chin-collé piece in mind.
As soon as this batch of paper was dry, I knew I wanted to combine it with the Vineflower plate and pink chin-collé. The coloured flecks give it extra depth and the sense of more petals falling in the background. It really brings together everything I was hoping for with this print, and with the last few monoprint runs, it’s a good way to retire this plate.
This one is from 2020, but I never shared it because I wasn’t really satisfied with it until I saw it this way. The handmade paper and its deckled edge bring the print to life a lot more than the hot press paper does.
I’ve also been making new jewelry items, including brooches, barrettes, and earrings, as well as more necklaces! I’ve switched to using chains to finish any that aren’t on ribbons, and I think it really elevates the whole look. Sewing more dice bags (as well as commissioned work) has kept me busy, too! I have a stash of batik remnants I’m working through, and it’s starting to be the time of year to get more cool skeleton fabric.
Works in Progress
Back in 2020, I switched art programs and tablets, which put me in the position of having to relearn a lot of things, and I was struggling to figure out settings that felt right for the way I wanted to paint. But then I had an overly ambitious idea for a fantasy character art diptych, and here we are.
Painting faces again. Hands! Lighting effects. A play off religious iconography. Maybe even some gold foil effects. The left-hand portrait has more time sunk into it so far, and is on the far side of what I call the ‘blob stage’, in which the planes and colours are getting mapped out to the detriment of much definition. The right-hand one is still getting the quick sketch mistakes fixed and then all the lines will start disappearing into blob stage. I’m remembering techniques as I go, and finding ways to work them into the features of the new program–which is really what I should have done months ago.
On a much different note, said new software is what I used to create all of the Halloween creatures, and I’ve decided to expand into some not-so-spooky friends. This one is based on my puppy, who is very cute, but also very chompy and good at making everything take three times as long. (I do also have a vampuppy idea sketched, and it’s taking willpower not to go right back to spooky times.)
I also have some plans for new print plates in the sketching stage, and hope to be able to share those soon! I have a few lino blocks to work with, as well as at least one new intaglio plate in the works–as soon as I figure out what type of flower bud I’m trying to draw.
In the mean time, here are some test pulls from a couple of revived old plates–two of the first I ever carved. They had some sticky spots that might have been old ink or oil, but with some TLC they’re ready to pull up nice and fresh again.
New in the Shop
The first new thing in my shop is a new storefront. Etsy has been implementing features, policies, and fees that make it a less and less appealing place to platform any kind of small business. Earlier this year, I decided to make the move to a Ko-fi shop, which will also give me the option to implement Patreon-like pledge tiers if that seems like something I want to do in the future.
You can find the new shop here.
It has everything that I had in stock on Etsy, as well as some new inventory!
I’ve had a few different suggestions and requests to make earrings over the years I’ve been making jewelry, and after some help from a willing test subject, I’ve found hooks that don’t seem to irritate sensitive ears. (Mine will tolerate anything, so I’m never a good judge of quality for earring findings beyond how they look.) All this to say the first batch of earrings are up in my shop!
Here’s some of my favourites, but there are more pairs listed. I find them fun to make, so the collection will definitely be expanding soon. I also have brooches on barrettes on the way to join them.
Upcoming Sales
As I said way back up at the top of this post, I’ve been turning my focus to art events. I won’t be attending any in August, but I will be at the Belmont Village Bestival in mid-September. I’m working on some new display pieces and I’m excited to get to set up and show my work in person!
Thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking around! Keep up with me on social media, and add some more art to your daily scroll all at once:
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