Birds

Dunnock linocut

| Alison Sloggett

Following on from my Siskin linoprint, I have finally finished carving the first block of a Dunnock linocut.

Its about a5 size. And now I’ve carved it, I need to decide what to do next. I hear you cry, but didn’t you have a plan!? Well yes I had in mind what I thought I wanted this print to look like. But now I have printed the proof of this first layer, the black background again is very striking.

Proof on tissue paper , printed by hand

In my idea I would carve it out of the surrounding lino. But leaving it stark black and white with the inky blackness behind has an appeal. I found this with the siskin print, so left the block so I could print it like that as another option.

Any who, decisions to be made and my troble is I usually quite like all the options so find it hard to choose. I should do some sampling to help me decide, but that usually leads to me being distracted and not finishing original idea. Arrrgggh . These are all nice problems to have though, and this is just a nice place to write then down and have a think.

Putting things into the public domain makes me finish things more so than if I don’t share them , so thanks person reading this 😂

Block before being inked

Siskin Linoprint, hopefully one of many.

| Alison Sloggett

I have started a new ongoing project to print my favourite birds from the UK ( possibly elsewhere) in detailed linocuts.

4 layers of lino to build the colours.

I wanted to challenge myself with this project, so it is technically challenging as I am also printing them as multi block prints. Which means tight registration from separate blocks of lino carved to make the other layers of colour. In this case, yellow, green and the background for example. Something which I have not done before to such a high level of accuracy, and it took a long time to get right on this first print!

As I said though it is a learning experience for me as well as the chance to make some hopefully beautiful prints. They are for sale on my Etsy site, PrintPaintDrawMake and I will be donating a portion of the price of the sale of these to my local wildlife animal charity.

I have started my next lino cut in this series and was thinking that due to lock down I would get loads done, but actually I have not made much progress on it. I have noticed that my work is in fits and starts, sometimes due to time commitments elsewhere, as I have been working from home during this time. But projects like this can’t be pushed, I find I need to be in the right frame of mind, otherwise risk ruining it.

Thanks for reading, stay safe.

Dunnock to be my next subject.

New Video About Magpie Rhyme Book

| Alison Sloggett

soooo this summer holiday I have tried to finish off a few projects that have been lingering.

One of them is my book called A Magpie Rhyme , it is an artist book (which is just a hand made book by an artist) . I finally made the last few in the edition ( only 10 in it ) and I wanted to make a video about the process.

I have done both of those things so yay to me 😀 , the video is up on you tube now.

I missed out the actual printing of the linos, but I think people can understand what that might look like. Putting the video together and I forgot how many parts of the process there are!

Any way would love you to have a watch and let me know what you think,

cheers 🙂

link :

 

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Two sparrows update

| Alison Sloggett

Browsing through pinterest I found a linocut image that struck a cord , an image that you wish you had made. 

It was by an artist called Sherrie York, whos amazing blog brush and baren , I started reading .

I discoverd a technique called masking for lino printing, which inspired me to have another look at my Two sparrows print from a few months ago , and keep adding colour to it till I was happy, as Sherrie York seems to do.

Here is it with two more layers of ink , the green needs building up to make it bolder

Check out my instagram account where I post Wip pics. @alisonsloggett

Two Sparrows 

| Alison Sloggett

Hey there , I have been working recently on a reduction linocut of some sparrows, house sparrows we call them here or little brown jobs. 

Even though they are not the most colourful birds here in Britain, they have a lot of character. And when you look up close they have beautiful colours and pattens in their feathers , all be it in shades of brown and greys. 

So after watching the sparrow army in my lovely new garden I wanted to do something on them and so here is my linoprint and some drawings, would love to hear what you think , cheers ! 

Birds of Paradise sketches..

| Alison Sloggett

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DSCF5406I watched `Attenborough’s Paradise Birds` on the iplayer back in february, which inspired me to watch it back and try and sketch the amazing birds he showed on it , here are some of them. The crazy shapes that these birds have evolved into and the colours are just amazing , so colourful compared to British wildlife, not sure where these sketches will go..

I was thinking maybe a large scale painting focusing on the colours and movement of the birds…

For great clips of birds of paradise there is a great you tube channel here.

Thanks for looking, any comments or ideas would be great !