Yesterday I tested out the wood blocks and printed them on a tai kozo as well as a fused silk.
The middle one bothered me so this morning I re-carved the underground part….more roots because if this is the mid stage of a man it is where his roots take hold….where he develops and grows. Aside from that it pairs better with the more carved other two stages of a man.
See what I mean? Anyway when these have completely dried I will decide if I want to use the silk or the paper prints and then begin thinking of the stitching patterns and whether to add cloth.
Once the redone block was printed this morning I cleaned up the mess and started making a gum solution out of scrapings from an Australian tree I collected several years ago. Not sure how successful it is but so far seems to do the trick.
Melting the resin.
Bottling the solution with a darkening agent.
It took quite a bit of time to make but I can use this for my earth pigment watercolors and other things.
More pages are filled in drawing book. Influenced by stitching marks and thinking of roots. Just drawing that tree and its underground made me want to think about another illustrated book of things that happen down there. It is something to put my mind to that requires another step after the first one is taken. A story more involved than the earlier book, Down the Rabbit Hole. Anyway here are the drawings.
I also need to do more stitched pieces for this book….
And this morning the juvenile Cooper’s Hawk just the other side of the screen. His constant cries sound more like an angry frightened mouse than a raptor. I enjoy his company each morning and that of one of his parents who must be wishing he’d find his own food.
Amy and Ben arrive later today and I will put a quiche in the oven and find a good movie to watch with a glass of wine while I wait. Sounds good to me.
Til later….