71/100: Circle + Text
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.”–Gilda Radner, American Comedian, Actress, and one of the seven original SNL cast members
In honor of National Pet Parents Day, Callie, Panda, and Susie Q lent a paw to inspire today's hand-carved paw print. Initially I had considered stamping their paws onto paper to use as a template, but the morning was already filled with baths as part of a spa day (which is not really their favorite way to celebrate). So instead, I took photos of each of their pads to print out, trace with soft pencil lead, and rub onto the block carving material to guide my carving. Of course they were compensated for their services with lots of belly rubs and treats!
72/100: Triangle + Repeat Patterns
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”– Edgar Degas, French Impressionist Artist
What do you see in these prints?!?
I confess that I was a little disappointed that the centers did not match up as well as I had hoped, so I explored some alternate print layouts where the center alignment was not as critical.
As I started to pack up for the night, I pulled out a previously carved triangle stamp 59/100 which coordinated really well with some of the carved elements and seemed to achieve a better center circle alignment! Since many of my stamps use one of 5 basic shapes/sizes, I may need to explore other potential pairings for all new printing potential?!?
73/100: Leaf + Text
"What can I know? What ought I to do? What can I hope?"-Immanuel Kant, German Philosopher
Lots of questions on my mind today so I was incredibly thankful for a wonderful phone call to gain new perspectives and hope! I channeled this hope into tonight's text-inspired leaf print. The leaf shape was outlined on paper before filling in with the repeat of hope in cursive. Using soft lead allowed me to turn the paper over onto the carving block and transfer the text in mirror image. It felt strange to be carving this simple word in reverse and I continually questioned whether it was even correct. So I was delighted to see the text translate perfectly once stamped!
Here are a few grid layouts...
74/100: Artist's Choice + Pattern/Repetition
Growth is a spiral process, doubling back on itself, reassessing and regrouping.-Julia Margaret Cameron, British Photographer
Spiraling back to play with a new hexagon design for tonight's artist's choice! A combination of very simple shapes: spirals, tear drops, and diamons make up this design and I love seeing how the diamons connect to form new patterns in the printing process. I almost wish I had reversed the orientation of the radiating lines within the diamond shapes so they would radiate outwards when grouped with their diamond friends.
75/100: Artist's Choice + Artist's Choice
"Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature."-Gerard De Nerval, French Novelist
A fun new flower shell design in honor of Artist's Choice. This flower design was sourced from one of the motifs in the Art Deco section of Graham Leslie McCallum's Pattern Motifs book.
76/100: Square + Pattern/Repetition
"That which interests me above all else is the calligraphy of a tree or the tiles of a roof, and I mean leaf by leaf, branch by branch, blade by blade of grass."-Joan Miro, Spanish Painter, Sculptor, and Ceramicist
Thank you Pinterest for emailing me more tile design inspiration. As soon as I saw these gentle curves in blue and white tiles, I immediately recognized the potential for tonight's block carving! Swipe to see the versatility of this block to create all new secondary patterns when stamped in rows/columns...
You can see the original red print (top left) overstamped with a 90-degree rotation in the Paradise blue (top right). The bottom right red print was also layered but involved a half-drop repeat and rotation with the Paradise blue ink (bottom left print). I confess that I almost chickened out but I am so glad that I went ahead and layered these prints!!
77/100: Leaf + Lines
"As my contribution as an artist and a storyteller, I have to have some hope. I have to have some beacon of good at the end of it."-Eric Heisserer, American Screenwriter and Comic Book Writer
Channeling good and hope with today's carved and printed designs which I completed while attending the SAQA Virtual Conference! In fact, I finished all the carving, printing, and photos by 1 PM...and had no idea what to do with the rest of my day?!?
Here's a grouping of grid prints...
Block Carving Corner
I thought I would share some pictures of my block carving corner where most of my equipment and supplies are stored along the edge of my cutting table:
- A small recipe box containing index card catalog of each daily block
- Small journal which also includes a small print from each day
- Large 2" binder with plastic sheet protectors to contain all my printed pages
- Stamp cleaning supplies: reusable washcloths and a small scrub brush
- Extra carving blocks
- A slip strop to hone my carving gouges
- And a plastic container that holds most of my tools/ink pads...
- acrylic blocks for stamping (which helps minimize finger smudges when printing)
- stamp cleaner
- washi tape
- a canning ring that I use to draft my leaf blocks
- craft knives
- small ruler
- mechanical pencil
- carving gouges
- scraps of soft carving blocks
- stencils--circles especially!
- tracing paper and printer paper
- compass
- and Tsukineko VersaFine Claire ink pads
My box of carved blocks (which I shared in my Week 7 Blog Post) can also be stacked underneath but is currently hanging out on my ironing board for easier access. All in all--it's in a fairly compact area and hasn't consumed my entire studio...yet!
And here are all 77 daily carved block designs...
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