The process of making a woodcut print

Last Easter I was lucky enough to chance on a curlew nest ( I found out later that its actually the nest of a Golden Plover) whilst walking over High Brown Knoll on the moors above Hebden Bridge. I've been meaning to make a woodcut about it ever since and finally got my act together this week. Here's a set of images documenting the process.

Working from memory and a snatched photo, I made a bold drawing on paper with a chunkyish felt pen. Because a relief print will always come out as a mirror image its important to remember to reverse the image on the block (so easy to forget to do this when you're itching to get started!) Old fashioned carbon paper is what I like to make the transfer.

I always slightly darken the wood block with dilute paint or ink before cutting so I can see what's going on. For the past year or so I've been using 'Japanese Plywood' supplied by Great Art because its easy to cut, although it has its problematic aspects which I'll come to later. 

I'm still very happy with the Pfeil palm tools I bought in 2010 although I wish they did an intermediate width u shaped gouge, the ones I have are either very narrow or quite wide.

Cutting the design is hard work but also compulsive - I have to force myself to stop for a rest, as you make mistakes if you get too tired. And being analogue, there's no Command Z to put back that vital little sliver of wood you've just accidentally removed...

Its easy to be fooled by the range of grey tones where you've drawn on the block, in reality the printed area will be just black and white, positive and negative, yes or no, binary. 

Its always a shock when the ink goes on, everything looks suddenly bold. The ink roller is very heavy, the ink is so very sticky and just longing to spread itself everywhere you don't want.

Unfortunately only now I notice the wood block is warped and in some places seems to be resisting accepting the ink. This is a common problem with the Great Art plywood blocks especially if using the larger pieces. 

Contrary to what most people expect, the block goes ink side up on the press and the paper is placed on top. Brooklyn Studios' relief printing press is actually an old converted mangle but its very effective.

It takes a few attempts before an evenly inked print is finally revealed. This is a called a proof and there will need to be some minor changes to the shading on the eggs before I print up an edition.

Postscript: Here is a completed print made with oil-based ink on Simili Japon paper with watercolour hand tinting.

And this is a Turkish map fold booklet made from a digital reproduction of the original woodcut. More images and option to purchase copies available from: http://angierogers.bigcartel.com/product/golden-plover-nest

Frosty January Morning

The lovely hoar frost earlier this week inspired a bit of sketching. I found it really difficult to capture the look of the frost, which to my mind looks like white iron filings.  Also, applying the speckles of white paint really knocks back the colour to a surprising degree.

Sorry about the confusing creases in the background - my bed was the best lit spot in the house this morning - shame the sunshine didn't last all day.

Sunshine Between Storms

A recent walk above Hebden Bridge during a golden interlude between storms.

CHEERS! - Here's to a happy 2012

This is life through the bottom of a glass - but in a positive way. When I first got my little Canon Ixus some years ago I went crazy for photographing glassware against a dark background with full on flash. Much Photoshop fiddling later the above image emerged.

Whatever happens in the coming year I'm hopeful that there'll be much to celebrate along the way.

Magic Lantern - (in a hurry)

The 1st weekend in December is always the Christmas Open at Brooklyn Studios where I work and I like to make my space look cheery and inviting.

Despite annual resolutions to the contrary, I end up doing things in a crazy rush every time.  This year was no exception and was further complicated by the unexpected early arrival of a huge old plan chest that needed to be assimilated into the very small space - necessitating complete upheaval and rearrangement of everything.

At one point of utter chaos I thought about just opting out and putting 'Police do not cross' tape over the entrance but eventually things got whipped into shape and I had just a few hours left to create a centre piece object.

Last year I put birds inside the slightly battered and cracked Moroccan style lamp that Cathy donated to the tabletop sale.  People seemed to like it, so this time I wanted to do something more spectacular.  All my plans came to nothing however owing to the lack of time and I just did a rushed job with some spare pages from my laser cut book 'Tree House' and a couple of sheets of coloured acetate sheet.

I love the magic you can create with just a bit of paper and some light - the final results were quite satisfying I think.

I've used Photoshop to remove the cable going in through the top and to play around a little with the colour of the ambient light. The final picture below has only had the flex removed.

Light Twite Ale - Moor Beer Please

I'm excited to discover the Twite woodcut that Pennine Prospects commissioned from me has been used on the label of a new beer called Light Twite Ale by Little Valley Brewery.  Not too sure about the purple colour and it would have been nice to have been informed rather than finding out from word of mouth.

But I like the idea of my work featuring on a beer bottle and really wish my dad was still around to see it.
I'll be off to the Tourist Information Centre in Hebden Bridge to buy a good few bottles

This is the photo and article from the Watershed Landscape website:

Born and Brewed in the South Pennines; Light Twite Ale

What have a brewery and our little feathered Twite got in common? Not a lot you might think but you might just be wrong.  Our favourite Pennine finch chooses the high moorland landscape near to hay meadows as its breeding ground and located right next to one of the Twite’s stomping grounds is the Little Valley Brewery situated high up on the Cragg Vale moorland above Hebden Bridge.

To help spread the word about the RSPBs Twite Recovery Project, the Watershed Landscape project have partnered up with Little Valley Brewery and created the Light Twite Ale from a tried and tested recipe.  A limited number of bottles of Light Twite are available to buy exclusively through the Hebden Bridge Canal & Visitor Centre with a percentage of the proceeds going back to the RSPB to help fund the valuable work they do to help protect birds and restore and retain their natural habitats.     

November Leaves II

Well not strictly just leaves, but can't resist including this selection of autumn glory for the ravishing colour combinations.

November Leaves

Fallen leaves on puddles, duck weed and tarmac make vibrant patterns as the dark days draw near.

Sweet Birds - New Card Set

Here's my latest card designs featuring the Sweet Little Birds.  I'll be launching them for sale tomorrow when its my turn to do 'Meet The Artist' upstairs at Spirals, the brilliant Fair trade and world crafts shop on Market Street in Hebden Bridge.

I'm excited to be spending a whole day there surrounded by lovely things.  I'll be selling a selection of my woodcut prints, mainly birds but townscapes as well, and working on my latest woodcut to demonstrate how its done.  Do call in for a chat if you're passing, I'm there from 11 am to 4 pm.

Helen and Sarah, the owners of Spirals are committed to ethical trading and supporting local artists and are hosting Meet The Artist sessions every weekend up to Christmas. Spirals is a great place to find unusual and attractive gifts so check it out.  They now have an on-line shop as well, see it here  Spirals

Celebration

I celebrated my birthday with this bottle of 1995 Lalande De Pomerol which we purchased many years ago in the lovely fading town of Pauillac on the Gironde about 50 km North of Bordeaux.

All these years its been hiding at the back of our under stairs broom cupboard in Hebden Bridge and finally got dragged out, dusted down and transported to Burnham Overy Watermill on the North Norfolk coast.

I've no idea whether it had been kept too long or stored wrong, all I can say for definite is that its colour, fragrance and taste were delicious, a perfect accompaniment to the marvellous meal my sister Kate had prepared.

October Leaves

I'm still closely observing the floating leaves - the way they press down on the surface of the water despite being so light.

On the same bill as a certain Mr Hockney

How exciting, my exhibition is on the same bill as David Hockney!

Or put another way,  the on-line listing for Bradford Museums and Galleries just happens to be advertising both exhibitions side by side.

http://www.bradfordmuseums.org/whatson/index.php

I think this just about beats the previous height of sharing the same page as Patrick Hughes in the Cow Parade Manchester 2004 Auction catalogue but its a close run thing.

Of course these tiny whiffs of fame from the top table only serve to remind us groundlings of the depths of our degradation ha ha.

However, apart from the fag* mania, I've always thought David Hockney seems a good egg and I've enjoyed a lot of his work - paintings, prints and writing on art - so no disrespect, especially as he's a fellow tree lover.

*clarification for USA readers, slang for cigarette.

September Leaves - are floating downstream

Inspired By Landscape II Exhibition at Cliffe Castle, Keighley

The residency I've been working on all Spring and Summer has culminated in the exhibition at Cliffe Castle, and the well attended opening was on Saturday afternoon.  After a lot of stress and effort the centrepiece large-scale drawings of reservoir valve towers with projected rippling water finally came to fruition.  They are hard to photograph well.  I've had to Photoshop this one. I'll try again soon.

The exhibition is on for over 3 months so plenty of time if you want to see it.  Cliffe Castle is a quirky world all of its own which has kind of grown on me over the past few weeks.  For more information about the residency and the Watershed Project visit my Catchwater blog here

Canal at Machpelah

Late afternoon sunlight pours onto the Rochdale canal just outside Machpelah's big windows. Disturbed by high winds the surface takes on an unreal solidity in these photographs, resembling shiny black obsidian.

More Machpelah Light

Two contrasting images of light in the big basement room at  Machpelah Mill. The cast-iron fireplace is crisp and still whilst the reflected window case is shifting and undefined.