Getting There.

I really like the look of the print on the yellowish paper, to me it looks a bit Art Deco- ish. In keeping with that look I decided to add a printed border using the stamp that I created for the Ex Libris print which never eventuated. Easier said than done unfortunately, I just couldn't get a nice even border in this printing session. Lining up the black outline and the green leaves is getting easier with each one that I do, and the flowers are printing quite well too. Perhaps it's too stark and some background printing might work well..............

Next Step.

 I decided that it just wasn't going to work using the stamp that included all the elements, so I carved a separate stamp for all the green parts, that is the leaves and stems. I had tried to mask off either the flowers or the green bits, but I just couldn't get it all to line up correctly. Here I'm using the reverse of an old stamp, so the old glue marks are visible,

                            Now I have all the  elements of the image lined up ready to try out.

Much better, although still not quite the perfect alignment, but I'm not really striving for perfection, so a bit of obvious 'hand crafted' doesn't worry me at all. Next I'll try it all on some 'good' printing paper, perhaps something off white or yellow. I'm still using the test stamp pads here, so the next step will be to use printing ink on the 'good' paper.

A New Challenge.

 Having always cut stamps to use with one colour, or painted each component separately, I decided to try a new challenge. The nasturtium stamp is one that I carved a long time ago, but I decided to try out a new technique using it today. I stamped it out and then traced a copy of it onto Soft Cut.

 Here I've carved away all the insides of the various elements and now the tricky bit, to cut away all the rubber around the different parts, just trying to leave a narrow outline.

 Only one problem that I can see, a bit of the stem leading to the biggest flower is missing, but it shouldn't matter in the scheme of things.

 Here are all the components, the outline, the old stamp and the separate flowers. Of course I'll have to mask off the flowers when I stamp the leaves and stems.

     A first effort which is not at all well lined up, accurate registration is a bit difficult I've found.
                                 Tomorrow I need to work out a way of lining it all up properly.

Oldie bu Goodie.

Whilst looking for something else today I came across this piece of artwork that I had forgotten all about. It was created by dropping paint of various colours onto black paper, then pressing another piece on top and squashing the paint blobs between the 2 papers.  I used some metallic paints as well as some that were iridescent. Pulling them apart makes the coral like shapes.

Autumn is Approaching.

While out in the country these past few days I was so happy to see the wild blackberries starting to ripen. This dragonfly was trying to warm up its wings in the early morning sunshine on a couple of the ripest berries. It was too cold to fly away, so I managed to pick the blackberries from underneath it.

Colours.

      I just loved the subtle colours in this onion seed head, the mauves, pinks and greenish whites.

New Stamp.

Here is my latest stamp, featuring a species of Eucalypt that has small seed capsules coming off a main stem. The paper I used is actually white, but to add texture and interest I sprayed some copper coloured paint onto it before using the stamp. Unfortunately, once again the finer details such as leaf veins and the texture of the capsules are not very clear as I applied the ink very heavily and those details clog up too quickly. I might have to work over the stamp making those details more prominent.

By the Book.

A lovely new exhibition at the Firestation Print Studio in Armadale Melbourne.  http://www.fps.org.au/

 

                             My little mud painted and stamped book is at the front left in this photo.

 Not only are the books beautifully made and printed, but some of the ideas expressed and the format that the books take are just so innovative and interesting.

                                  It's a really worthwhile exhibition to visit if you are able to.

Experimenting.

 I went ahead and made two new screens from my stamps, altering each one to fit the postcard sized format. I'm thinking now that it would have been better to make them even smaller to allow for a little bit more space at the sides. Oh, well, it's all a learning experience of course.

Next I tried a sun print of the stamped designs, first making an acetate positive on the computer. Maybe it would have been better to make a negative on the screen to create a positive on the paper.
                                                            More experimentation!

Mini Screen Prints.

 I decided to make some mini screens from the stamps that I have carved over the last month or so, mainly to resize them to fit a standard postcard size, and also to touch them up as well. Above are the ones that I think will be useful to resize and make screens from.

 Here is the first screen, with a print from it on the left and the original stamp on the right. The screen print is marginally larger, but the main difference is that I have duplicated the top seed capsule, rotated it and made it smaller to replace the original one on the stamp.  I was never happy with it, so this way I can improve it without carving another whole stamp.

 Here are some printouts of the screen on some cream coloured paper, as always, it's hard to get multiple copies that are perfect, or even near to perfect!

                                                     If only they were all like this one!

Photoshop Play............Again.

 Having carved a few of these Kurrajong pod stamps recently I started to play around with the image in Photoshop, as I usually do. With a cut and paste type action I ended up with this windmill effect.

 These photos are reversed chronologically, with the one below actually coming first. Choosing a couple of colours, I randomly, more or less, placed the pod windmills in a square. The one above of course is an inversion of the colours of the image below.

Either one would make quite a nice fabric print I think, for 'yardage' or to decorate a bag perhaps.

Lillies not Lotuses.

 

This is a view across one of the many lakes and ponds at the Blue Lotus Garden that I mentioned in my last post. The Lotus prefer shallow water, so where it's deep, the water is clear of vegetation.

                                              This is a spectacularly coloured Water Lily.

Another Water Lily, the huge and amazing Amazonian Giant Water Lily. The structure of the very large lily pads is such that it can support the weight of a child in the water. The pure white flower only stays open for a short time and we were lucky to see it still open at 10.30 am.

Lotus...Lotuses..Lotus.

 Having visited the Blue Lotus Garden here in Victoria today, Here I was stunned by the various shapes and stages of the gorgeous flowers.

                          Only partially open, this is nevertheless  beautiful in it's shape and form.

                                                 Even the simple single white is beautiful

 This double pink is really quite blowsy, but the central seed capsule is quite fascinating. It's slightly warm to the touch and emits a smell rather like menthol!

 T  he gardens harvest the seed heads for the florist trade and sell them green and dried brown.

                                     These are the giant version, standing well above the water.