I love keeping a sketchbook but sometimes when I am juggling so many things it is one of the first things to be dropped from the long list of things to be done.
Last year I took part in two drawing challenges; 28 Drawings Later Challenge in February and Inktober in October. In both challenges you draw every day for a month which can be tricky to fit in but is so helpful. I tried to draw slightly mindlessly with a vague plan of what I would do each week and it really helped me develop my work. I think it helped me find a bit of direction in my work and the drawings I created also inspired me in my print work, either directly creating lino prints from the drawings or developing them further to work as a relief print.
This year I took part in the 28 Drawings later Challenge again, working in a sketch book to create a page a day. I wanted to work on my mark making and used acrylic ink, pencil and pen throughout the month. I also tried to improve my portrait drawing skills, or at least find a way that I could draw a recognisable face at least! I worked on seascapes and how to communicate the movement and enjoyed working on figure drawings from photographs of days out. I would really recommend completing the challenge next year.
I also managed to get a few prints of the paddling linocuts I was doing last month but I had terrible trouble with the colours fitting together correctly so I abandoned it. I have not yet decided whether to do the print again, to recut some of the design or just have it as an extremely limited print( I think I have about two of each print!).
After my fight with the three colour prints, I decided to do something simple. With hopes of spring hurrying up and getting here, I made a mini series of Spring Lino Prints and printed them on some recycled postcards I had that are flecked with recycled materials.
These three prints are available in my Etsy shop to buy just in time as the weather begins to buck up!
I received my Rollaco Etching Press in February which was very exciting. I am a little late posting this month’s studio diary so March’s will be on the way soon too and I look forward to showing you what I have created on the new press in next month’s Studio Diary.
Jo x