MAILING MY YOT SNAKE CARD

I finished my Year of the Snake card this week and put it in the mail today.  They are slithering their way all over the globe, hopefully there's one on it's way to you.  Below are some progress pictures.

I did a reduction cut on a piece of bass wood. (Meaning I used the same block of wood throughout the process, cutting away the parts I want to remain the color I just printed)

I rolled on the Akua Intaglio inks with a brayer and used a baren to transfer it to the paper, which is probably Rives (I forgot to write down what it was after I bought it).

The pictures are in reverse order, the first steps are at the bottom...

Finished!

All the cards laid out to dry

Made quite the mess trying to decide on final color

Auditioning different colors for final outline

After the third color 

Rolling on the third color - a darker green

Second color - light green

First color - Red

First stage of block

Carving using a magnifying glass with a light

The original drawing

Happy New Year!

Hope the Year of the Snake is a great one for you and yours!

FIRST CARVING ON YOT SNAKE

I cut away everything I want to remain yellow.  It looks like this is going to be a reduction cut.  Oh my.

Celtic ring, Celtic snake

After the first carving

Tomorrow I need to get another color on the cards.  I'm thinking about doing a stencil for just the red tongue.  Everything else is pretty much going to be greens.  Red and green don't like to mix, and if I try to layer them it will be ugly.

I've seen another printmaker, Sherrie York, do wonderful things with stencils.  I haven't used a stencil in a long time, so I'm hoping I can work out the details in my sleep tonight.

LUNCH AT SONRISA

We had a great morning on a Seattle Audubon guided walk around Montlake Fill near the University of Washington.  Afterwards, we had lunch at a University Village restaurant, Sonrisa Mod Mex.  Good food.

A START ON A CELTIC SNAKE

It's time I got started on my Year of the Snake Print for BarenForum's Chinese New Year's Exchange.

First, come up with a drawing and transfer it to some wood blocks.  I'm going with two.  I haven't even figured out how many colors, but I'm only doing two blocks.

Peeling the paper off, and hopefully leaving the drawing.

Mixing a very transparent yellow using Akua inks.

Rolling  the first color directly onto the card.

I'm starting with 60 cards.  

I'm hoping Bentley the cat stays off them while they are drying.