New block prints

While I figure out the best way to transfer a sketch onto linoleum, I sketched a couple of designs directly onto a couple of blocks, and I’m carving away! The first is a matryoshka, I’ve been seeing them all over etsy and I’m totally in love, I thought I’d make my own. Turning the image so it was a 3/4 view was a bit of a challenge, and I think I still need to work on the flower belt, but all in all I like the design.

I love the gradient map function on photoshop. It turns grey linoleum into bright happy colors! The beetle is a tiny one, only an inch and a half by two inches. I’m looking forward to printing it in a pattern on fabric.

Lastly, I’m continuing to explore swan imagery, I wanted to bring in an Indian feel with the lotus shape behind. In Indian mythology, Brahma the god of knowledge and creator of the universe rides on a swan. The swan is seen as a symbol of transcendence and noble spirit.