New Woodblock Print: Alpacas

Alpacas for the Ace of Hearts in an Art in Hand animals deck.

I previously posted about the Alpacas in Progress and here is the final print! My goal was to get One Good Print for the Art in Hand deadline. When both my kids were sick the week before, I wasn't sure how it was going to happen. I carved my color blocks at home, over several days, then printed in my studio, on the very day/night that they were due! There must have been some magic in my studio because it all came together, calmly and not in a hurried frenzy. I was even able to go to bed at a decent hour, and for that I am grateful! 

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I took some photographs of the process:

This is the black and white proof, which I hand-colored with watercolor crayons. I have a set of 40 Caran d'Ache Neocolor crayons, which provide a great range of colors and I can get a sense of what will happen when I layer colors, as well. 

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The key block is on the far right, and to the left are three of the color blocks. The fourth color block is actually the backside of another block.

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Here is the set with the two-sided block flipped over. 

Side note: check out my new Ribba picture ledge from Ikea! It is great for getting blocks and frames up off my table tops to clear the surfaces (or make room for more stuff, as you can see here). Next time I go to Ikea, I plan to stock up on these and line my studio walls with them.

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So, there it is! I said before that it is for the Queen of Hearts but it is actually for the Ace of Hearts. I'm looking forward to seeing the decks in a few months. In the meantime, my next step will be to print my edition of alpacas--I'm planning for an edition of 35. 

Here are the details:

Title: Alpacas
Paper: Rives BFK
Paper Size: 10 1/2 x 13"
Image Size: 8 1/2 x 11"
Block: Shina--5 blocks
Ink: Akua Intaglio
Edition size: 35