Whenever I began a new printmaking project, confronting my blank sheet of linoleum seemed to be my biggest problem for this process. I started to think about what I wanted to carve, and I decided to stick with the animal theme from my last blog and carve a bird! 

My first step was to sketch some thumbnails I felt suited the style I wanted to achieve. I wanted more line art within the carving, so I chose my favorite sketch. I then grabbed my trace paper and traced over my sketch I wanted to carve. I lined out my linoleum and retraced my bird onto it, feeling ambitious to start my first steps of carving.

I gently carved in my bird and experimented printing with some colors I enjoyed, or felt suited my work. After having a few prints of my line art bird in a few different colors, I decided to go into the carving a bit more.

I can confidently say absolutely nothing was planned. I just wanted my hand to guide me to a result I found interesting. After carving what seemed to take focus away from the bird, I ended up carving some thin vines and leaves within the work, drew in some black linework, and paired a teal cut out of my original bird carving with it. 

My first simple line prints of the bird were solely to create something I found fun and simple, so I could later take that print, rework it with something different and more challenging in attempts to pair both prints within the same piece of art.

This is an unplanned design, my carving tools, mind, and hand had taken me on an unknown adventure

I am still in the works finalizing these bird prints and plan on going back to it with some new steps to see where my hand guides me, and what I will create!

In my eyes the joy of printmaking is that every print will turn out different, and unique. The small differences in every piece printed is what makes it one of a kind.