Return to block prints for return home

     Special occasions call for special efforts. When son Jim arrived in New Haven, Ct., ecstatic Joe and Linda mailed off my linoleum block print to friends to announce our first born. I carved Psalm 127, every letter in reverse, to mail out. I loved the effect. I dug around each letter leaving what I wanted to print, squeezed out black oil printing ink on glass, inked a squeegee by rolling back and forth over the ink, rolled this inked brayer over the carved linoleum, placed some orange paper over the newly inked block, rubbed the back of the paper with a spoon back to transfer the design to paper and then set the results out to dry. I made numerous prints for mailing.Doubtless,back in 1964, I was smart enough to look up directions.

Click to enlarge photos.

        Back to our newly restored home after the fire, I had many people to say thank you to. I probably should have photographed my paintings of the fire for a card, but I wanted to make a block print! I had no tools, so I bought a little kit with Speedball's beginner's Speedy Carve pad w two blades and a handle. I drew a design of the mythological Phoenix rising from the ashes, our house cradled/circled above in plumage. Had I read the instructions from Speedball,  life would have been much easier. I probably would have purchased a denser carving pad for more careful detail, but this was fast and fun. I was not satisfied that I had enough proper contrast in the results, so I decided to "color" my prints with my favorite Holbein gouche or watercolor set.If you have the itch to try, I recommend buying Speedy-Carve Stamp Making Kit for all the instructions I could have used. In the meantime, tell me how to finish coloring these!
     
   










Note: Before starting this project, I played around with images from the Internet that are not mine, Comic Life, and my computer.
Also, if you use oil rather than a water based paint
as I did, your blacks won't run.