Pardalote Two colour print
Here is my second linocut. It is a Spotted Pardelote, which is a tiny finch like bird that used to nest in the banks on our property near Castlemaine. They are lovely little birds. The colours are not right, but as this is only a practice piece while learning the techniques we didn’t have a choice of colour.
Pardalote print Red
This is what is called a reduction print. You carve out all the areas that you want to leave white (or the colour of the paper) then print with your next colour, in this case red. Then you carve out the areas that you want red and print with your next colour, in this case black. You can keep printing as many colours you like, but two was enough for our experiment.
I was really happy with how the bird turned out and can’t wait to do another one of this image with the right colouring. I think a woodcut.
Karen
Karen Bailey Studio 
Hi Karen, I simply love your prints and look forward to seeing updates from the printing journey you are on. In Perth we have striated pardelotes so not sure if they are cousins of your spotted. They nested in the wall of our house one year and would flit out to visit me while I was hanging the washing on the line. They were probably telling me to get lost but I pretended they were pleased to see me!
Hi Julie, yes there are two kinds of pardelotes that I know of. Such a lovely little birds. My next is a blue wren, we had a family of them, they would come and watch me garden to see if I would turn up a tasty morsel for them Karen
Well – I look forward to the blue wrens. Is it a bird series you are doing?
Yes, I am thinking of it. I want to do it as wood cuts and do the birds that used to come to a property near Castlemaine were I lived for 10 years. I wanted them to be perched on the fences so they have a rural feel to them rather than a more natural tree branch. There are about six birds I wanted to do in the series. But I have far more ideas than I do time to realise them. Working full time in a pain, but until I can get the art to pay, I also like to eat and buy clothes. Karen
Never mind, Karen, there is no hurry with the birds. I think of my art as slow cooking as compared to fast food. You’ll have to have the same mental image for yours.
Slow Food – Slow Art. I like your thinking and as I am a fan of slow food and all it means I can willingly embrace slow art. Thankyou Karen
I’m glad you like the analogy. The love with which you patiently produce your prints is tangible.
Are the inks opaque so that layering can be done in any order? And if you are cutting the lino for the second printing, does that mean this is a one-time production since you would have to cut another block to do the first print?
I like your composition. The curvy lines of the wire fence and the horizon help focus attention on the bird while making interesting negative spaces.
You do have to work light to dark and yes it is a one off series. It takes a bit of planning to get your head around how to print and carve, but all part of the fun. Karen
Love the two color print! Very cool!
Thanks. I was happy with how it worked.
Hi Karen
I somehow ended up taking a break from the wordpress world for a bit, spent the summer working a lot and then reading a bunch of books on the beach at the end of the day. It was good. So now I’m getting back into the blog world but trying to do it a bit more intentionally and making choices, so all that to say that there are a few blogs I missed and yours was one so I’m going to spend a nice little chunk of time catching up on what you’ve been doing, and hoping there’s a bunch of relief prints because I love them! This little bird is so sweet. Sorry for the oncoming onslaught of likes and comments.
Jennifer
Hi Jen,
I have missed you, but could see you we’re busy soaking up your quota of sunshine and water. There have not been so many prints as I over did it and got tendentious in the wrist from carving. I do get carried away at times. But I have other plans while the wrist heals. Can’t wait to read the rest. Karen