I had a chance to run some test prints last week, to check the second block. Peeling back the paper and seeing the end result is always pure magic. There’s still a fair amount of cleanup to do on this one, but I did order inks and paper, so I’m inching closer to a print run. The pinstripe shirt is nagging at me, though, and I’m leaning towards turning it into a plaid. Or maybe I’ll just carve it away all together. Decisions…

Life has been mostly work and taxes and more work and snow (!), but also the yearly pilgrimage to Harvey’s for hot cross buns, so all is not lost. Aside from sugar, though:

This painting of a procession in Cornwall at the turn of the century is perfection.
The trailer for Wildcat is… oh my. Those peacock feathers unfurling at the end? Goosebumps.
Stuff I keep listening to on endless repeat.

Back in ‘22 I said I wanted to turn this fellow into a block print and now here we are. I usually start carving the largest areas with the biggest blade, then work my way down to the smallest blade and the more detailed work. But I’ve learned that there’s nothing more maddening than spending hours on a block and then goofing up something fiddly, carving off a key element accidentally at the 11th hour. So now I do the stuff that makes me hold my breath first, then sit back and enjoy the easy parts. I’m working on this in small increments, when I need a break from other things. But I’m hoping to have this printed in the next month or two…

And I had every intention of doing Hourly Comic Day last week, but life happened. I did manage, however, the 6:00 hour and a very honest representation of my hair.