A Happy New Year and a Seasonal Engraving

Firstly, may I wish a Very Happy 2008 to all my readers!

2007 ended with the third in a series of seasonal prints illustrating the Twelve Days Of Christmas. They are in no particular order and this is Two Turtle Doves. Here is an early stage of the engraving:


You can see the tower of Ely Cathedral being drawn in the background. It isn't an entirely accurate drawing but I thought that it would suffice. Here is a later stage:



And here is a proof printed onto watercolour paper:


I printed five images onto watercolour paper and added washes of colour - enough to tint the image - not really in a painterly way. One of these was for J's Christmas card:Three of these and an uncoloured proof are for sale here.

And what did Santa bring for the engraver? A second print drying rack, allowing me to dry an edition of 100 prints above the presses:


I had something of a break from work between Christmas and the New Year. This was partly forced as, firstly, I need to carry out some work on the small Albion Press before I print again and, secondly, I managed to rip a large chunk from my right thumbnail. This had the twin unfortunate affects of my being able to neither write nor engrave. It has just about healed now and so I am starting to catch up with work, starting with a bookplate featuring a winter view across the English countryside.