I Can See You Mister Hare

The story behind this engraving goes back to Spring 2013. Walking down into the fen with our, now deceased, lurcher Bella, I would often see a large buck hare in a field a few hundred metres from the studio.
I would see it in a field of young barley and, as the crop grew, I would see less and less of it.

The last time I spotted it, it had to sit up on its haunches to peer over the top of the barley heads and that was when, in my mind,  I "saw" the engraving that I wanted to make. I started by drawing a head:

This was an engraving that I simply wanted to do for my own pleasure and so it had to fit in as and when I had a moment - the sort of thing I might work on while taking a break in a coffee shop:

As 2013 became another very busy year, I set the project aside. However, it was the perfect thing to bring out when I wanted to demonstrate engraving. In July, I engraved the background view of Ely Cathedral during my Open Studio:

 I like to carry out as many processes as possible by hand. I reduced a drawing of the hare by "squaring down" and transferred it to the block:

I didn't do much more until November. I completed the engraving of the background at the Fine Press Book Fair in Oxford. You can just see the block in this photograph of my table in "Parenthesis 26", the latest journal of the Fine Press Book Association:

The next weekend, I was showing work and demonstrating in Ely Cathedral, which features on so much of my work:

Conditions were not great for engraving, but there was just about enough light to start to work on the head of the hare.

I next picked up the block in early 2014 when I started to plan the barley that would surround the head:

 I spent January completing my Peak District engravings and spent a couple of days on "Mister Hare" getting ready to pull the first proof

The block then sat in the studio until April, when I was demonstrating  engraving at Gallery Top in the Peak District. I completed the engraving by adding highlights to the grains of barley:

In May 2014, a year since I had planned the engraving, I finally started to print  the edition, ready to show for the first time at an art event in Bury St. Edmunds. This image has been with me on all of my artistic travels and many of you will have seen it as a work in progress.

Here is the finished version of "I Can See You Mister Hare"

The image measures 73 x 52mm (approximately 3 x 2 inches) and it has been printed in an edition of 100 original artist's prints, pulled directly from the block in my 1865 Albion handpress.

I am selling this engraving for the relatively inexpensive price of £25.00.
You can purchase it from my website and from my Etsy store

Peak District Prints Part 2

In the first of these two posts, I described the creation of a pair of engravings which featured wildlife in a Peak District setting - a landscape with a very different character from the low-lying flat lands in which I live.
The third engraving follows a similar pattern.

3. A Peregrine On The Roaches

One of the most memorable events of my visit to the Peak District was to clamber up a ridge of rock called  the Roaches. They are spectacular in themselves but I was keen to see the peregrine falcons that were nesting there. I was not disappointed. Most impressive was the speed at which they approached the nest when they took over parental duties from each other.

I decided not to engrave a peregrine in flight. They have such a powerful presence when they stand and survey the landscape. That is what I wanted to attempt to capture. I started by making very rough sketches and then a more finished ink drawing.

I tightened the image by reducing the size of the drawing by cutting and pasting. It would still be one of my largest engravings on wood. Here is the final drawing:

I added a silhouette of a second peregrine in the sky and, beyond the Roaches, I drew the shape of a separate hill called Hen Cloud. I consciously suggested the shape of the rock formations in the pose of the bird.

Engraving was a lengthy process as I wanted to include much detail at every stage. I started with the eye and worked outwards:

 

Here is the finished block:

From the first proof, I was pleased with this image. I made a few adjustments to tidy some elements and balance light and dark and then it was done:

"A Peregrine On The Roaches" 

Wood Engraving.  Image size: 120 x 120mm

 Hand printed on Zerkall paper in an edition of 125 

4. Peak Post

I have already described the  making of the nine small blocks that make up "Peak Post". This was a way of including glimpses of the Peak District which had interested me but which, in themselves did not suggest a substantial engraving. 

I have also had a fascination with so called "Cinderella" stamps and have engraved them before. Here are some of my original sketches:

And here are most of the individual blocks:

There was not an issue with printing the individual blocks but I wanted to print all nine together as a "sheet" of stamps. This took a lot of careful preparation as I adjusted the blocks on the press:

 

It was worth the extra effort when, after careful adjustments of packing, inking and pressure, I was able to pull crisp impressions from the press:

 

"Peak Post"

Nine wood engravings printed as a group. Image size 130 x 175mm

 Hand printed on Zerkall paper in an edition of 125

I will add a reminder that the whole set of approximately forty engravings will be exhibited at many places in the Peak District during 2014 and that I will be demonstrating engraving and speaking about this experience at Gallerytop, Chatsworth Road, Rowsley, Matlock, Derbyshire. DE4 2EH on Saturday 12th April at the Private View, which runs from 12noon - 4pm.

***The two prints described here are also for sale at a pre-publication price in my Etsy store:

http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AndyEnglish

Peak District Prints Part 1

I was one of a dozen engravers who were invited to visit the Peak District and create wood engravings in response. I was part of a group who traveled there in early May 2013 and, over the next few months, I planned and engraved four prints. The whole set of approximately forty engravings will be exhibited at many places in the Peak District during 2014. I will be demonstrating engraving and speaking about this experience at Gallerytop Chatsworth Road, Rowsley, Matlock, Derbyshire. DE4 2EH on Saturday 12th April at the Private View, which runs from 12noon - 4pm.

In this first of a pair of posts, I will show the development oftwo of the engravings.

1. A Chatsworth Hedgehog

I enjoyed the grounds of Chatsworth House very much but found my inspiration in the extensive vegetable garden. I liked the sunny parkland stretching out beyond the stable block and, nearer to hand, I loved the terracotta rhubarb forcers. It was rather early for many vegetables to I decided to imagine those at a later date.

I found this composition rather difficult. No matter how I arranged vegetables and forcers, I was unhappy with the result, which lacked focus. The answer came to me as I was walking round my own village. A hedgehog! They are a favourite mammal of mine and, although I saw no sign of one during my visit, I was sure that Chatsworth must have many hedgehogs scuttling about in the twilight.

Here is a series of four preparatory drawings which show how I took a sketchy idea and developed it to the point that I could start to engrave:

The last drawing is in ink and shows how I turned the stable block to make a more symmetrical image. The leeks make a small "avenue" along which the hedgehog has been moving.

The engraving was relatively straightforward. The first proof pulled was rather flat and grey and so I had to make sure that I let enough light into the image by widening some of the engraved lines.

Here is the finished image. I was particularly pleased with this engraving after the difficulty I had at the beginning.

 

" A Chatsworth Hedgehog" 

Wood Engraving. Image size 104 x 70 mm 

Hand printed on Zerkall paper in an edition of 125

2. Dovedale Heron

I had seen this heron on a walk along  Dovedale the previous year and had been thinking about making an engraving so this was the perfect opportunity. There was no difficulty in this composition as I had a vivid memory of the heron perched on a dry stone wall, standing on one leg.

The heron is on of my favourite birds and I have made three engravings - one large and two tiny. I was lookng forwards to adding a forth.

Here is my original ink drawing. Having made it, I decided that I wanted to change the slope of the wall and so made the very rough sketch below it.

As usual, I made an outline drawing in ink on the block. The cuts themselves are improvised as I work.

I enjoyed engraving the stone wall. I tried to give each piece its own character, rather than use a formula throughout the wall.

It was soon time to start working on the background:

Here is the engraved block. Notice how the valley side behind the head is engraved right up to the bird.

I was happy with many aspects of the print when I pulled the first proof but it seemed a little "flat". After much thought, it occurred to me to cut a circle of light behind the head.  As soon as I took the next proof I was happy with the image. Who knows where inspiration comes from?

Here is the finished engraving:

"Dovedale Heron"

Wood Engraving.  Image size: 106 x 67mm

 Hand printed on Zerkall paper in an edition of 125

I am offering a special pre-publication price on these two engravings. They can be purchased at this price exclusively from my Etsy store:

http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AndyEnglish