I actually have a series of three prints of Daisy planned. This is obviously the first one. Here are photos of the sketching, carving, and test prints of different colors.
These are the original sketches to get the layout and work out some of the details. The last one is the drawing in reverse on the lino with marker.
I spent four days carving her out!
This is the first inking of Daisy. I used marker on the lino for the carving so its harder to see the ink.
This is the first pull of the bulldog print. I did some touch up carving after this before the final prints but it looked pretty good.
Bulldogs in burnt siena, dark brown, and black. It's fun to see the difference.
Here is one of the final prints signed and framed.
I decided to do a print of my friends Border Collie with a different style than I have been doing recently. I wanted to do something more cartoony than I normally do. He is a sweet, super snuggly dog but he always has a goofy look in his eyes. My friend says he always looks stoned. His eyes are very bright blue in stark contrast to his black and white fur. I also printed it in blue ink and made the floor boards in the the print slightly slanted just for fun. I hope you like it.
Here are photos of the final carving before the first test print, inking the lino for the first time, and the very first print. I will need to do some touch up carving before the final prints can be made, but it's looking like a good start. It looks like I need to lighten up the shadows below the eye and on her cheek.
These are photos of my original sketching, working out some of the details, and then drawing onto the lino. The last photos are the start of the carving.
On November 19 I opened my Etsy Shop. It's both exciting and scary to finally start selling online. You can find it here: www.etsy.com/shop/LaughingMulePress
This is what my shop looks like so far...
