Back to Work

After a few posts on other subjects, it is well and truly time to update Blog Holoholo with some Holoholo! As far as the business side is concerned, I have been reading about and seeking advice on financial matters - something that is relatively new to me. I sometimes think it would have been beneficial to have taken a more vocational degree - something that gave me guidance on business matters etc. But then again, I feel I'm doing alright at teaching myself, and having been to university has taught me a lot about researching and connecting with others, so I don't feel too disheartened. My boyfriend is also a complete whizz when it comes to numbers (hello Physics degree), so I'm really grateful to have him around!

Anyway, onto more visual matters: I have been working on more lino blocks for my first print collection, Omens. One of my favourite designs features leaves of the Hawaiian Ti Plant, something I chose to illustrate because it is also known as the Good Luck Plant. I wanted to incorporate a Hawaiian reference since Holoholo is aimed at creating items that marry great British pieces with the laid-back vibe of Hawaii, and therefore felt this would make a great print. That, you can decide for yourself...

In order to create balance in my life, the relative ease of constructing the Ti Plant block was completely opposed by the hideous difficulty of creating my next block, the lucky penny. I loved drawing it - it was so simple and such a familiar image that it flowed rather comfortably from brain to pencil to paper. No such luck when it came to carving it from lino!

Fist attempt - Falling apart in the middle

Second attempt - too small, bad shape (poor Queeny!)

Third attempt - going well until...

First attempt at finger amputation (ouch)

So after nearly removing one of my fingerprints with my lino cutter, I managed to get some prints done. I am such a freakish creature of habit that I am continuing to use my (rather expensive) watercolour paper to print on, despite the fact that its texture makes it difficult to print onto. I like the texture though, and figure I'll keep going at this stage, then move on to using my fabric printing inks and cotton after I've got my blocks sorted.

Failed penny prints

Successful penny prints

I did originally plan on using the 'tails' side of the penny for my design, but it turns out it's just not practical. Therefore I've gone with the 'heads' side (as you can see), and am finally happy with how its turned out. The last design I'm working on is the horseshoe, and once that's done I will be able to start looking at the layout and repeats of the prints - and actually start getting them down onto fabric! It would be great if I could get that final design cut this week, although I seem to have picked up my friend's hours at work since she is off galavanting around the French Alps (not at all jealous), so I may have some pretty mean eye bags by the weekend. It's a blessing to be busy though, right?