Pen and Ink Illustrations and snagging a Treasury on Etsy

The second of my "tree guardians" - unfinished

Hens from my sketchbook

The Owl and the Pussycat illustration by John Vernon Lord

John Vernon Lord pen and ink illustrations

Well I tried my hand at a linocut and I was quite pleased with it until it reached the inking stage. I think I probably made the usual beginners error of over-inking and ended up with black ink in the bits which should have been white. I will have to sort it out tomorrow as I finished it quite late. I am happy with the actual linocut itself and will have to re-ink tomorrow with a fraction of the ink I used this time. I won't post the print until it is half way acceptable though. I also now have several cuts on the fingers of my left hand, a blister on my first finger right hand and skin worn off my right hand knuckles. Minor injuries probably quite familiar to those linocuters out there. Ah well, better luck tomorrow.

I found a lovely book in our local library about Edward Lear who was a well known English limerick and nonsense writer. I am sure you have heard of the owl and the pussycat. It is illustrated by John Vernon Lord and is cramed full of his wonderfully detailed pen and ink illustrations. I have seen his work before and I find it very charming. I have posted a couple of pictures of his work above. It is interesting for me, as a pen and ink artist, to check out his techniques and perhaps incorporate a few into my own illustrations.

The other picture is my sketch of a lovely little collection of hens busy doing what hens do best. I could draw hens and cockerels all day as I find them fascinating. I have used this little grouping in past artwork and I will almost certainly use them again. When I draw animals in sketches I often use them in different settings and media. The top drawing is my unfinished second Tree Guardian. It has taken ages to create the texture of the tree branches but it is very nearly finished now. I love drawing trees and leaves - probably my favourite things to draw in pen and ink. Hopefully I will be able to finish it tomorrow.

I finally achieved my aim on Etsy and managed to snag a Treasury. I was very pleased with it although the actual getting of it produced hyperventilation and severe anxiety. It is worse waiting for that little box to appear than it is waiting for the last few seconds of a bid on Ebay. My treasury is called "Subtle Greys and Pastels" and is a combination of greys, pinks and peaches. It is quite popular with the viewing public too. Now I want to do another one....and another one....!