Now I really couldn't pass up the chance of having a leap day blog! 

#projectpumpkin came about following a trip to Packwood House (National Trust) in January. The pumpkins on show in the kitchen garden were just beautiful. When I was deciding what to do next, and I knew I wanted to try a reduction lino print - I haven't done one since the course at the end of last year, and the start of this journey - at home, the gnarly gourds/pumpkins had been floating about in my brain for a while.... so decision made!

A reduction print - for those who want to know, go on, you know you do ;-) - works in layers. With each print you cut more away from the lino 'block' before you print again. It's also known as a 'suicide print'. Once you've printed and then started cutting into the block again, there is no going back! You can't make any more of them as you've destroyed your original print block, and so it limits itself as a print by the number of initial prints you make from the first cut and then as you go through the process by if you get the register - lining up the prints on top of each other perfectly - correct as to how many finished prints you end up with! This print was just two 'cuts'. The first print to give a background colour for the pumpkin, and the second to add detail. You can see the different layers/prints in the slideshow thingy at the bottom.

I started with five initial grey prints, and due to register issues have three finished prints! It's another skill to keep practising! I really like the finished print, I think it might be about time to invest in some more colours of printing ink! 

I've also decided to have a play about with the page layout of the blog, hopefully this will be easier to read than a strip down the side. Please feel free to add comments or feedback under any blog or images, or message me, to let me know what you think of them. I know folks out there are reading this and it would be nice to know if I am heading in the right direction with what I'm doing... or if you have any ideas about future prints!

In other news; we have now seen the Bittern twice at Brandon Marsh after stalking out the reed bed for a bit. It looked just like my print..... ;-)

alix x