I've been wanting to do a bigger print for a while and thought this rock pool image was just beautiful and so interesting I'd give it a go. I took the photograph down at Cape Cornwall in that gorgeous, hot, first week of September when in the sea was the best place to be.
Then the paper arrived on a pallet and I thought I may have bitten off more than I could chew. I wasn't sure how to start. There are so many colours in this picture and I was trying to work out the order, but I couldn't so I decided I'd better just start and trust my process.
Cut out the colour you want to keep, starting with the white of the paper.
My simple drawing as a guideline and then I use a white crayon to show me where I'm going to cut each colour as I go.
I didn't think I'd add the vapour trail into the sky because the image was already so busy but then I realised the lovely white reflections in the water are from that so it wouldn't make sense if i didn't put it in the sky.
First 2 blues and you can see the mirror image of the white in the sky and water
3rd blue adding to the water surface
just a close up of the blues and actually the beginning of some of the seaweed under the surface which showed as a grey blue colour.
First brown of the background rocks
white crayon to show where to cut out the highlights on the rocks
next brown of the rocks but also laying the brown into the water for future reflections
The seaweed is under the water at different depths and near the surface is quite a bright yellow so i put that colour down next in the areas where I needed it.
and on the left hand side a much warmer orangey yellow from the sunlight coming through onto the surface
down the bottom of the photo I loved the way the pink of the seaweed had stretched into lines because of the water movement so here's the pink
another lovely seaweed colour in the left corner is a coral and the purple went on top of the pink
a rusty red where I need it and bringing out the coral seaweed
there's a pale green on here to add to the underwater seaweed strands building up but it's hard to see the colour is so close to the yellow.
another blue on the water and the seaweed is beginning to appear and that stretched pink looked like it was going to work which made me happy.
a darker green to add to te build up of the underwater seaweed shapes
another blue takes the eyes back to the surface of the water
another layer on the rocks and they're taking shape
and another rock layer of colour. I love printing rocks they are so rewarding
I was missing the light on the top left water surface so I added some orange
I wanted some dark brown on the rocks as I was cutting them I realised they weren't all going to be in the navy shadow
more blue on the water bringng out the sunny weather
the first brown of the floating rock reflection in the middle of the blue. I was a bit wary of this as it looked so nice without but I hoped it would work with it as it looked so good in the photo. I did save one without which looks great but I didn't regret putting it in the rest so that was a big phew!
I realised I was using all my tools Vs and Us and big scoopy ones and tiny ones.
er they do all now need a good sharpen.
I thought this was a nice image of all the different marks you can make on the lino for the different areas so I've put it in.
next the dark rock shadows in the water
then some dark depths into the water which roots the seaweed to the bottom of the sea
a close up of the bottom left corner, wow so many colours
and lastly to finish the rocks
Edition size 10 all slightly different
25 colours
Printed image size 60 x 80cm
paper size 100 x 72cm Somerset 300gsm
It's hanging up to dry and won't be ready to post out until January but you can preorder this print here
to show the scale here's me with the print xx
