from start to finish

I'm still figuring out what process works best for me to take an idea for a design from start to finish, but it's always some variation of this:

1. get an idea for a card

2. sketch it out until I have a design that will translate well into block printing

3. transfer design onto the lino

4. carve it out (carefully so I don't cut off any important fingers)

5. print!

I enjoy every step, but the first print is always exciting.  It's sometimes hard to picture how something will really look until you see it in ink. 

The sketching process takes me back to school days when sketching was akin to thinking and communicating ideas ranging from simple shapes to complex systems. I like using a small 5x7" sketchbook for card designs, because then I get a good sense of scale and how a design will look when printed on a card.

I sometimes use Adobe illustrator to get some crisp linework if I'm working from a photo. This has the added advantage of precisely scaling the image up or down to fit the block I plan on working on.

I was playing around with the idea of hand printed gift wrap using brown kraft paper. It turns out it's much more labour intensive than I thought it would be. I'm determined to find a way to make it happen, because I love the way it looks!