15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Lessons Learned

This was the 3rd time I participated in Leslie Saeta’s ‘30 Paintings in 30 Days’ challenge and it was the hardest and most challenging of all.

For the longest of time I’ve been trying to start making lino’s again but every time something would come up or I would simply decide to do something else.

In the past I’ve done lots of etchings and lino’s. In 2008 I injured my thumb and wrist by working too hard on a commissioned etching. I thought that if I took some time off, gave my hand a rest, the pain would disappear like it did before but it didn’t. It turned out to be an inflamed muscle or tendon, the doctors weren’t sure. To my frustration I didn’t get the proper help and ended up not being able to make art with my drawing hand for a year.

First I switched to my left hand and after a while back to my right and to inks. It took years before I could use pencils and pastels again without hurting. Etching and lino are physically very demanding so getting back in the saddle of making linocuts was a biggie.

That’s why I decided to turn Leslie Saeta’s ‘30 Paintings in 30 Days’ challenge into the

'15 Lino’s in 30 Days' challenge. Cut one day, print the next.

I knew this was going to be a difficult challenge and wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish it because of my old injury. But I did!

It is a huge relief to know I’m able to do lino’s again, maybe even drypoint etchings! I just need to set some rules for myself. Important is to take regular, small brakes.

So after 30 days of hard work I ended up with 15 new lino’s in one month’s time, which is a lot!

I ended up with some callus on my fingertips and (only) 4 cuts in my fingers.

Most importantly I ended up with the knowledge I can do lino’s again and I’m able to take on big projects!!

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 30

Finished! All 15 linocuts and their prints are done!

I really wanted to end the challenge with a hibernating brown bear. I’m glad how it turned out. This one was a lot of work, the face was so lovely, I needed to get that! Cautious not to cut away too much I think it took me over an hour to do just the head because the facial expression is so delicate.

Tomorrow I’ll write more about what this challenge has offered me.

Sleepy Bear, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 29

When I started this series I knew I needed to include a bear, a brown bear. When you think hibernation, you think bear!

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 28

Here’s yesterday’s fennec printed. They were one of my favourite animals when I was a kid and if I remember correctly it was the first animal I drew live at the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo. Since then I drew many, many times at the zoo. In a way I’m not a fan of zoos in general but they do make it easy for artists to draw animals live instead of using pictures.

Sleepy Fawn, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 27

Not showing the face again just because this is what they look like when I visit at the zoo. Always.

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 26

At the last moment I decided to add a little hint of an eye. The so called robbers mask was a bit too black without it I think. Mischief managed.
Oh, and a good night's rest did help!

Sleepy Fawn, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 25

Cutting this raccoon was actually the first time my hands started to hurt. I expected that to happen much earlier. As some people asked a while ago my fingertips feel funny, my thumb hurts and also my old injury started to act up. I hope a good night’s sleep will help…

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 24

Yay, also happy with this one! I love how the fur looks like a wavy surface. After this one I can actually picture myself making birth announcements like this!

Sleepy Fawn, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 23

Every year I try to make a New year’s print for my customers. This year a sleeping fawn
much like this one. In a way the New year’s print was the first of this series. I wanted to
include a fawn in this series because they are so sweet hiding in the tall grass. This one is
similar to the one I did before but definitely not the same!

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 22

I like everything about this image, the striped face, the big button-nose , the feet… and also how the fur ended up. Again, like the skunk-print a lot of fun to cut.

Sleepy Badger, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 21

Black-and-white animal number two: the European badger!

The European badger has a bit more of a sweet appearance compared to the American badger and honey badger who look more stocky. European badgers are known to have big families and share their burrows with other animals like rabbits, red foxes and raccoon dogs.

All badgers are carnivores. European badgers feed mainly on earthworms, large insects, small mammals, carrion, cereals and root tubers.

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 20

Quite happy with the result! This baby skunk was fun to cut and I also like how black and white work together.

Sleepy Skunk, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 19

Confession time. The last few prints were fun to do but I missed something. I guess they
are all very open with not much shadow to play with.
So I decided to look for some black-and-white animals that would provide ‘play’.
First one is this baby skunk. I can’t wait for tomorrow!

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 18

This is an opossum. The image is not too clear (you can’t see its snout) but I fell in love with the little paws, ear and overall fluffiness.

Sleepy Opossum, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 17

Who can guess what this is??

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 16

Sleepy Donkey, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 15

Yes, this baby donkey actually looked this cute.

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 14

Day 7 and 8 were dedicated to a bundle of sleeping wolf. It’s white and fluffy and a lot of people thought it was a fox. Before that this little one was already in the planning and now it’s ready!

So here’s a sleepy ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’!

Sleepy Fox, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 13

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 12

Here’s the lino of the naked cat I carved yesterday, it’s called a sphynx. As I understood they are bred with (mutated) hairless cats and are now a breed.

Sleepy Sphynx, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 11

Another naked animal but this time truly naked animal. I think I prefer them with fur but this curled up, sleeping creature was a lot of fun to carve!

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 10

As far as cutting goes this one was a welcome relief from all the fluff. The line work is very different here because in my previous 4 lino’s the cuts suggest form through hair and in this one just form.

Nice little wiener-dog.

Sleepy Dachshund, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 9

This was a welcome break after all that fluffy fur!

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 8

Yesterday I was a bit insecure about how this one would turn out but I think the image is clear enough. Do you see what it is?

Sleepy Wolf, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 7

I’m a bit nervous about this one. Will the image be strong enough so others will see what it is?

Let’s find out tomorrow…

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 6

Printing is of course a very, very serious matter but today during printing this song by Elmer Fudd was resonating in my head: ‘Pwinting the wabbit, pwinting the wabbit…’.

Sleepy Rabbit, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 5

More fluffiness!!

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 4

This is a hazel- or common dormouse. Master of hibernation.
It hibernates from October to April/ May.

Also a master of cuteness hugging its own tail while sleeping.

I’m particularly happy about how the little hind legs turned out.

Hibernating hazel- or common dormouse, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 3

This one was a challenge. Just a bundle of fur and only light and dark to make it the sleepy dormouse that it is.

Tomorrow I’ll know whether or not I did succeed…

15 Lino’s in 30 Days – Day 2

Cutting is so much more work than printing (I’m only going to print 15 of each)!

I was very happy to start a little early or I wouldn’t have finished in time for printing day today. Also happy with the result, it makes me want to curl up and…
No, stop, no time for hibernating!!

Sleepy Cat, Linocut, 30x24 cm, 2017

15 Lino’s in 30 Days - Day 1

This is the 3^rd time I’m participating in Leslie Saeta’s ‘30 Paintings in 30 Days’ challenge except this time I’m not painting and not creating 30 works of art.

I’ve been planning to pick up lino cutting for a while so I rename the challenge:

’15 Lino’s in 30 Days’!

Cut one day, print the next.

The idea of these challenges is to create more art than you normally would, learn, have fun and start the new year creative and productive. In a time you would rather stay in bed and hibernate all winter do a project instead.

This idea inspired me to the following theme: hibernation/ sleep. All 15 lino’s will be of sleepy, curled-up animals.

First in the series is this cat. Tomorrow it’s time to print!!