Here, Kitty Kitty!

This fall I discovered Paper Clay–and boy, have I been having fun with it. I found I could make multiples of objects by making an original and then a mold. I love dogs, but their heads are all different shapes and sizes. Cats are relatively uniform in shape, and by applying wildly different paint jobs, I could create a whole herd of them.

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/AshleyWolffArt/tools/listings/sort:title,order:ascending,page:3,stats:true/724351302

Paper clay Cat portraits: molded, dried, painted, varnished, and be-ribboned!

I modeled a cat face, then made a mold from it. It got a little thin at the tip of the nose so I have to fix the nose on each model.

I use cornstarch to dust the mold so the damp paper clay doesn’t stick.

Dusting the mold with cornstarch.

I roll out the paper clay to about 1/4″ and lay it over the mold.

The clay is pressed into the mold.

I flip the mold over and carefully lift it up off the clay.

The cat face before trimming.

I smooth the edges and surfaces with a stiff, damp paintbrush. Each face is slightly different.

Once the excess clay is trimmed away I shape and add details to the face with the beveled end of a paintbrush.

A tray of cat heads ready to dry. While the clay is still damp I slide a small hanger eye into the top of the head. Now they need about 36 hours to fully dry.

Once the cat heads are dry I paint them with Holbein Acryla gouache.

Each one is an individual portrait. These three are modeled after a Mai Thai, a classic seal point siamese, Ms Bogart, a Russian Blue and Elizabeth, a tabby with a startling orange stripe up her face.

Here are Dolly and Fern, two of my favorites.

My cat loving friend Nancy displays all nine of her loved ones, past and present like this.

Find your next best friend, or see if you can find a dearly departed feline in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/AshleyWolffArt/tools/listings/sort:title,order:ascending,stats:true/738567979 .

I am also happy to accept custom orders anytime.

Teaching Linoleum Block Printing in Vermont

This winter Middlebury Studio School invited me to teach a linoleum block printing class.

One block, carved and cut apart into 4 pieces. The artist separated the pieces, inked each piece in a different color, reassembled them, and printed them as one piece.

I chose Blick Readycut blocks for our projects because it is easy to carve. I wanted to the students to try making a multiple color print, like the one above, using just one block cut into pieces in order to prevent registration problems.

I prepared for the class by doing another two color print of one of my favorite subjects: Dogs.

Even though I planned this to be a two color print,  I carved it all as one piece. It is much easier to cut it apart later.  Carving the words became very tricky- probably because my design didn’t leave them enough room.

I often trim off any excess block beyond the design if I don’t want to bother carving it all out.

Once the block was completely carved I used an exacto knife to cut it apart into two pieces.

After my students created a design, reversed it and transferred it to their blocks, they began carving away any part of the block that they DIDN’T want to show in their print.

Once the block is carved and cut apart, each piece is inked using a brayer. The paper is laid gently on top of the inked block and the back of the paper is rubbed with a hard smooth object-such as a spoon or baren.

Finally comes the Ah Ha moment when the paper is pulled and the finished print revealed.

In the end my dog print was only a partial success. The carved quote part was a mess so I discarded it and added some hand lettering instead. Hand adorned giclee prints available here.

For our last meeting I brought in large, cotton tea towels that could be printed using the blocks carved during the class. There were no rules but this was one beautiful and orderly result.

If you enjoyed this post, please  follow me here: Ashley Wolff Art on Facebook, my webpage , my Etsy shop, or Instagram. You can follow the blog by hitting the “follow blog” button at the top of the sidebar.

Channeling Sam Cannon

While looking for something else I discovered Sam Cannon’s artwork and fell in love with his imagery and calligraphy. His eloquently realized animals, with beautifully hand-lettered quotations, spoke to a desire in me to do likewise. His tiny Petal Paper originals were particularly appealing.

When I looked into channeling his style I found I was fresh out of Petal Paper, so I just made my own version by wetting watercolor paper and painting  loose leaves and flowers.

Using these backgrounds as inspiration, I added figures and quotes that particularly resonated with me, keeping faithfully to Sam Cannon’s style.

As the paintings developed I added more leaves, flowers and stems around the figures and calligraphy, making the most of my watercolors.

I love the distinctive Sam Cannon ‘font’ and line arrangement. I experimented with different tools for the calligraphy.

I tried a more traditional opaque gouache approach with the dip pen on brown paper for this garden painting.

My favorite Thoreau quote is painted with white ink and a brush on the woodpile. These chilly chickadees are drawn from the flocks right outside my window here in Vermont.

I am using Schminke Aqua Bronze Rich Gold and Silver gouache to paint the metallic accents.

I learn by copying and experimenting and evolving. I hope to keep moving ever further from copying Sam and more into being entirely me.

As always, you can find my work for sale at my Etsy shop.

 

There’s a Fungus Amungus

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There are mushrooms EVERYWHERE! Days of rain here in northern New England have produced a sprouting, thrusting crop of fungus, some of them edible and choice.

Though I haven’t spotted any Chanterelles, like the ones Pumpkin is picking.

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The shapes and colors of mushrooms make them fun to draw and paint. I have probably drawn them my whole life.

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Lately I’ve been imagining them as tiny, secret houses.

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You can own your own, hand painted mushroom cottage here.

Happy Hunting!

We Are All Book Lovers

I heard a radio commentary this morning. It was about searching for good news in a dark time. The commentator, a former journalist, looked in all the usual places, but finally found her cheering thought in a Pew Research Center story about reading.

73% of Americans read a book this year! And they actually seem to prefer reading on paper.

I found cheer in that too, and continued work on my Baby Bear Reads a Book ornament series.

As with other multiple image projects like summer postcards, I grid my paper with painter’s tape. This time I measured out small 1 3/8″ x 2″ rectangles and drew Baby Bear reading a big, fat book in each opening.

Then I paint them-layer by layer, one by one.

Each one is kind-of the same and one of a kind.

Then I cut the sheets up,

Stick them in little silver frames

And hang them from the evergreen tree.

I’ve made a few extras and, if you’d like one, or a different Baby Bear 2016 ornament, I’m selling them in my Etsy shop

If you enjoyed this post, please  follow me here: Ashley Wolff Art on Facebook, my webpage , my Etsy shop, or Instagram. You can follow the blog by hitting the “follow blog” button at the top of the sidebar.