Carvings – Carve & Draw

Antelope Spirits

I keep a list of art ideas for those moments where I’m not inspired by anything new to create. This design for my next lino carving is from that list. It’s called a Chiwara, an antelope figure of the Bambara people of Mali, that represents the spirit that taught humans the fundamentals of agriculture. There’s two different styles of the Chiwara, one is of a male antelope featuring curved horns and the other is of a female antelope featuring straight horns with a baby antelope. The one I’ve drawn here is female with a few personal stylized additions that are similar to the male version. The Chiwara is one of the handful of designs I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo of but have been far too much of a chicken to go through with it. Maybe one day I’ll get brave and get that tattoo. For now though, I’ll just enjoy making a carving out of it. 😌

Bloom

For my first piece back to lino carving, I think this turned out pretty decent. I’m not quite ready to get back to doing pointillism just yet, so I’m currently mulling over a new design for another carving, so stay tuned. 😊

Swirls and Curls

So I’m back to lino carving and I set up for myself a project with a bunch of swirls, curls, nooks and crannies. I just got the outline done and I’m already exasperated. In need of some carving stamina today. 😌

Back To Something Familiar

Got a design all drawn out and ready to carve for my first lino carving in over a year. I’m excited and a bit nervous. Linoblocks are harder to carve compared to erasers so it’s easier to wind up with gouged hands and bloody fingers, so I’m hoping I’m not too rusty. But I’m excited because, well, I’m back to something familiar. With patience and a steady hand, I know how this will turn out. It’s good to step out of your comfort zone and try something different, like with the stamp carving, but it also feels good to come back to something you know. There’s nothing wrong with staying in your zone.

…now, if I could just come up with a name for this piece. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 😌

From Davina On To Lino

Finished this lovely little 5×7 piece a day ago and I have to say I’m pleased with the overall result. I’m now up for doing some carving but not stamp carving. I think I’ve frustrated myself enough with erasers and Speedy cut. I’m shifting my focus back to using linoblocks. If you haven’t seen my lino carvings before below are a few examples of previous pieces I’ve done. For you lovelies who have been with me from day one, think of this as a little stroll back down memory lane. 😊