This print design was triggered by a concept of the surprise of recognising a good relationship. In “It’s Only Too Late if you don’t start now” Barbara Sher was talking about romantic, shallow, looks-like love versus the solidity & wonder of existing and learning alongside someone and looking up one day and noticing that your roots are intertwined. And she thought that was NOT romantic?!

Wondered if it may be of interest to show original drawings, prints and cut lino, etc? Then improved design etc, as I go? The posture of the people is part yoga, part yin and yang and probably impossible!

Here is a photocopy of the first design (initially done in black texta):

The next pic I have is the lino itself! (First incarnation of the design, transferred to lino by carbon paper tracing)

This is when the fun begins. A certain amount of control is relinquished, as my ability to control tools and lino is found to be a little limited, and we get lovely simplified shapes and curves get less smooth and it starts to look interesting.

So at that point, although I loved the simplicity that came with the process, I decided the design of the woman’s arm could be improved, and came up with this alternative. (NB: I haven’t drawn in all of the roots again although I intended to keep them in the design).

Hopefully it’s not too small to see on the screen, but I have changed the woman-character’s arm to have a more elegant-looking (I hope) bend in it (more like the man-character’s posture).

So it looks like I am carving from the right of the lino! All will be reversed when I get to printing stage…soon I hope!

Hope you have found this of some interest. Will keep up with what’s happening.