“No 2 Auchoirk”
Just finished printing a small edition of this wood engraving. The subject is the front gate of the bothy in Argyll, with Loch Ascog in the background.
At an early stage I pulled a proof and was surprised to see small flecks of white on the ink roller. Once printed I noticed numerous small pock marks which I had not engraved! After careful examination I concluded that the thin white gouache coating first applied to the block was lifting for some unknown reason. Either I had applied it too thickly or it had not adhered to the surface of the block. Oddly, I had used this technique before and with success.
To save the block, I sanded it on a piece of flat plate glass with 1200 grit paper until most of the engraving had been removed along with all the white gouache layer. I then had to redraw the design and start to engrave it all again. The resulting proofs were clear of any ‘extra’ marks so continued to engrave the finished block. Still so much to learn about this intriguing medium.
I have sent a print to the SWE for the next Annual Exhibition along with one from the ‘Into the Dizzy Blue’ edition. I maybe lucky with this one, and follow on the success of the ‘Old Tattie Digger’ last year, fingers crossed.
