Green with envy!!!! (But not really…)

March 26, 2016 by endoalyssa

Finally back on track!! Sorry to everyone and myself for not getting things done these past few months. Life. ‘nough said, right? >__< Anywho, here is GREEN!!! Kind of a poopoo green if you ask me…but I think that’s just a shade that I like in my prints…XD as weird as that is…it’s true.

Color: “Wisteria Green”

I’ve noticed on a few of my prints that the registration is getting scarily off….O_O I’m a little concerned, but if I remain super careful, I think it’ll end up working out until the last few layers…we’ll see though. Fingers crossed!

The scariest and most unrefined nose job. Ever.

A very green kind of day…GREEN SNACKS!!! 😀

Now that I’ve printed the green on top of such a wonderful shade of lavender, I’m depressed…:( I really liked that layer…so sad that most of it got covered…BUT…!!!!

IT SHOWS!!!

Not as much purple as I would’ve liked, but then again, it’s purple 1 of 2…So I am now carving for the darker purple!! YAYY!!!! >__< Oh gosh…Good thing: not much green needs to be carved in tiny detail. The vines, the leaves, a few places on her kimono. I’m still debating if I want to make the loops in the corners green or dark purple…I may just do both colors XD Why choose when you can have both?! Or not…we’ll see….It’s always a good idea to plan your ideas and colors before you start, I just need to get into the habit of following it…-__- dang it.

YES!!!!!!

November 7, 2015 by endoalyssa

Printing the light purple (aka lavender) color was a success!!! For the most part….A few of my prints ended up shifting during printing and got a little off set….*Sad panda*….
BUT!!! For the other prints, they came out great!!!!!!!! SUPER HAPPY!!!! XD

Lavender!

It is a little blend-y with the blue in some places, but it’ll work out great once I start getting into the darker colors. 🙂 It’s the perfect wisteria color too!!
I’m so glad this layer got printed though…that blue layer took freaking forever and a day to carve >__< And now I get to carve the tiny TINY details in the flower petals XD Ermergersh…but it’s all good ^__^v

Ermergersh…

September 9, 2015 by endoalyssa

Working on carving my next layer out….SO MANY TINY DETAILS…!!!! >__< I just printed the blue layer:

The fourth layer

And since blue is the background color, I am now working on carving out the entire background….which means….

CARVING AROUND EVERYTHING…!!!

And:

Tiny details….>__< The “V” gouge tool has been my best friend…O_O

Because of all the details and carving I need to do, I apologize for not posting sooner…it’s taking a lot more time than I planned…But stay tuned!!! I will continue to post the progress of this layer of carving!!

On to Orange!!

August 5, 2015 by endoalyssa

Here is my next layer!!! It kind of mutes my pink layer, but I think it’ll all work out perfectly in the end. As one of my Open Ground Studio ladies said, “The orange is a transition color.” I completely agree with that statement. Even if it’s a transition to cooler colors…!! Yikes!! I wonder how the blues/greens/purples will lay on top of this brightness…. O_O

Orange layer compared to pink/salmon layer

Orange layer

Close up of Geisha face and fan

Progression of lightest tone to darkest, top to bottom. I stuck with the lightest. You can’t really tell the difference between the prints, but I promise there is one XD

Next: The cooler colors!!! O_O 3/10-ish layers…..>__<

And on to the next!!

July 27, 2015 by endoalyssa

I am starting my new Geisha project!!! And I must say, I think this will be my favorite one thus far. It’s an image of wisteria, which is part of my family crest and my last name. So it has a lot of meaning in that respect.

I started off making 16 prints. I knew I wanted more prints to make it to black just in case I screwed up one or two… But after printing today, I realized that just by adding three more prints to my edition size, I am EXHAUSTED….>__< blooooop…..but I think it’ll be well worth it 🙂

Original image

The colors are going to be different. I decided that it was too busy so I’m changing the colors as I go along…O_O That might be a bad idea, but that’s what will keep things interesting XD

The images below are from the first two layers so far:

First layer: yellow

Carving part I

Carving part II

Layer two: pink!!!

Next layer is most likely going to be orange….I think….I wrote it down as such, but I have a bad habit of changing it as I go….so we’ll just have to see what I actually decide….o_O

A Photo Finish!!!

April 21, 2015 by endoalyssa

AND WE ARE FINALLY DONE!!!! (And of course by “we” I mean, me, myself, and I….O_O)

This project has been a very interesting experience for me. I did a subject matter that was pretty foreign to me (I do not own a cat/interact with cats very often, though I do have two cats that like to wander in my backyard….), it was my first commissioned project of my career, and my first time using a big-scale block of shina plywood. The project itself was also a test of creativity. Ajax, the cat, was a beloved family member of a family friend and I wanted to make sure I captured his essence in the piece.

I research the origin of Ajax the Hero to begin with. He was a descendent of Zeus and cousin of Achilles, known for his courage, strength and intelligence. I wanted to convey that intelligence and playfulness in the cat’s expression and face. This was one of the hardest things for me since I don’t particularly do portraiture/people as subjects…but in the end I think it came out alright 🙂
For the background and borders I went with geometric shapes like the window Ajax was photographed against, plus a Grecian border to pay homage to his names roots. The flowers behind him also pay respect to his name and origin. It is said that the gladiolus flower blossomed from the blood Ajax the Hero spilled at his death. It is also the flower that represents remembrance, calm, integrity and infatuation (frans-flowers.com) which is appropriate since the subject of my project had to be put to rest last month due to complications and old age. I am very sorry for Ajax’s family loss and I wish I got to meet him before the end.

But throughout this process, with every layer I printed and every update I gave my clients, I felt closer to Ajax in a way. I could almost sense his playful nature, his curiosity and even a hint of mischievous energy. I hope I got to convey all of that in my final print. I started this project for Ajax and his family but in the end, I think I got something from this too. I fell in love with this playful spirit of Ajax and felt privileged to be the one to immortalize him. I also learned that when one puts their heart and mind to finishing something for someone else, the end product means a whole lot more than if you do something just for yourself. When I think about it, when I finish my Geisha prints I feel great and love my prints, don’t get me wrong, but for this one….it was very special. Being able to help someone cope with a loss, in any small way that I can, means a lot to me. Thank you for letting me create a portrait of Ajax.