My avocado tree

is now being finally represented in three-colour, varied textured, monoprint.

I tried out a fourth mask to see how the shapes translate into print. And it works:

Print Project 1.3 Avocado leaf #4
Monotype on blotting paper, 20x25cm

I had experimented with a number of colours - a green/blue, orange and lemon yellow seemed a good combination.

Print Project 1.4 Avocado leaves
Multi-coloured, masked, and textured monotype
Tosa shi paper, 20x25cm

So, this morning I finally had two prints which satisfied various criteria:
- good registration
- good composition (colour/form)
- at least two different techniques for texture/printing

Initially, I had planned to use this thin Tosa Shi paper of this print from the back, i.e., print on the back rather than the front of the paper so that it shines through somewhat muted; that didn't look right and so I sprayed the paper - while lying on the plate - with water, quite a bit of water, some of the ink blurred, and it generally mottled quite nicely.

I overlayed with the orange leaf - again, initially wanted the negative shape of it printed rather than the actual leaf, but that didn't look right; I finally overlayed with the lemon yellow and imprinted tin foil on the ink plate before printing.

Both the water and the tinfoil textures are rather subtle textures - but I like the way the shapes are bold and then the actual print surface is quite subtly marked.

I'm chuckling away at the awkward way of writing down these things, and think of a friend's recent remark of better not to talk about some things; but I think it's more a matter of having someone 'talk printmaking' to me - some specialist vocab that so clearly isn't mine yet (in either language, really), but never mind.

Off to Edinburgh now to see this. And I need to run now not to be late...