Lmst

@FaithfullJohn I see three. Wader chicks? Could only make a guess at species.

Another fine day on the moor. Passed several busy stonechat families over the course of a short walk.

Male stonechat - small passerine bird with black head, white collar, chestnut breast and rich brown back and wings. Perched on an unfurling bracken frond.

Female stonechat - lacks the black head and white collar of the male.

... soon to be available on my website: https://johnaltringham.co.uk/

I've printed a short run on white Awagami Bamboo Select and creamy Somerset Satin papers. Printed by 'burnishing' by hand so I print just a few at a time.

A short print run of wood engravings in a drying rack.

Ilkley Moor, the alternative reality I can escape to in minutes. A distant horizon, the absence, mostly, of human clamour - and the wildlife, sadly depleted in this impoverished island, but still glorious.

A 180x90mm wood engraving. Gritstone, lichens and mosses, bilberry, cottongrass, crowberry and heather, green hairstreak butterfly, adder, curlew and red kite. And the ever present meadow pipit.

and....

#art #WoodEngraving #printmaking #wildlife #NaturalHistory #birds

Ilkley Moor in all its glory in a 180x90mm wood engraving, printed in black ink. Gritstone boulders, lichens and mosses, bilberry, cottongrass, crowberry and heather, green hairstreak butterfly, adder, curlew and red kite. And the ever present meadow pipit is the star. A path winds through the centre and there's a distant view to the horizon.

@jonberger Indeed, there's little subtlety in this medium. I will try to forget that you linked BB, rap and OIMBT.

@jonberger No apologies needed, I was hoping you'd see the metaphorical tongue in the cheek in my reply. That appalling song haunts the replies to my posts so I don't draw attention to it. Nothing could persuade me to look at the video and if anyone else is reading this - be warned, don't go there!

@jonberger A strange thought... I don't remember ever seeing ducks up there...

@freedom_baird Thanks, I'm pleased you saw it that way, it was my hope. I might run with this idea on the next one too.

@bosquebill Thank you!

Lemonwood engraving block (180x90mm) and the first test print off the block - fauna and flora on Ilkley Moor. Some tidying up needed here and there, particularly the sky, but almost done.

#WoodEngraving #printmaking #art #NaturalHistory #wildlife #birds

180x90mm almost finished wood engraving block of local moorland fauna and flora in their natural habitat. Pencil shown for scale.

First test print off the block, in black ink.

Distant hills across the sea, emerging from a morning mist. The sun illuminates a patch of sea through a gap in high dark cloud.

Rock exposure with numerous cross-cutting cracks, decorated with pale lichens and bright mosses.

Monochrome photograph. Three birds cut diagonal line from middle to bottom left of frame as they fly from two gnarly hawthorn trees on a bank. Below the birds, in a dip in the bank stands a single sheep, beyond it, a hazy view of hills. All under a dark sky.

@hector_ramos I believe they evolved from metal engraving tools in Europe, for engraving on the polished end grain of dense, fine-grained woods, as here. Facilitates very fine work. Made popular in UK by Thomas Bewick (1753-1828). Used widely for book illustrations before photography. I'm not familiar with Chinese, but in Japanese wood block printing, wood to be engraved is cut parallel to grain and different tools are used.

Progress...

#WoodEngraving #art #wildlife #NaturalHistory #birds

How many times must the evidence for these declines, and their causes, be repeated?
How often must the consequences for life, human included, be spelt out?
When will we elect politicians with the commitment and vision to do what is necessary and achievable?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/03/climate-species-collapse-ecology-insects-nature-reserves-aoe

@elia169 Good choice, that will give you a lot of flexibility. Get to know these and you'll soon be in a good position to decide if you need more and if so, what. Have fun.

@ianjago Beautiful, Ian, you have really nailed that one!

A slice of invertebrate life in the garden. Details in alt text.

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