JohnAltringham

JohnAltringham , 2 days ago to random

...Among the small birds on Ilkley Moor are the elegantly understated meadow pipit and the flashy stonechat. Plenty of invertebrate fliers too. Butterflies characteristic of moorland include green hairstreak and small heath.

Maybe tomorrow we'll drop down onto the lower slopes...

A small, elegant, light brown bird with a white, speckled breast - a meadow pipit. Stood among mosses and grasses.
A small butterfly with pale green, iridescent wings, large black, almond-shaped eyes with white rims and black and white striped antennae - a green hairstreak.
A small heath butterfly - streaky pale brown and white hind wings and body, orange forewings with an eye spot near the tip.

JohnAltringham , 1 month ago to random

I've run out of lemonwood blocks so wood engraving has ground to a temporary halt. I sell prints to help pay for new blocks:

https://johnaltringham.co.uk

Recent posts give the impression that I'm entirely obsessed with mountains. Not so! Here's three woodland scenes close to home in Ilkley, Yorkshire and Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland.

#WoodEngraving #printmaking

Wood engraving print in black ink. Ruined castle on coastal hill under a stormy winter sky. Wind-blown waves cross the bay in front of it.
Wood engraving print in black ink. Four elegantly curved pine trees on the edge of a moorland wood.
Wood engraving print in black ink. Woodland path of tree roots, bordered by woodland flowers, climbs to a stile across a collapsing fence.

JohnAltringham , 1 month ago to random

A quick portrait of one of the local pine martens.

I brought only two watercolour tubes with me, so can't do justice to its rich coat.

JohnAltringham , 1 month ago to random

We put a few nuts on a log outside the window this evening, for any pine martens that might be passing through... #Skye #PineMarten #ScottishWildlife

The same pine marten, head in full profile.

JohnAltringham , 1 month ago to random

The first swifts of the year are above the house.

JohnAltringham , 2 months ago to random

Exploring book illustration ideas - two wood engravings in progress:
Maiden Pap and Morven in Caithness, NE Scotland. Work needed on clouds and perhaps other areas. Time to think about it.
The island of Rum, NW Scotland, rising to a height of 6mm! I need a larger block for this one. I like working small but there are limits.

Wood engraving print in black ink. A long mountainous island seen from the sea, from a distance.Long clouds sit above the island. Pencil and engraving tool for scale.

JohnAltringham , 2 months ago to random

Another still, cool, misty day but the constant calling of curlews on the moor above spoke of spring. All images from our walks on Ilkley Moor in recent years.

Curlew in flight over moorland with a backdrop of valley fields and more moorland beyond.
Curlew in flight over moorland.
Curlew, large, moorland-nesting wader with a long, down-curved slender bill foraging in cottongrass.

JohnAltringham , 2 months ago to random

A small flock of long-tailed tits just passed through the garden. One foraged for 5 min against the dining room window, trying to get to the reflections of the plants in the glass. Or it was casing the joint.

Long-tailed tit, a small insectivorous bird, black, white and pink in a bush just outside a window.
Long-tailed tit, a small insectivorous bird, black, white and pink in a bush just outside a window.
Long-tailed tit, a small insectivorous bird, black, white and pink in a bush just outside a window.

JohnAltringham , 2 months ago to random

First test print, lemonwood engraving, 100x100 mm. Looking along the ridge of Liathach in Torridon, NW Scotland.

Plenty of work still to do, especially on the sky, but looking promising.

JohnAltringham , 3 months ago to random

Edinburgh. Nothing to show for the last few days, so here's something from the archive.

Watercolour. Edinburgh tenement after dark, a glimpse into other lives in a wall of lit windows.

JohnAltringham , 3 months ago to random

First test print, 65x100mm wood engraving. A little tidying up and the block is ready for final printing.

Another Scottish mountain in a growing series - Sgùrr na Forcan on the Forcan Ridge, Glen Shiel. A very nostalgic activity.

The engraved lemonwood block before printing.