Spike - Cat Linocut

“Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience.”
― Pam Brown

My friend Christina's birthday was at the end of September and this year for my birthday, she painted the most beautiful watercolor portrait of my cat Otus (click here to see it).  So I decided I would try and make a linocut of her cat Spike.  She has two cats, but her other cat Miffy has a tortoise shell coloration and I thought Spike would be easier with his black and white tuxedo.

I had to scour Christina's Facebook and Instagram account for a photo of Spike.  Luckily, the very last image on her Instagram account was this lovely photo of Spike relaxing on the stairs.

“Cats like sleeping and resting on intersections. There are many stories about magical animals but really, apart from the dragon, the cat is the only creature which can absorb the force. No one knows why a cat absorbs it and what it does with it...”
― Andrzej Sapkowski, Krew elfów

PENCIL SKETCH

As always, I start with a pencil sketch.  I thought the wood grain of the stairs would be a nice element to add visual interest to the composition.

CARVING

Once the sketch was completed I transferred it to the plate and started carving.  I printed out my sketch in reverse so I could have a reference image in the same direction as the carving.

“Cats possess numerous charms, and anyone who has ever loved a cat has fallen for its magic.”
― Susan Easterly

PRINTING

Above you can see a test print I did with an ink pad of just the face.  I often like the way the test prints look and can never throw them away even though they are just on computer paper.

Below you can see my printing setup.  The plate was black from the test prints with the ink pad.  It is easier than inking up the whole plate "for real" and less messy.

In the following image you can see a few test prints alongside of the four real prints.  It was such a "relief" to only print four images and I am thinking I might lower the number of prints in my future editions.

Christina had us over for dinner last night and I gave her the print.  I think she liked it.  I wanted to check the color of Spike's eyes but didn't go into their house due to Covid.  So it will have to wait until later and even then it will be a challenge because he can be elusive.     

“"Come here, Justin," he murmured, gently kneading the cat along its spine to the base of its tail. The child approached with his small hand outstretched. "Softly," Sebastian cautioned. "Smooth her fur the same way it grows."

Justin stroked the cat carefully, his eyes growing round as her purring grew even louder.
"How does she make that sound?"

"No one has yet found a satisfactory explanation," Sebastian replied. "Personally, I hope they never do."

"Why, Gramps?" Sebastian smiled into the small face so close to his.

"Sometimes the mystery is more delightful than the answer.”

― Lisa Kleypas

If you would like to purchase a "Spike" print visit my website, NessyPress.com.