Michael: Print in progress 4

I've been thinking a lot about what to do with this linocut. I like the way the block has been cut, but don't like the black-on-white...

...I've just realised that I haven't mentioned what the subject of this print is. It's based on a sketch (and some supporting photos) made from the roof terrace of the Ambos Mundos hotel in Havana, Cuba. It's the hotel where Ernest Hemingway stayed back in the the 1930s, and has a great view across the rooftops of the city.



But the black-ink-on-white-paper of the linocut is too stark to get the feeling of Caribbean heat. So I've decided to go back a step: I'm changing the background of the print. I got another block of lino the same size, and then printed the flat block in warm white. (White plus a tiny amount of warm yellow.)

Here's a picture of some white ink printed onto white paper!



This will be the background on which I will print the block that has been already cut. It should make the highlights warmer, and soften the contrast with the black ink.

For more sketches from Cuba, see my website.