Self Portrait: 3nd Run (finished)

Another one in the drawer…

This is my favorite of the portrait series so far. I was unsure about the patterning in the background at first but am glad I did it. It took about 2 days to cut. I was afraid it would come off as frivolous and ornamental but I think it that it adds a helpful contrasting texture and makes sense as wallpaper. I have a smaller portrait that I will start printing today that uses a similar pattern device.

The first one I printed in this 3rd run included all the line work in the key block.  A lot of those lines were only there so I would know where to cut for the other colors. Here is the finished print before I cut away some of the lines to let the colored shapes define the form – mainly in the arm and collar.