Original Linocut of 400-year-old Dutch tile

I just matted and framed this 5x5" print of "Marigolds," a linocut printed on BFF Rives printmaking paper. Below I've described the process I used.

(Frame not shown) I've been eyeing this old 1620's Dutch Delft tile image for a long time and finally used it for a linocut carving, which I printed on an etching press and then painted with Winsor & Newton watercolors added watercolors in shades of blue, gold, and green.

Below is the printed image before I adding added any watercolor. I printed it in a very dark green color, which gives a good, strong contrast to the paper and the watercolors.

Below is the finished plate of linoleum which I carved to the pattern of the tile and inked in a dark color (with a brayer/roller) so you can see the raised portions that would eventually print. This type of linoleum is called Battleship Gray, and can be purchased at most art supply stores. I buy mine online at DickBlick or Daniel Smith.

This was one of the more fun linocuts I've done -- a good kitchen print, I think!

On Linocuts and Oil-Based Inks

May, 4" x 3", linocut

I used my little Blick tabletop etching press at home to print this linocut today. My access to the monster presses is limited to Fridays now, and I didn't need a giant press to print this little linocut. My press does a great job on small projects; I just don't like the clean-up fumes and mess I create at home after using an oil-based ink. And I haven't yet found a water-based ink that will stay moist while I'm printing even a small edition of prints, and give the coverage of an oil-based ink.

Santa Paula window bars

I loved the 1950s look of the bars on these windows and thought they deserved a 1950s color palette, so I added one but could not stop playing with it. I made dozens of different color combinations. Here are a couple more:

If I Were Trying to Paint Like Klimt

If I tried to paint in the Gustav Klimt style, circa 1900, this is what my attempt would look like.

Thinking About Klimt, 6.5 x 4.5", watercolor, acrylic, and ink on Fabriano Medioevalis card.

Finishing Valentine's Day

In my last post, I said I was going to add patterns to the background to finish this piece. I finally did -- you can see them in the sky and in the foreground.

I framed it in a vintage 1930's mat and frame that I bought on ebay.

This kind of art - flat, bright, highly decorative --found just the right home on those old art deco and nouveau greeting cards.

Happy Valentines Day

After weeks studying and practicing the style of 1920's greeting card art (colorful, flowerly, idyllic scenery, and flat -- no dimension or shading), I've concocted and painted an entire scene from my own little brain.

Here is the first draft, without a background. I found I had limited my choices for a background color or pattern by drawing in the house and the line of the hill behind the couple. Ideas I had will no longer work for a background, unless I paint over the current one. Lesson learned! Plan first, paint second!


For the background, I wanted something different -- a geometric or graphic patterned background (something like the side panels), so the scene didn't look too realistic. I didn't want green grass and a blue sky. But guess what I did? Painted the grass green and the sky blue.

Well, that didn't look right at all. The green and blue were so mid-range that the man and woman disappeared. So I darkened the blue and green. Better, but now it looks like nighttime! Nighttime, with a parasol. Maybe she doesn't want to get a moon-burn.


But it's not too late, and I have a plan. I know some people won't like my plan, but I'm going back to the original geometric pattern idea. I'll post the final result later. First I need to find some ink or paint that will sit on top of the acrylic paint background.

Ta ta! (Or as Jody says, TTFN -- ta ta for now.)

Vintage Valentine

Here's yet another pen and ink drawing (with watercolor) I did yesterday during a cherished "Art Day" with my two pals Belinda and Victor. I used a 1920's Valentine's Day card to make this drawing, with just a few little changes. My husband's uncle gave the card to his wife in 1922 and we are lucky enough to be the current guardians of this and other magnificent cards from that era.

I'm enjoying this kind of ink and watercolor style so much that I just might focus on it for a while. Focusing on just one form of art should result in less clutter, both in my head and in my surroundings.

Redhead with Bluebird

Pen and ink and watercolor

6" x 4"

When is a Doodle More than a Doodle and Isn't it a Great Word?

Have you heard of a Zentangle? Apparently it's a new aid to doodling, a how-to-doodle primer. They even sell kits for $49 to teach you how to doodle the Zentangle way -- apparently in repetitive patterns, section by section.

My doodle on the left isn't a Zentangle, though it may look like one. I'm not sure how I feel about the concept of doodle instruction. It conjures up paint-by-numbers kits and Bob Ross videos, only not as ... necessary. Aren't doodles supposed to be "mindless" and "aimless"?

But I think I'm being narrow-minded about it. If you google the word Zentangle, the first few hits are from quite zealous Zentanglers. Most feel great about drawing something so well-formed and want to share the art and the experience. One wrote, "I have been calling what I do 'doodles' and kind of felt guilty about not doing any 'real' art. Then HOLY COW - I realized I was Zentangling. . . . " Geez. That reminds me of my mandala drawings (I'll paste one here). Before I had ever heard of mandalas, I had drawn many dozens of them and honestly thought I had invented the art form. Ha! However, I didn't feel guilty about it as a time-waster. Doodling and drawing repetitive patterns is a well-established meditative, relaxing experience. So I say, "Go Zentanglers!"

Pen and Ink

"Broken," pen & ink

Valentine's Day

How I've missed DRAWING! I've been so crafty lately instead. That's right -- caa-rafty.

I've been making cards and miniature books instead of drawing or painting. Fun, yes! But I need to fit in more drawing or I find I start craving it like a Cold Stone Creamery Chocolate with Almonds and Cookie Dough.

Currently I'm feeling inspired by* some Valentine's Day cards from the 1910's through 1930's, some very art deco, some art nouveau. I'm loving the art and must draw from them.

*"Inspired by" can mean "copied from," but I'm not that good. I take a lot of liberties.*

*"Liberties" can mean you purposely deviated from the original, but in my case, I take liberties when I make mistakes and have to go another direction to cover them up.

Here's another, to which I've added my initials. I want to start practicing calligraphy -- right after the letterpress class which starts very soon. My hope is that the letterpress art will synthesize with the printmaking and bookmaking and cards into ... something fabulous.

Collage Education

I'm working on my collage education. Not college. Collage.

Here are a couple of my recent collage efforts.

"Beach Joan Crawford," collage
8" x 11"



Vegetarian, linocut print and mixed media collage,
6-1/8" x 6-1/8";

both for sale here

on PlanetJanet's Etsy store (all handmade art and goods), and all profits go to the Alzheimer's Association.

Next I'll be collaging with my vintage postcard collection.

Etsy, Charity, and a Good Decision

I make a lot of art (I see some of you smiling in that knowing way). The house and the husband are showing signs of being overwhelmed. You who know me are aware of my months-long struggle with how to continue to make art without have it taking up space. I have found this to be against the natural laws of physics. So I've decided to start selling online and to donate 100% of the profits to the Alzheimer's Association. This will permit me to continue to produce artwork, to sell without the self-conscious feeling of self-promotion, and to help (little by little) with research and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.

As if I was receiving approval from God above, within 24 hours of posting my first item for sale, I received an email from a writer who mentioned me in an article she wrote (here's an edited version):

Holiday Gifts that Benefit Charity
by Phyllis Mufson

"'Gifts That Give Twice,' is the title of an article I wrote on November 20th about holiday gifts from Etsy.com sellers that benefit charity. The article struck a chord. It received (and continues to receive) tremendous interest from people looking to give more meaningful gifts.
. . .
"This mini-map-book (2" X 2") from Janet Catmull of Planet Janet http://planetjanet.etsy.com is covered with a map of France and a stamp of India, and has accordion pages, each with a map on a cancelled stamp from Australia, Angola, Ceskoslovensko (former Czechoslovakia), Polska (Poland), India, France, and Abkhazia. 100% of the price ($8) of the mini-book and of all items in the store will be donated to Alzheimer's Association National Office http://www.alz.org."

I have two relatives afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease, my uncle just passed away from it, and it seems like everyone I talk to knows someone who is dealing with it. I'm going to do my best to help. In the past 48 hours I've posted a dozen or so items on my Etsy store.

About Etsy: My store is not the only one on Etsy.com that sells for charity. And if you're not familiar with Etsy, it's an online website for sellers of all handmade items. I'm impressed with the quality of most items and the prices are low, low, low! Most items are as nice as anything at Macy's or anywhere else. And the packaging is usually over-the-top -- ribbon-tied boxes, immediate shipment, extras in the packaging. Yesterday I received a leather journal I ordered for $12, and it's gorgeous. It arrived with a free leather bookmark, a little cut-out leather heart on a string, and in beautiful packaging. Etsy sellers usually take extra care to make their products special.

(The name Etsy derives from the Latin "And If..." (et si). The founder was thinking, "And if we do this, and if we do that...". Anyway. )

Bookplates - Ex Libris - From the Library of

Bookplates have been used to identify the owner of books since the medieval times. Actually, I just made that up. But according to Wikipedia, they were used as early as the 14th century.

Three of the five I've posted today are made with linocuts -- carved linoleum -- and the other two are pen and ink drawings. I used a magnifying glass for all of them. The red-orange tulip has the owner's initials "JC" and the rest are ready for them.

I recently bought a 1920's book on the subject entitled, "Nothing, or the Bookplate," by Edward Gordon Craig, in which he actually "tips in" or glues 25 original bookplates into the book! They're spectacular.

Anyway, the point is that he believes the size of a bookplate should rarely exceed 1-1/2" square. That's barely postage stamp size! Being a fan of miniatures, I'm going with his recommendation.


Butterfly, Ladybug, and Tulip are linocut prints; and Letter P and Letter B are pen and ink drawings.

Handmade Miniature Books

Handmade blank book, 2" H x 1-5/8" W
5/16" thick block of white paper pages

I am smitten by miniatures, paper, printmaking, pen & ink, bookplates, and books. Add them up and what do you get? Handmade miniature books. I've made two in the past week or so and both are posted here. The book above is tiny -- only two inches tall, about the size of the smallest Post-It Note pad. The one below is slightly larger -- three inches tall. To qualify as a true "miniature" book in the U.S., no side can be larger than three inches (some organizations permit sizes up to four inches).

Handmade Blank Book, 3" H x 2-5/8" W
Inside: Six hand-sewn signatures (sections) of 50 lb. recycled white paper;
Each signature includes a patterned sheet of paper that is
color-coordinated with the cover paper; bookmark ribbon

Next up: Miniature bookplates....

On Choosing Titles for Art

I have not given this acrylic painting a name. That fact made me realize choosing titles for my artwork is not one of my strong suits. I tend to be obvious: "Crow," "Peacock," "Girl with Braids." Thank goodness the girl wore braids...

My artist-friends are so clever. Look at Nancy's titles: "Hot and Humid," "Converging Thoughts," and "Secret Places." Geez! I wish I could think of original, interesting titles. Perhaps a thesaurus would be helpful.

About the art. I've wanted to paint on a gesso panel for a long time, and I really enjoyed the process! No bumpy canvas to deal with. The paint glided on like butter. Layers resisted new layers if I wanted them to. They obeyed. It was magical, so different from printmaking, where you can't completely control your end product and each print pulled from the same plate has its own personality.

But I'm feeling nervous again, too many interests, not enough time. Besides working on gessoed panels, I've been craving my pastels lately. And today I'm starting a new project with linocuts. Looks like it's time to prioritize.

Don't have a cow! Have two.

This is a very small (5" x 5") acrylic painting. I love backlighting and have tons of photographs of backlit scenes.

I finally uploaded some items to my Etsy store today, just a few sets of note cards and this painting. I know I should be more diligent about keeping the "store" stocked.
Shoulda woulda coulda, right?

Sunburst Pasture, acrylic on canvas, 5"x5", for sale here.

Channeling Mary Cassat?

Nearly Bedtime, 6"x4", drypoint engraving on paper

Mary Cassat was an American artist who lived in Paris in the late 19th century. She was a member of the Impressionists, a small group of now-famous artists who started a unique painting style in the late 1800's. Mary Cassat favored images of women in her art, often mothers with children. As I was engraving the drypoint plate for this print, my artist-friend BDP sneaked a peek and commented on the Cassat-like subject matter. Cassat was a huge influence on me when I first began painting with pastels. And Cassat was influenced by Japanese printmakers. Now I appreciate and understand that influence more than ever. It seems a natural progression from pastel painting to printmaking.

The people in the image are my sister-in-law and her first child, from a photograph I took only a couple of years ago.

This kind of drypoint was made from using a sharp pencil-shaped tool to scratch the image into a Lexan plate, then wiping the plate with ink and printing it onto damp paper. The damp paper loosens the paper's fibers and allows the paper to pick up the ink from the crevices in the plate as it goes through the etching press.

Learning to Mat and Frame

"Nest", monotype chine-colle on buff-colored paper, 12"x 12" framed

After four semesters of printmaking classes, three classes a week, I have a stack of art prints that's getting ridiculously large. It gives me a vague feeling of waste as they accumulate, ignored. So a while back I decided to actively attack the problem. I have given many away to family and friends, but trying to sell them concerns me because I don't want to lose any of the joy I feel doing it simply for the love of it, as a hobby.

Recently, though, an artist-friend invited me to join her and other artists exhibiting art at a charity auction/gala tomorrow night, selling our art for the cause. I think it's a good way to begin minimizing the stack of art. So I had to learn how to mat and frame, and make various other paper items describing the art. I thought getting ready for this event would be a simple matter, but let me tell you, it was harrrd! I had to rely heavily on my friends for their help and advice.

My brain is fatigued, but not as fatigued as my feet will be at the end of six hours tomorrow night. Yet I really do believe it will be a great experience for me personally, and I hope we'll all raise some funds for the charity.

Arf Arf! I framed old "Rascal" to match the "Nest".

Biltmore Tower blockprint

This is an artist's proof of a woodcut I just finished carving. I used ultramarine blue ink on cream Arches printmaking paper. That blue is a new shade -- pretty bold.

It's an image of the Biltmore Tower, in which I worked for a couple of years. It's attached to the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. I took some liberties with this image, but the tower should be recognizable to you who are familiar with it.

Ahhh, the good old days! :-)





Biltmore Tower, linocut, 12" x 10"

Today: Being Female

Today it's all about being female. This lavendar image is made from a woodcut I carved out and printed on teal-colored Japanese paper that was very fibrous. The teal paper with the lavendar image was adhered to heavy, white printmaking paper and run through an etching press. The process is called a woodcut chine-colle print.

I wasn't trying to carve the shape of a woman. I just started carving in a swirling and curvy way, and before I knew it, there was the image of a woman. Except for the very top, but then I realized perhaps she has raised her arms. I have made several prints of this in different color combinations, as well as black on white paper.

Abstract Woman, 12x6", woodcut chine-colle

Below is a pen and ink drawing the way I personally like to do them -- like doodling but with thought as to the design. This one has a couple doves hiding among the leaves, flowers and other shapes. Click on the image if you'd like to see it better.

Doves and Leaves, c. 5x5", pen & ink on paper