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A charcoal drawing of a white cat, with striped markings on its forehead, is mounted on an easel.

Luna, charcoal drawing, ~2 hours.

My flatmate's cat has very distinct features and white fur. I thought it would be an interesting challenge to capture this combination. I was happy with how it came out, as it resembles her - although I think it would take many hours of careful blending and observation to truly produce the illusion of white, fluffy fur!

A printed engraving of a ship, trapped in ice, with three figures standing below. A pencil sketch of the ship design, two engraving tools, and the engraved wood block, blackened by ink.

Wood engraving, ~3 hours.

Whilst reading about intaglio copperplate, I learned that book printers would often use wood engraving to print images alongside text.
I loved the idea of printing something so small, without the challenges of intaglio techniques. I bought some tools and a block of lemon-wood, and planned a design from Frank Hurley's photos on the Endurance expedition.
I realised after starting that engraving tools only come 'factory-sharp', not carving-sharp! I decided to finish anyway, so I could test the full process, but I have since bought a some sharpening stones, and am excited to see how much more detail I can achieve with my mirror-finish 'Burin' and 'Spitsticker'.

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