A Blessing of Narwhal By@davehallprintmaking

Original linocut by Dave Hall @davehallprintmaking
Image size; 210 x 298mm
Printed onto Daler Rowney 150g/m Acid free black cartridge paper
Using Essdee Block Printing inks in Black, White, Silver and Turquoise
The concept of magic has always felt dark and mysterious to me so although my work is usually a riot of colour, I knew I wanted my Animal Magic print to be very moody. After recalling that Narwhals are known as 'The Unicorns of the Sea' everything fell into place and I focussed on creating a Narwhal design for the 2023 Thought Press Project.
To achieve the texture and markings of the Narwhal skin, I handpainted the carved block so that each print would be unique and I could come up with patterns and colour combinations which can't be created using a brayer.
I love how the glossy turquoise and white stand out on black paper and the murky background was very reminiscent of Narwhal documentaries I had seen following pods of Narwhal around the Arctic Oceans.