This is a hand printed linocut illustrating Lear’s poem ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ and forms part of my Fairytale Art collection. It would be an excellent introduction to the world of Lear for a small child, or an unusual wedding present.

The Owl and the Pussycat is a wonderfully descriptive poem, so it’s a real pleasure for an artist to illustrate. In producing a two colour linocut you have a lot of decisions to make. You need to think about creating a balance between the two colours and the background colour of the paper. You also need to consider which areas will be full of texture and detail, and which areas you wish to have plain. I decided to make the owl very detailed with his feathers and guitar. The cat is simpler in style, but her character is conveyed in her imperious pose.

The printed area is 15cm x 21cm and the paper is 21cm x 26cm. It is printed in ochre and green oil based ink onto a cream Heritage paper.

All of my linocut prints turn out slightly differently and this is especially true of two colour linocut prints. They vary depending on how the two colours of ink mix, how much pressure is exerted on the lino and how the two separate linocuts line up. This is one of an edition of 20 prints, and each print is number, titled and signed, all in pencil. If you would like me to scan a copy of the exact print you will receive and email it to you in advance, I am very happy to do that.