White-throated Lino - Early Stages

Though I often feel my strongest work over the last few years has been in the field of linocut I often go long stretches without doing any. Hopefully that is about to change. I've made large orders of ink and paper and perhaps will get some new carving tools for the holidays.

That said here's an early state of a small 4x6 inch White-throated Sparrow. Part of the striking quality of this sparrow is the muted streaking of the breast and belly, something much more suited to watercolor than lino. Still I've decided to give it a try. Only time will tell if it was a wise move.