January's Final Riso Print (Patreon)

Heremitae ex draumr oyar is kind of a mish-mash of two old languages, Latin and Old Norse. The first half in Latin means 'recluses/hermits (heremitae) out of/from (ex)' and the second half in Old Norse means 'dream islands.' This print is a little more personal than the others have been because I found these words while searching for my ancestral home after a recent dive into tracing my genealogy. I found that my paternal grandfather's grandparents were from the Faroe and Shetland Islands and specifically an Island called Noss, which used to be a part of Norway and is no longer inhabited. My search stopped cold when I traced it back to Noss and I realized that's where my Grandmother's search also stopped...and that haunted me a bit. 

Even if it's not possible to trace family lineage, thinking about genealogy and ancestral homes is pretty magical. How did they live and what did they do when they were bored? Did they climb the cliffs to watch the gannets? Did they soak up the sun next to the wildflowers and sheep? Maybe these scenes are for future prints but what I really wanted to focus on was how much more I understand now about my family line...something that I hadn't really considered before. Knowing the names of great great great grandparents seemed silly and far too much work to find and then, like overnight, it became very important to me. 

The elements in this print represent the journey of finding those names. The starry night sky, like a blanket, are the numerous names and faces I'll never know because records weren't kept like they are now. The numerous beings that lived long ago so that I could live today. The pots with plants are those who'll come after me, whether it's through a family of my own or through my blood (I've also been playing with throwing pottery on the wheel so I've been anxious to draw some pots). The gannet (the northern gannet to be specific) is a representation of Noss and the Shetland/Faroe Islands or maybe a character that might have watched my ancestors settle on the islands. The birds on the vase are also meant to be gannets and they're painted on when I find a new name. The painter isn't necessarily me, I don't look like that and I wish wish wish I owned a shirt and pajama combo like that, but I want this print (and all of my prints) to be open for interpretation and meaningful to everyone. The snake is just a sweet sweet baby snake. 

Here are some process shots!~~

I had a really hard time choosing between the orange and blue print, which is just the first two colors printed, and the full four color print. I ended up doing a sort of compromise with the colors and making the vase a little less overpowering. I feel like there were a thousand options for this print but I'm happy with how it turned out in the end. 

My file structure for this print was like this: 

I make each color a group folder, put shapes of color inside set at different opacities, set all layers to multiply while I'm coloring the piece (originally drawn in color), desaturate all the color so each layer is black and white, turn on and off each group when I'm printing. Make sure to name layers according to what's in them! It's very helpful! 

As always, let me know if you have any questions! These will be sent out tomorrow and domestic subscribers should receive them early next week. Sorry for the delay! Oh wow, I just realized this is my 12th print. I'll do some kind of celebration for the full year of Risograph printing for you all!! Thank you so much for your support, I hope this is nice for you :3

~nat