Here’s the first linoleum carving, used for printing the lightest color, a warm yellow background on 240 sheets of paper.

Next is a wee little carving for printing an orange halo where the sun blasts through.

Then a carving to print the darkish blue.

Each carving starts with a Sharpie drawing on clear plastic, which is flipped over face down and transferred to the linoleum block. Now take the first carving that printed the yellow background, carve off the parts that should stay yellow, and print burnt orange with what’s left. (This is called The Reduction Method.)

Reduction method again: using that same block a third time, carve away all the shapes that should stay burnt orange  and print dark brown.

Bob, who is colorblind but heard me mutter something about the blue, asks if I’m definitely happy with it.

Hmmm. Can’t decide. Take a survey of available family members: should it be more purplish? The consensus is Yes. Curses. Retrieve that carving and reprint a better blue over the previous one.

Now with the blue carving, use the reduction method again: remove all the shapes that should stay dark blue, and printed a lighter blue with what’s left.

Make a new carving and print black.

Ahhh. Takes me right back to that winter walk in the woods, when the low-hanging sun blasted gold through the blue.