Lily. You’ve seen the drawing of her, now you see the drypoint.

Today is an appropriate time to share this as I brought home the King Smith kittens from an overnight at the vet. Yesterday Lily and Ella joined in the I-will-not contribute-to-overpopulation movement. Both are now spayed.

Celebrating this momentous event, I’m sharing my “Quintessential Lily Cat.” This is a small edition of 10 hand-colored drypoint etchings (with a few artist’s proofs available).

I originally made this for last semester’s drawing class, but I created the edition for a specific international print exchange, the IPE 2016. This is through the Green Door Printmaking Studio in Derby, UK.

In case you haven’t done a print exchange or are on the fence about it, here are my thoughts.

Five reasons to join in on a print exchange:

Complete gratification. It’s total give and receive. The gallery, entity or person hosting the exchange coordinates a literal mail exchange of prints. You make a specific edition number and you receive different prints in return (minus one or two for the organizer’s efforts). Become an instant art collector. You build a print collection without the need for big funds to get it going. Bragging rights. You may find that your piece is included in a special gallery print exchange exhibition. Resume and exposure building. For the love of printmaking. You do it because you love the art form – doing it and seeing it. It’s not about money. There maybe a small handling fee to cover the mailings, but other than that, that’s it. If you are only into financial reciprocation, this is not for you. Surprise! It’s a like a holiday when someone hands you a really amazing gift … and you have no idea what’s underneath the wrappings. When you receive your prints in exchange, it’s just magical, exhilarating, and addictive.

In the Green Door’s version, the exchange is open-themed (heck, you might receive your own “Quintessential Lily Cat”). It has specific requirements involving both image and paper size; paper types; packaging instructions, and more, so if you plan to participate, please read their specifications before you dive into an edition, which in this case is 10 prints.

If you are interested in learning more, please visit Green Door Printmaking Studio.

Editions are due in the UK by Aug. 31, 2016.

The Call to Action

If you plan to take part, we’d love to see what you are entering. Please leave us a note and a link to your entry in the comment section.