Perfectly Imperfect

Today was a bit of a play-and-practise day.

I’ve been experimenting with a two-layer block print — laying down a more solid base print first, letting it dry, and then coming back over the top with a finer, more detailed outline that fits beautifully around the original leaf shape.

It’s one of those processes that feels really satisfying when it lines up just right.

But… somewhere along the way, I accidentally dropped the block down in completely the wrong place — right over the top of the pattern I’d carefully built across the page.

At first I paused…
and then I thought, why does it actually have to line up perfectly?

Why not let it land wherever it wants?

So the next few prints, I did it on purpose — just placing the block down without trying to match it at all. Letting it overlap, shift, and interact with what was already there.

And honestly… I really love it.

It feels more alive. A little less controlled. A bit more playful.

It made me realise how easily we can get attached to doing things “the right way”… when sometimes the unexpected version opens up something even more interesting.

The last image is the clean, precise version.
The others are the “just slap it down and see what happens” versions.

I’d love to know — which do you prefer?

#wildstillness #blockprinting #creativeprocess #artistplay #perfectlyimperfect #patternmaking #intuitiveart #slowart #handprinting