Some prints

I wanted to get on here and post the actual prints from the last 2 mezzotint plates I ran. The first one isn't well executed in my opinion based on a number of factors, but primarily because of the strong texture and the lack of contrast and softness within the image. There are also areas that started to blow out and become overly grey as the plate quickly degraded... i think this was all a case of how it was originally prepared right from the get go... doomed from day one!  Good learning with this one however, and through my failure with this one came the success of the next which is the second. It came out better than expected and I was happy to achieve a soft preparation of the plate as well as the strong sense of light and contrast of the image itself.  I think on a personal note it's some of my best work to date. Enjoy!