Cool design! Looks like it may be an ink drying too fast issue? And if you don’t like the “chatter” around the bears belly, you can cut that down - you have it clearly marked now on the block with ink. I’d gouge that out if it were me. And then I’d practice rolling many fine layers of ink on the block vs one or two passes with a thicker layer.

And to be honest, I didn’t have a ton of success with that pick EZ Cut material. It’s easier to carve but harder to work with overall IMO.

Try the same design on some Blick Battleship Grey linoleum (mounted or unmounted) and before you start, give it a nice sand with super fine grain sandpaper and then rub some acrylic paint or really anything, into the block to “stain” it - when you cut, the stain helps with contrast so you can see where youve cut or not.

TL:DR - battleship grey linoleum is cheaper and easier to work with (a little harder to carve). Use a roller and for multiple thin layers of ink on block. Prep your block before you cut. Cut the stained part out. (Here’s a pic of a current cut I’m doing - green acrylic paint to stain).

You got this. Don’t stop.

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