Month: August 2016

This week we are thrilled to feature Drusilla Cole – printmaker and author of several books.

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I consider myself to be a printmaker, I occasionally teach workshops and am author of several books on Surface Pattern (see below).

I love the technique and process of printmaking, especially reduction linocuts, and I also love to experiment with creating woodcuts, collagraphs and etchings.

Colour is very important to me as my artwork demonstrates. My main interest is in art ceramics, quirky flea market finds or unusual architectural constructions.

Describe your process.

I work from my own photographs and drawings and quite often plunge in, cutting and proofing and making decisions as I go along. I love the challenge of
finding solutions to the issues that arise as I work

How and where did you learn to print?

I learnt screen printing when I attended Central School of Art many years ago, and continued with screen printing in my career as Senior Lecturer teaching
on the BA (Hons.) Surface Design course at the University of the Arts, London for over 25 years.

When I took early retirement I decided to learn linocutting and read books and practised and printed until I got the hang of it. I enjoy learning new skills
and regularly take classes in other printmaking techniques too.

 

Why printing?

Flat colour has always appealed to me and I love the challenging combination of technique, colour, instinct and artistry. The end result is often, to my
eye, very pleasing.

Where do you work?

In a large light and airy room in my house in Bishops Castle, overlooking the old market square and rooftops to the hills beyond.

 

Describe a typical day in your studio.

If I have project in mind I might be sitting at my table by the window cutting a lino using my Pfeil tools, whilst listening to the radio. Or I might be
proofing and printing. Sometimes I might have to spend time cutting a mount and framing a picture ready to hang. I draw quite a lot , especially in
the evenings and these inform my work too.

How long have you been printmaking?

I started screen printing when I was 17, but only started linocutting 8 years ago

 

What inspires you?

Often, my artwork demonstrates my fascination with quirky and unusual architectural constructions, especially any containing lettering. Another fascination
is with vintage ceramics, particularly those made in the1960s.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

My Rollaco press which I bought last year on EBay . My Ternes Burton pins are pretty amazing too – they have really helped to resolve registration issues.

 

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I particularly enjoyed creating my ‘Godzilla’ print. I used caustic soda for the sky and later the foreground, and I cut and employed various
paper masks plus I continued to make additional reductions. It was very satisfying

 

Where can we see your work? Where do you sell?

I have a website www.drusillacole.co.uk

I am on Facebook as Drusilla Cole Printmaker.

I am on Instagram.com as Drusilla Cole

I sell through Artfinder.com and Print Solo.com

My work is in various galleries in the UK, notably The Mere Gallery, Windermere and the Ironbridge Fine Arts & Framing Gallery.

Publications

‘1000 Patterns’ London, A & C Black, 2003

‘Patterns – New Surface Design’ London, Laurence King 2007, reprinted in a mini book form 2012

‘Textiles Now’ London, Laurence King, 2008

‘The Pattern Sourcebook – A century of surface design’ London, Laurence King, 2009, reprinted in mini form, 2015

 

What will we be seeing from you next?

I’m currently exploring combining wood engraving with linocuts!

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Keep going. Keep looking at other artist’s work and exploring different methods and techniques.

And join a group online such as Linocut Friends Group on Facebook . The access to large numbers of people worldwide is amazing – they are so often full
of help and advice and share examples of work from all styles and abilities

 

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As September swiftly approaches we at Handprinted are readying the studio for a packed schedule of workshops next term!

Our Fab Friday workshops begin again on the 16th September. These workshops take place
every Friday morning during term time and cover a whole range of printmaking and dyeing techniques including batik, relief printing,
screen printing and natural dyeing.

These workshops are suitable for beginners as well as those with experience and offer a relaxed environment in which to try out a new skill.

We are also opening our studio to a fantastic range of guest tutors this term! Join artist Karin Moorhouse for a two day workshop exploring monotype printing (as seen in the image above). Prints are made by
painting directly onto a plate and printed using an etching press.

Ian Phillips is back for another Reduction Linocut Workshop in October, Amanda Duke is joining us for Gelli Printing and David Peduzzi is back for another fantastic Wood Engraving Workshop!

Polly Papercuts has created a special Papercut Christmas Card Workshop in which you can create a papercut and use it to screen print your own set of cards.

We are very lucky to have Will Dyke teaching relief
printmaking in the studio every Thursday morning starting in September. These casual sessions will enable you to receive as much tuition as you would
like and work on projects at your own pace. Attend as many sessions as you need.

After the amazing success of our batik workshops we are introducing a Four Weeks of Batik course! Over four Tuesday mornings, learn to create beautiful batiks on paper and fabric using hot waxes
and dyes.

Our other new courses include a full day of Block Printing onto Fabric coming up in September, Cyanotype in October
and Screen Printing onto Fabric in November!

To see the whole range of our upcoming workshops or to book a place, visit our Workshops Page!

 

Hello fellow printers – I’m Jonna, a Finnish screenprinter & textile designer based in South London. I love colourful, bright textiles and design that
makes me smile – I am the happiest when I am screen printing at my studio, at work at the Royal College of Art where I run the textile screen printing
facilities or traveling in our little baby blue VW camper van! 

Describe your process.

I always start my project by researching, sketching and doing paper cuttings, often in black and white, which I then transfer on to screen to bring them
to life. I always find my colour palettes by playing around with screen printing, as I love the suprising elements of overlapping and layering.

 

How and where did you learn to print? 

I learned first by myself with a Speedball starter kit,
which inspired me to go and study first BA textiles at Central St Martins and I was lucky enough to have have chance to do Masters degree in Printed
Textiles at Royal College of Art.

 

Why printing?

It was love at first pull, hehe!

Where do you work?

I have a studio at Bainbridge Studios in West Norwood, south London, where I have a 4 metre fabric printing table that I share with my fellow textile print
designer Kangan Arora. I also work as a specialist technical instructor for printed textiles at the Royal College of Art and design for other brands.

 

Describe a typical day in your studio.

I like to start super early, as I am always really happy and the most creative in the mornings. I normally start by screen printing and whilst I am waiting
for layers of ink to dry, I work on other things either on my computer or by hand.

I love our studio, as we have a very good team spirit and some amazing artist, print makers and designers I am lucky in enough to share the space with.

 

How long have you been printmaking?

I got my first screen back in 2005 ( I still have it and it is my lucky screen!) and did the first prints on my bedroom floor.

 

What inspires you?

I am inspired by the Nordic nature, times gone by, colour and all things nostalgic. Nostalgia is a main thriving force behind most of my work.

 

What is your favourite printmaking product?

I am huge fan of the Permaset and
Permatone inks. The quality and durability are just unbeatable.

 

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I was invited to screen print to for Queen Elizabeth II as part of the 2012 Diamond Jubilee in Bromley town centre, that was a very different and amazing
day indeed! I was super nervous, but day turned out to be fantastic despite the rain and us being outside – I screen printed hundreds of bags and t-shirts
in collaboration with Offset Warehouse and Permaset inks, that were given out to the public after the Queen left.

 

Where can we see your work? Where do you sell?

I sell my work online through my website and also through design shops, like Royal Festival
Hall shop and smaller boutiques around UK.

 

What will we be seeing from you next?

My next step will be taking part in London Design Festival in September, I will be exhibiting at Design Junction with my close friends Thorsten van Elten
and Emma Wood Design. My new collection will be out later this year for the Christmas market.

 

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Do something you enjoy and what makes you smile. It is not an easy journey, but you get to meet so many amazing creatives on your journey and have experiences
you will never forget!

Competition time!

Jonna has been very generous and has given us two of her lovely hand screen printed 100% linen tea towels printed with Permaset Inks to give
away to one lucky person (see below). Please click here to enter! The winner will be drawn at random on
the 19th September 2016.

 

 

Learn more about Jonna’s work on her website, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram and Etsy shop.

 

  

 

 

 

 

Textile Foil is a brilliant way to
bring more vibrancy to your fabrics. It’s available in a wide range of colours and is easy to apply using Foil Adhesive. It’s even washable! In this project, we have applied the Foil Adhesive using a Custom Thermofax Screen. A thermofax is like a small silk screen that can be made with your own designs. They’re great for quick
printing on fabric and work really well with the adhesive. You could also apply the adhesive by screen printing, painting or woodblock printing!

We drew our image for our Thermofax onto the printed template from the website. A full black image like this drawing can be scanned in and sent to us, ready to be made into a Custom Thermofax.

Just like when screen printing, the ink (or in this case, Foil Adhesive) is placed at the top of the screen. A Thermofax Squeegee is then used to drag the adhesive down the screen, through the open areas of the mesh.

The Thermofax can be lifted and moved around the fabric, adding more layers of print.

Textile Foils come in lots of colours
and textures. For this image, we chose Turquoise, Blue, Green, Silver, Iridescent and Confetti. 

Leave the adhesive for about 15 minutes to become touch dry. Cut up the foil and place shiny side up over all the areas of printed adhesive. It doesn’t
matter if there are a few overlaps – the colour at the bottom will stick to the adhesive.

Cover with baking parchment and iron for 20-30 seconds on each area.

Remove the parchment and begin to peel off the excess foil. If no foil is being left behind on the adhesive, recover and iron for a few more seconds.

Remove all the excess foil to reveal your fabric!

To create your own foiled fabric you will need:

• Custom Thermofax (or Indian Woodblocks, a Screen or a paintbrush to apply the adhesive)
• Thermofax Squeegee
• Textile Foil
• Foil Adhesive
• Baking Parchment
• Iron
• Fabric to print on

 

Meet screen printer, textile designer and quilter, Karen Lewis:

Can you describe your process?

My designing usually comes from doodling…my favourite pastime when traveling or watching TV. 3 or 4 times a year I get out all my doodles and see
which ones I would like to trial a full design out of. All my designs are hand drawn so this takes a while to get them drawn out in full A3 size. They
don’t all make it to the screen and even if a design makes it to a screen it doesn’t always make it to full status. An experimental printing takes
place and I get a feel for a design then when I have tested it in several colours. I love this process as you never really know which designs will
make it and it’s often the ones I least likely think.

How and where did you learn to print?

I took a short part time course at my local college and was addicted literally from the word go. The course was 3 hours a week for 6 weeks and it was torture
waiting for the next session!

Where do you work?

I work from home, which on some level I love. I love having the flexibility of time and if I feel like printing at 10 o’clock at night I can, but I do
love the creative vibe that goes on when you are around other artists. The only process I do out of the house is prepare my screens at the studio where
I did my screen printing course. It’s great to interact with others when I head down there.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

I am not sure there is such a thing as a typical day. My work is so varied and there are so many facets to my business that no 2 days are the same. I think
that is one thing I love about what I do. One day I may be printing up for my own fabric club, another day I may be printing up panels for clients
with their artwork. Other days I will be quilting, either for magazines or devising patterns for my new company, The Thread House that I have just started with 2 good friends, Lynne Goldsworthy of Lily’s Quilts and Jo Avery of My Bearpaw. In
and amongst that I could be running printing workshops or a whole host of other things.

How long have you been printmaking?

I first started printing just over 5 years ago now. I can’t believe it has been so long but I also can’t remember life before printing. It feels such a
huge part of who I am.

What inspires you?

Everything! Ever since I started designing and printing I see pattern everywhere. I see it everywhere from shadows on the walls to tiles in the street
to the patterns I see flicking through magazines. Once you are receptive to it, you see pattern everywhere.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

My favourite printmaking product has got to be my tiny 125mm squeegee. It is so cute! Whilst I love see a big print emerge from a single screen, I really do love printing up something
small with a tiny screen and producing it with the ease of the smallest squeegee.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I think I would have to say my fabric collection with Robert Kaufman. All the designs that are in my first collection are designs that I first designed
and printed up myself. I love the fact that RK found a printer to be able to print them up in a scale. I am very proud to see the little doodles I
started out with turned into full length yardage. I am equally proud of my book Screen printing at Home. I think I am just generally proud that all
the hard work that has gone into my work has been paid off with having it taken seriously.

Where can we see your work? Where do you sell?

My RK line is available in most quilting fabric stores both here in the UK and around the world (that makes me very proud!). My hand printed fabrics can
be bought on my website karenlewistexiles.com. I love printing to order so am always happy when a
customer contacts me directly to do something personal for them.

What will we be seeing from you and your work next?

You will be seeing lots more doodles turned into designs of which will be available for crafters to use in their own work, as well as in my quilts for
magazines. There are several other things going on behind the scenes that I can’t talk about just yet, but rest assured there’s always plenty going
on!

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

My main piece of advice would be to not be afraid of getting it wrong. We learn from our mistakes so give anything a go and don’t give up. Also practice,
practice, practice! There are no short cuts to building up skills.

Learn more about Karen Lewis’s work on her website, Instagram and Facebook page or The Thread House.