Month: March 2017

I am a printmaker based in Bude in North Cornwall. I make print editions centred round themes of food, still life imagery and the domestic everyday.

Describe your printmaking process.

At the moment I am working mainly in linocut but I also use alternative ways to reproduce my images by making adaptations to the traditional print processes.
I switch between the 2 methods and both inform one another.

How and where did you learn to print?

While studying Graphic Design in Manchester I discovered the Screen Printing workshop and I was hooked on printmaking from then on. I specialised in Printmaking
at the Royal College of Art for 2 years where I began exploring alternative printmaking processes.

Why printmaking?

I love repetition! I am totally attracted to images on repeat. The physical process behind a successful repeat is also really appealing to me. I really
enjoy the problem solving and mechanics behind producing a print edition.

Where do you work?

I use a small workshop just down the coast from Bude, kind of in someone’s garden, amongst the vegetable patch! It’s a simple set-up; I have a home-made
press, and an inking up and drying area, it works perfectly. If I’m just cutting lino I sometimes work on the kitchen table at home, especially when
it’s chilly in the winter.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

I am also a post lady, so my day actually begins in the sorting office! Once the post is delivered by early afternoon I am free for printmaking for the
rest of the day. I have to plan ahead and work out the afternoon’s task the day before otherwise the afternoon just drifts away and I get nothing done.
In the early stages of a project, I am drawing, generating ideas and mapping out images. Once the printing process begins it’s a really different working
pace. Having limited time adds an extra element of excitement to the process! I am often racing against daylight to mix the right colour or to complete
a print edition so there is enough drying time before an exhibition.

How long have you been printmaking?

It’s 10 years since I first discovered Printmaking on my Graphic Design degree but I would say it’s been 6 years doing it reasonably seriously and while
exhibiting regularly.

What inspires you?

The everyday. Daily domestic life, family homes and fruit and vegetable shops are all big inspiration for me. I also love cottage industry and small-scale
mass-production, which influences my own reproduction processes.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

Flexcut Slipstrop, I still need
a bit of practice but it’s showing great potential for keeping my tools sharp!

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I think my ‘Courgette Shop’ project was one of the most ridiculous and challenging projects I have ever set myself. It’s become a bit of a storage problem
now but I’m still pretty proud that I hand-painted 2800 toilet rolls under some tough time constraints!

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

I am about to take part in a 3-person show on lino cuts at ‘The Hybrid Gallery’ in Honiton and I currently have work for sale in ‘The Workshop’, Bude as
well as on my online shop. You can follow my process on Instagram and any upcoming venues are posted on here too.

What will we be seeing from you next?

I am about to go on an artist residency in a rural village in Nepal to research subsistence farming techniques, so a new body of work is around the corner!
The next 12 months look set to be exciting for me and my work.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Work hard and be patient! It’s a roller-coaster and I’m very much still riding it! Keep making even if you’re not sure about it, you need to get through
the bad ideas before you get to the good stuff. I’m still trying to get there too!

To see more of Helen’s amazing work, visit her website: helenmurgatroyd.co.uk

 

We are happily now stocking Hawthorn Stay Open Inks. These are oil based inks that work beautifully for relief printing. We have a fantastic range of colours
including the process range. Process colours are inks specially formulated to create a full spectrum of colours when mixed. There is a Process Yellow,
Process Cyan (Blue) and Process Magenta (Red). We stock the process range of many of our inks, particularly Speedball Screen Printing Inks and Caligo Safe Wash Relief Inks.

As well as being mixed, process colours can be printed on top of one another to create secondary colours. Yellow over red will create orange, yellow over
blue will produce green and red over blue will produce purple. All three over one another will produce brown. By using just three layers of ink you
can produce seven colours. You can experiment with transparency to achieve the best results.

We did a little experiment to show you the new Hawthorn process colours layered up. We mixed each colour with about 50% of the Transparent Hawthorn ink. In order to see the colours
through one another you need to roll a thin layer of the inks onto the block.

Our three circles were printed with Process Cyan, Process Magenta and finally Process Yellow, all mixed 50:50 with Transparent. You can see the
secondary and tertiary colours where the circles have overlapped. These were printed wet on wet but ordinarily we would wait for each layer to dry before
printing the next.

The process colours produce a full range of colours when mixed. We produced three colour blends with our roller to show the spectrum of colours when using
just two of the process inks. Process Yellow to Process Cyan:

Process Yellow to Process Magenta:

Process Magenta to Process Cyan:

To mix a pillar box red add a little yellow to magenta, to mix a turquoise blue add a little yellow to cyan. To make colours more ‘dirty’ add the complementary
colour – add red to make greens more natural and orange to subdue blues. Watch this space for more blog posts on colour mixing with process colours!

Our full range of Hawthorn Inks can be viewed here!

Even if you have never heard of Swifty you will probably have seen or even owned a piece of his artwork. In the late 80s he was plucked straight from
art school in Manchester by Neville Brody to work on The Face  – the most influential magazine for music and graphic design. He has worked
for record labels like Gilles Peterson’s Talking Loud and James Lavelle’s Mo Wax, designed TV titles such as Smack the Pony and Peep Show, was
the art director of Straight No Chaser magazine, designs Fonts, club night flyers, T-shirt designs and skateboards. 

Swifty’s is a very hands on graphic designer – equally at home with a Rotring pen and a stack of paper to designing in Photoshop. To create his iconic
artworks he mixes up to the minute design tools with lo-fi production techniques. 

Describe your process.

My process has been refined over a period of about 30 years. Even though I was at the forefront of digital technology being one of the first graphic designers
in the UK to adopt and use Apple Macintosh computers I still adopt a very hand drawn analogue approach.

Yes the computer will always be used as the tool of choice but my tools are still very much pencils and marker pens. Original type is drawn by hand and
then scanned. A Photoshop file is generated at the right size and I print a positive heavy black print onto OHP inkjet film.

Handprinted have been instrumental in helping me develop my process which is all in house and very lo-fi. I use aluminium screens in a 55T mesh – this
grade works best for me, giving me the right amount of detail and the aluminium frames stand up to the elements as most of them are stored outside
in the garden. I have found that the 55T grade mesh works best for me giving me the right amount of detail. After coating the mesh with Speedball Photo Emulsion I leave it in my shed/studio overnight in the dark to dry thoroughly.

First thing in the morning I set up for exposing which is about as basic as it gets. I have an old 60’s photographic light with the biggest traditional
bulb of about 500 watts which exposes the screens in a range from 22-27 minutes depending on how old the emulsion is. I print the positive film printed
off on my Epsom 1400 inkjet which provides a really good positive black similar to and old fashioned Bromide or film positive. After exposure I wash
out the emulsion in our family bathroom.

My set up is very simple – just hinge clamps on a wooden table, prints are hung to dry, on a makeshift drying line with clothes pegs in the shed and when
that’s full up and it’s a nice day on the washing line outside.

How and where did you learn to print?

I learnt to print on my foundation course aged 16-17 at Padgate Art College near Warrington, Merseyside. I was immediately drawn to the silk screen process
in particular and then discovered the work of Andy Warhol which sealed my interest in the print form and ways of reproducing multiples in any medium.
After pursuing a career in graphic design I didn’t then silk screen print properly for about 30 years. I then taught myself how to produce an edition
starting from scratch and the golden rule was I couldn’t outsource any part of the process apart from buying the materials and ink needed, I had to
be self sufficient.

Why printing?

So I can produce editions primarily. Rather than spend a fortune outsourcing the prints I prefer to print myself. Not only for the obvious cost reasons
but because the act of printing is such a joyous one. Every print is hand pulled by myself and I like the slight imperfections and accidents that occur.

Where do you work?

My studio is in a small shed at the end of my garden in West London. It’s the smallest studio I’ve operated out of but in some ways the best because I
have customised the layout several times to a point now were every available space is used to the maximum – small space working is very exciting when
you have everything just how you want it – ‘were there’s a will there’s a way’!

Describe a typical day in your studio.

As varied as possible, not every day will I be printing: only when I have a new edition connected to say ‘Dingwalls’ (the bi yearly jazz Dance event my
partner Janine organises) or for the ‘Art Car boot Fair’ (another yearly event in the diary I always produce a new edition). Not only silk screen printing
but lino cuts, stencils and spray paint etc. I often mix the mediums on one print. Usually my days are still spent designing logos, record covers,
fonts and magazines for my usual clients in the music industry. Very occasionally I  design the odd title sequence for TV or I might be planning
and producing bits of art for a gallery show. No two days or even weeks or a month is ever the same. I’m blessed to have a rich and varied client base
who come to me for all sorts of stuff. It’s that variety that keeps me going most of the time.

How long have you been printmaking?

Since I retaught myself – about 10 years now. Silk screen is my preferred medium but I still do the odd mono print or etching. And I do have a range of
inkjet prints called the ‘Swifty Jazz festival’ which are very popular. That’s not the same as a proper print but it does make them cheap which is
part of their appeal.

What inspires you?

Everything from Saul Bass title sequences to Reid Miles Blue Note record covers, Charles Eames furniture to Brutalist architecture – the list is endless
and it changes with the mood. I just saw the Rauchenberg exhibition at the Tate so that’s big on my mind at the moment. He’s another great artist who
adopted the silk screen medium and produced some amazing work right through to his transfer paintings of late, another technique I am very interested
in. Inspiration has to be a constant and us creatives need to constantly discover new stuff to keep us inspired.

What products do you use? What product/tool could you not be without?

One stop shopping at Handprinted! They give great advice about screens and new products. Speedball is my favourite ink for both t-shirt and paper printing,
I recently had fun with some of the fluorescent inks.

My aluminium screens, hinge clamps, squeegees, everything comes from Handprinted. Although my 60’s photographic lamp is the one bit of kit that I couldn’t
do without, bought on Portobello Road market well over twenty years ago.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

Oh that’s a tough one, I’ve got a couple of camouflage paintings which I’m pretty fond of but in terms of printing some of the editions for ‘Dingwalls’
I think are very classic Swifty designs. But of course I’m still proud to have designed some great logos for the likes of ‘Talkin’Loud’ or ‘Mo Wax’
and my font designs like ‘Coltrane’ or ‘Gunshot’ are works that people still resonate with over 20 years later.

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

My website for general info and portfolio (needs a lot of work!) I sell prints and other bits on my
Big Cartel shop. 

My monograph book – ‘Swifty: Funky Typografix’ is available from the Gamma Proforma website.

What will we be seeing from you next?

Lots more editions with a bit of luck – time to delve into the archives and pull out some gems!

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Never stop.

I have been longing to get my sewing machine out since I saw the gorgeous selection of patterns and fabrics that The Draper’s Daughter have on their website.

         

They stock some beautiful linens and denims that are perfect for printing to make your garments a complete one off. I chose to start with Top 24
by Merchant and Mills – The pattern is simple to make with no zips or buttons – perfect! It also has a panel at the bottom that was perfect
for printing on. I chose to use a Robert Kaufman Essex Linen in Steel our Grid Thermofax and Speedball Black Fabric Screen Printing Ink.        

 

I cut the pattern pieces first and then scatter printed the bottom panel. The Grid Thermofax is great for this as you can layer
it up and don’t need to do much planning! When the ink was dry I gave it a very good iron to fix the ink.

 

 

The top was easy to sew with great step by step instructions. 

 

As soon as I had finished the Top 24 I was itching to make another garment. I went back to The Draper’s Daughter and purchased The Raglan Dress/Top Pattern by The Avid Seamstress and some Indigo Denim by Robert Kaufman. I amended the pattern a little as I wanted to add some pockets to the top.

 

I wanted to print a border along the bottom for this I used our Fabric Paint in Opaque White and our Ink Spot Thermofax. I wanted it a bit more regimented than the previous print so I pinned my cut front and back pieces
to a print board and taped a metal ruler to the board. I lined the bottom of the Thermofax along the ruler. I also put another piece of masking
tape onto the pattern where the top edge of the Thermofax should sit. As the repeat would be every 10cm I put a piece of masking tape every
10cm vertically on the ruler – I then printed the top at 10cm, 30cm and 50cm – gave the print a quick dry with a hairdryer before printing
the Ink Spot Thermofax in the gaps at 0cm, 20cm and 40cm – for these ones I rotated the Thermofax by 180′ to make the repeat less obvious.

 

 

The pattern had an invisible zip which wasn’t as bad to insert as I had feared. The instruction book that comes with the pattern is very comprehensive
and the blog is really useful with lots of hints and tips along with step by step photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Hello! My name is Miesje Chafer and I am textile designer, screen printer and maker. I live down in Southsea and work at The Sorting Office studio in Eastleigh,
Hampshire. I have an unquenchable thirst for fabric, pattern and colour and love nothing more than knocking up a prototype that’s been niggling away
at the back of my brain.

Photo credit: Harry Usborne

Describe your printmaking process.

My designs either begin with a doodle, which I scan into photoshop to play around with to come up with the repeat, or a stencil cut from paper. I then
screen print my fabric in whichever colour or pattern I need for the product I’m making that particular day.

How and where did you learn to print?

I learned to screen print at the London Print Studio on a three day paper printing course. I’d never tried it before so it was all a very new and exciting
experince for me! Once I’d done that I joined the Oxford Printmakers Cooperative, where I battled through months of tears, tantrums and terrible printing
to finally get to a point where I was printing fabric I was actually happy with.

Why printmaking?

I don’t really know what attracted me to screen printing originally, as I’ve said I hadn’t tried it before. I think I had a vague notion that it would
be a relatively easy and cost effective way of getting my designs onto fabric. I took me quite a look time to get any good at it, but once I’d cracked
the technique it opened up a whole world of possibilities.

Where do you work?

I have a lovely space at the Sorting Office Studios in Eastleigh. As the name suggests it used to be a sorting office but was converted into 16 studios
about three and a half years ago. After having worked from home for a quite some time it was brilliant to find somewhere relatively local that I could
work surrounded by other artists and makers. As well as all the fab people, we also have screen exposure facilities, a big room we use for teaching
workshops and photography, brilliant managers who source us funding for various projects and a business mentor.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

Rock up mid morning (the joys of being self employed and no alarm!), have a bit of breakfast and do all the boring email admin, then crack on with some
printing. In the afternoon I’ll sit down at my sewing machine for some making – the day is usually interspersed with chats with various other members
of the studio!

How long have you been printmaking?

About six years, although it probably took me a good two years to produce anything that I was really happy about selling.

What inspires you?

It’s so difficult to say, broadly speaking I think my work has a Scandinavian/mid century feel to it, however I’m usually inspired by colours and shapes
that maybe catch my eye for a few seconds, or a mundane object taken out of context. It’s tricky to explain, I think everything I see subconsciously
goes into the mental ideas pot and pops out as something concrete a few months down the line!

What is your favourite printmaking product?

I love bit of Speedball Hot Pink, it’s the best shade of neon pink I’ve found to date.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I recently made a quilted patchwork wall hanging, I should really probably have it up for sale on my website but it looks so good on my wall and was such
a labour of love that I can’t bear to part with it!

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

I’ve recently started adding more products to my website, but I also have work in the Old Fire Station in Oxford, Loop in Islington, Lowie in Brixton and
Paisley and Friends down in St Leonards. I do quite a few fairs and markets over the course of the year, mostly in the run up to Christmas and we also
have open studios twice a year in June and November.

What will we be seeing from you next?

I’m planning something a little bit bonkers to enter into the Festival of Quilts, that’ll be the next big project!

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Don’t be afraid to play, sometimes the best ideas come from mucking about, and it really doesn’t matter if things go wrong – you don’t have to show it
to anyone!

See more of Miesje’s work on her website: www.miesjechafer.com