Month: May 2018

We are very pleased to be showing a great selection of work currently at the Oxmarket in Chichester! This exhibition showcases local art workshops including
Artworks Studio, Jo Dowers and Handprinted. We’ve gathered together works by our staff, guest workshop tutors and studio users to showcase some of
the techniques that take place in the Handprinted studio! This is a fantastic opportunity to take a look at the possibilities available in the printmaking
world. Scroll down to see some of the work included in the exhibition and click here to see all of the amazing workshops coming up at Handprinted. 

This exhibition takes place until Sunday 3rd June in the Oxmarket gallery in Chichester. 

The exhibition was set up on bank holiday Monday by amazing Oxmarket team. A lot of work goes in to deciding how to hang the work to show it at its best
as part of a coherent show. 

Take a look at the work showcased as part of the Handprinted section of the exhibition: 

Letterpress print by one of our staff members Tom Boulton. Tom will be teaching a letterpress workshop in January 2019!

Transfer prints by Barbara Lammas, one of our regular studio
users. 

Collagraph (top) by Hester Cox, one of our visiting tutors whose next available workshop is in June 2019.

Woodcut (middle) by Sue England, a regular studio user.

Collagraph with gum arabic transfer (bottom) by Sue Brown, one of our visiting tutors. Sue will be teaching a sketchbook with gum arabic workshop and a silk aquatint workshop with us in 2019. 

Screen prints by Anna Vartiainen, a regular studio user.

Screen prints by Sue England, a regular studio user.

Screen print by Shirley Scott, our very own from Handprinted. Shirley will be teaching our next Six Weeks of Screen Printing Workshop in September 2018.

Linocut by Ian Phillips, one of our visiting tutors. Ian’s next available workshop with us is in September 2018. 

Linocut on monoprint and reduction linocut by Phil King, a regular studio user. 

Screen print by Rob Luckins, one of our visiting tutors who will be teaching screen printing in March 2019. 

Four screen prints and an etching by Holly Newnham, who you may know from Handprinted already. Holly teaches lots of the Fab Friday workshops as well as other courses such as three weeks of batik!

Two screen prints by Martin Jones, a regular studio user.

Linocut (top) by Jeremy Williams who you may have seen working hard in the shop! 

Linocut (bottom) by Phil King, a regular studio user. 

Batik by Marya Draper, a regular studio user.

Drypoint Etchings and a Collagraph (bottom) by Tricia Johnson, a regular studio user.

Collagraph (left) by Debbie Moran, a regular studio user. 

Linocut (right) by Shirley Scott.

Screen print (top right) by Shirley Scott.

Screen print (middle right) by Shirley Scott.

Monoprint screen print (bottom right) by Nicole Phillips, a studio user.

 

Japanese Woodblock by Laura Boswell. Laura will be teaching this technique again in October 2018. 

Pop in to the Oxmarket Gallery in Chichester from now until Sunday
3rd June 2018 to view all of this work as well as lots more artworks using various techniques.

All of our workshops can found here. 

I am a printmaker and illustrator living in Dorchester, Dorset. Currently I concentrate on printmaking especially linocuts, and collographs.

Describe your printmaking process.

 My print making process has developed over the years to the point now where, although occasionally more involved than I would like,
it seems to work.

How and where did you learn to print?

 I normally begin a print with numerous drawings covering sheets of paper with variations of ideas and designs. This is a vital tool
to iron out problems before I start cutting. The colours are also explored at this stage, and with it a chance to see if a specific combination will
work together and combine to create the other variations that I need to create the design. To plan well at this stage should ensure that the later
stages have no unpleasant surprises.With all the design dealt with the cutting process is fairly straight forward. 

I always choose one colour to cut first and use this as a key for all the other colours, although on its own it is still a fairly random group of shapes.
Having cut this, I print it as a proof and then offset this back onto the other three uncut blocks of lino while the ink is still wet on the paper.
Having done this the registration becomes a far less daunting prospect, and the remaining three colours can be drawn out and cut using the offset image
as a guide.

After a day or two proofing the colours and some minor adjustments it’s ready to print.

Why printmaking?

 I am not entirely sure why printmaking rose to the surface, I have used collage, pen and ink over the years, but perhaps my school
art teacher’s enthusiasm for the process stuck with me.

Where do you work? Describe a typical day in your studio.

I have a studio at home where I work, my typical day would be after my children have gone to school, I make a cup of coffee and settle down to work, depending
on what I am working on or how far along the process things will vary. If I am editioning or proofing I try to set a whole day aside, I now only print
a part of the edition at any one time. I also print wet on to wet ink, so if all goes well can easily print ten in a day.

How long have you been printmaking?

 I have been printmaking on and off since I left school, so quite a while now!

What inspires you?

 I am always inspired by figures and movement, I like crowds of people and often sport, I think that this is reflected very much
in my work.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

 My favourite printmaking product is very difficult to choose, but a nice sharp cutting tool is probably the most satisfying to use.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

 I generally like most of the work i have made, but probably my favourite image is ‘Platform Talk’.

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

I exhibit my work in a number of excellent galleries: St Judes Gallery, Pallant House Bookshop Gallery, Church Street Gallery, For Arts Sake, Brook
Gallery, Bourneside Gallery, Gallery Nine, Old School Gallery, Cambridge Contemporary Arts, Mill Tye Gallery, Boxbird Gallery, and on my website
www.paulcleden.co.uk as well as face book and twitter, luckily being the only Paul Cleden
on the web i am reasonably easy to find!

What will we be seeing from you next?

 I have several exciting things just around the corner I have been invited to exhibit at Henley Royal Regatta this year. Also
for the very first time i am opening my studio for Dorset Arts Weeks, I am venue 210 and this is from May 26th – June 10th 2018, I have never done
this before, but I am planning lots of things well as my prints, there will be some collograph work, hand printed cushions, some ‘pocket money
prints’ Art angel cards, and lots more, all very exciting.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

 My advice for creatives is to be patient and be true to who you are, even if the tide of work is landscape and animals and you
are doing figurative prints, I spent a number of years trying to be who I wasn’t and the work was not good.

 

See more of Paul Cleden’s work on his website.

 

 

When we first heard the news that Tetra Pak cartons could be used for printmaking, we were excited to try it out. We started to collect all the cartons
we had at home and got ready to put them to a new use in the studio. Here’s a little project to get started using Tetra Pak cartons to make intaglio
printed drypoints and collagraphs!

The insides of cartons vary a little. When we cut them open we found some to be foil coated and some plastic coated. We’ve tested both types to see if
they both worked well.

Thoroughly rinse out your carton and open it out flat. Wipe clean again and cut it into printing plate sized pieces. You could cut out each panel separately
to avoid the creases or cut pieces that incorporate all the creases to add interest to your prints. We will be using the plain, inside surface of the
carton.

To transfer a drawing, draw your design onto tracing paper using a soft pencil, flip it and scribble on the back to transfer it to your plate. Don’t press too hard or you could
dent the plate.

Use an etching needle to score into the board. Here we
are creating lines that will hold ink to be printed intaglio, like a drypoint plate.

Use a scalpel to score the surface of the card. Gently peel off the top layer to reveal the rough card layer underneath. This rough layer will hold on
to more ink and print a dark area, like a collagraph plate.

This foil lined carton reveals brown card underneath.

The white cartons reveal white card underneath. These plates feel a little less sturdy but can still be carved and scored into.

Before inking your plate, soak your paper in a tray of water. We are using Snowdon – a 300gsm general purpose paper that prints beautifully when soaked.

To print a plate using the intaglio method, we apply ink to the plate and then wipe excess off until the ink is only in the lines and areas we want to
print. We’re using Akua inks –  soy based,
water washable intaglio inks.

Apply ink to the surface of the plate using a rag in dabbing motions or with a soft toothbrush.

Using a piece of mount board or card, push the ink into the lines on the plate. Work the ink in several directions. This process will also help to remove
any excess ink from the surface of the plate.

Next, use a small wad of scrim in a twisting motion to further work the ink into the lines and clean the plate surface.

Pinch a piece of tissue between your forefinger and middle finger and, holding the tissue flat, rub the plate to polish the surface.

To clean up the plate even further, use a piece of soft cloth. Be careful not to wipe any ink from areas that you want to print.

Finally (I promise), use a cotton bud to shine up any areas that you want to print completely white.

To print your plate, remove your paper from the water tray and blot off excess water with blotting paper or a clean cloth. The paper should feel damp but
not too wet. Put your flat facing up on the bed of an etching press and your paper on top.

Our final print has lovely texture from the crumples and folds of the carton.

The cartons that were not foil lined printed beautifully too.

To make your own Tetra Pak print you will need:

• A tetra pak carton
• Scissors
• Tracing paper
• Pencil
• Etching needle
• Scalpel
• Inking plate or glass slab
• Akua ink
• Toothbrush or rag for applying ink
• A piece of mount board or stiff card
• Scrim
• Tissue paper
• Rags for wiping
• Cotton buds for wiping
• Tray for dampening paper
• Paper to print on
• Etching press

City of Gold by Gail Brodholt (image courtesy of Gail Brodholt)

Last weekend Shirley took the Handprinted pop up shop to Printfest. Printfest is an annual print fair
that takes place each year during the early May bank holiday in Ulverston in the Lake District.

This year saw 46 artists and one gallery take part. There is a huge range of printmaking techniques on display and the artists are all on hand to talk
you through how the prints are created.

An etching by Jamie Barnes – which is now hanging in my home!

Gail Brodholt was this year’s Printfest Printmaker of the Year. On the Thursday night she gave
an inspiring talk about her printmaking practice. Showing us lots of prints and plates.

David Peduzzi is local to us and a frequent visitor to the shop so it was lovely to see him
there.

A close up of David’s stand.

A view from above.

Laura Boswell was the lucky recipient of the Awagami Paper award at Printfest with this beautiful
double waterfall print. Laura is teaching a couple of Japanese Woodcut courses for us in October – for more details please click here Laura has also been recently been elected to the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers so it is very exciting for us to have
her back with us. (photo courtesy of Ben Boswell – otherwise known as The Talented Mr B!

We were also really happy to meet Hester Cox who will be coming to Handprinted in June to teach
Collagraph Printmaking. (photo courtesy of Hester Cox)

Other highlights for me included Janis Goodman’s prints – especially this one (photo courtesy
of Janis Goodman).

and Sarah Mander’s etchings.

I have loved Frans Wesselman’s work for a while now – still thinking I should have bought
this one!

To find out more about Printfest please click here. Next year’s dates are Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th
May – hopefully see you there!

All photos are courtesy of Kate Kirkwood unless tagged.