Author: handprinted

We are pleased to be opening our doors once more for the Chichester Art Trail!
Both Shirley and Holly will be exhibiting their latest work in the Handprinted Studio. The exhibition will feature relief prints, screen prints, etchings,
indigo dyeing and batiks! There will be framed and unframed works as well as homewares and bags to view and for sale.

The Art Trail is a great opportunity to visit our studio and see what we’re all about. For any of you who would like to know what we get up to when we’re
not teaching, blogging and posting orders, this is your chance to see! Both of us will be on hand to talk about our work, the studio and our workshops.
The Handprinted Studio will be open for the Art Trail all May bank holiday
weekend (29th, 30th April, 1st May) and the following weekend (6th & 7th May) from 10.30 until 5.30.

There are 150 artists to visit in 114 venues in the Chichester Art Trail this year! Take a look at the venue map to see the artists in your local area – we’ve got lots of other great artists near us in Bognor.

Here’s a few pictures of last year’s exhibition:

Come along to Handprinted, 22 Arun Business Park, Shripney Road, Bognor Regis, PO22 9SX to see what we’ve got this year!

 

Handprinted are organising a Tea Towel Print Exchange to raise money for WaterAid!

WaterAid help the world’s poorest communities to transform their lives with clean water. 1 in 10 people don’t have access to safe water and 1 in 3 don’t
have access to a decent toilet. We want a world where everyone everywhere has these basic human rights by 2030. Together we can make that happen. WaterAid
are on a mission to get ‘safe water, sanitation and hygiene to everyone everywhere by 2030‘. WaterAid reached 2 million people with safe water
and 3 million people with sanitation last year. We want to raise as much money as we can for WaterAid through our Tea Towel Print Exchange!

To take part all you have to do is print three tea towels, send them to us at Handprinted and receive three random printed tea towels from other participants.
We are asking all participants to make a suggested donation of £10 to WaterAid and then you can screen print, block print, embroider, dye, stamp and decorate the tea towels in any way you like!

Young girls in Sanankoro village, Mali, practice good hygiene by washing their hands in clean water from their new water points. Photographer credit: WaterAid/Layton Thompson

Want to join in? Here’s how:

Step 1: Click here to donate to WaterAid
via our Just Giving page – we suggest a donation of £10

Step 2: Sign up for the exchange either by popping into the Handprinted Shop or clicking here to register as a postal participant.

Postal participants are charged £1.60 which will go towards covering postage expenses – absolutely no profit will be made from postage costs. Entrants
anywhere within Europe can join in too!

Step 3: Print your tea towels! Show us what you’re making using the hashtag #teatowelsforwateraid

Step 4: Get your tea towels to us by 30th June – drop them off at our Bognor Regis shop or post to: Handprinted, 22 Arun Business Park,
Shripney Road, Bognor Regis, PO22 9SX. Please include your name and address so we know who the tea towels are from.

Step 5: Receive your three random tea towels! Pick up from the shop or receive them in the post. We will send the tea towels out in mid
July. Show us what your received using the hashtag #teatowelsforwateraid

Nadia collects clean water from the rehabilitated borehole in Nyamigende village, Rwanda. Photographer credit: WaterAid/Zute Lightfoot

If you’re local, use the Handprinted studio to create your tea towels – why not come as a group and all print together? If you’re further away you could
meet up at home with a couple of friends and each print three tea towels. They can be all different or all the same, using any decorative technique
that you like. Feel free to use any tea towels you can get your hands on to create your own unique designs. We want you to be creative! If you like,
you can even download the ‘In support of WaterAid’ logo below and add it to your design.

Sign up to enter by post!

Donate to WaterAid

Start printing!

Meet London based artist and designer Sarah Hamilton and enter our competition for a chance to win a copy of her new card making book ‘House of Cards‘.

Sarah has been running her own creative business for over 20 years. She describes her work as ‘Joyful, fresh and contemporary, with a Mid-Century Scandinavian
feel. Colours, and their effect on each other, fascinate me. Put simply my colours must sing.’

She contributes regularly to UK Handmade magazine and is a passionate champion of independent businesses and Artists and Designers. Such is her belief
in their future she instigated the ‘Just a Card‘ campaign to encourage people to support them.
She’s also been a guest speaker at Mollie Makes awards, Crafty Fox Market events and for The Design Trust. Sarah’s work has sold through many prestigious
stores.

Describe your printmaking process.

Silkscreen printing is my first love. I mainly use paper cut stencils and my book ‘House of Cards’ describes the process, as well as other techniques,
in depth. Ten leading artists and designers, including Gabriela Szulman, Kirsty Elson and Sam Marshall, detail their own favoured techniques to inspire
both those new to printmaking and professional artists alike. The aim is to show that greeting cards can be artworks in their own right though the
book is useful and inspiring to everyone interested in a variety of printmaking processes including lino printing, textile foiling and letterpress
printing.

How and where did you learn to print?

My first degree was in Fine Art, Printmaking from Manchester, followed by a post-grad at Central St Martins. Very happy days, and I was taught etching
by Norman Ackroyd – if you know his work you’ll appreciate how lucky I was, though I ultimately specialised in screen printing I loved etching too.

Why printmaking?

Nothing beats the excitement of lifting a silkscreen to see the results of printing. I use a variety of mediums, and make a range of work, but my first
love is my trusty screen press. I’m addicted to paper and love everything about the process – cutting paper stencils, mixing inks, brandishing a squeegee,
watching multiple prints stack up. Screen printing is a great way to learn about and discover colour relationships – however experienced you are, you
can never predict the results.

Where do you work?

My studio’s in my home in Dulwich, South London. It’s an unusual split-level 1950’s house set in woods overlooking the city. The best thing about it is
that it’s an upside down house, the living spaces are at the top, so my studio is flooded with natural light. I’ve the best of both worlds here as
it’s very green, but only 14 minutes by train to central London.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

One of the many pleasures of my work life is that no two days are the same. Days are spent designing, packing online orders or meeting clients, either
here or in the studio, to discuss a commission. I also run the JUST A CARD campaign, write for various publications, as well as being a trustee of
an educational arts charity – all these add ensure my week is as varied as it is busy.

How long have you been printmaking?

My first encounter with silkscreen printing was at sixth form college – aged sixteen. I had a fantastic Art tutor – one of those extra special inspirational
teachers who alter the course of your life by their passion and enthusiasm.He’d persuaded the college to invest in printmaking facilities, and I clearly
recall him saying he thought I’d love screenprinting as I was so keen on experimenting with colour.I’ll always be grateful to him for his support and
encouragement.

What inspires you?

Nature, music, folk art, travel, fifties designs, everything Japanese, architecture, books – all the usual suspects with a healthy dose of music, friendship
and laughter rolled in.I gravitate to art, architecture and design from the ‘less is more’ school of thought – clean lines, the union between materials,
colour and imagery. As to the music, friendship and laughter- the more of that the better!

What is your favourite printmaking product?

I love so many tools and products associated with printmaking, but one of my very favourites is lino rollers. I especially like the ones with wooden handles
and brass fixings, so beautifully made.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

A living as an artist and designer – does that count!? It’s not easy – there are so many challenges, but overcoming them is part of the exciting creative
journey.

Where can we your work? Where do you sell?

Every year, in May (Sat/Sun 13-14th this year)I have an Open House/Studio. It’s fun, sociable and everyone’s welcome so do pop in. It’s a great day out
and we have fabulous cakes too. Details will be on my social media channels and website. I also sell via my website and through various galleries and
independent shops.

What will we be seeing from you next?

2017 is shaping up to be very busy and I’m planning to focus on more Fine Art work. Funnily enough, as the book was meant to inspire people, Sam Marshall’s
chapter in House of Cards about lino printing has reignited my love of relief printing – I may well be ordering some lino materials from Handprinted
soon.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

My advice is to always keep your creative aims in mind – try new things and never compare yourself to others.

Also, very importantly, embrace Social Media with open arms – it really is an artists’ best friend. No end of opportunities have come my way from it. Be
patient, consistent and generous to others and you’ll find it makes a huge difference. I wouldn’t have written this book if I hadn’t made the initial
contacts on Twitter. It’s very important to remember that SM is not all about selling – it’s as much about making connections which ultimately lead
to somewhere.

And finally – Check out the JUST A CARD campaign to encourage people to support artists, makers and independent shops. Follow us on Social Media – especially
on Instagram. Our volunteer team work extremely hard to promote the campaign so we’d love you to join us.

For more of Sarah’s work, follow on Instagram: @SarahHamiltonPrints,
@hoc_cardbook and @Justacard

To enter our April giveaway for a copy of Sarah Hamilton’s new book House of Cards, click here! Competition closes on 30th May 2017.

 

The Xcut Xpress is traditionally used as a die cutting machine but has found a whole new life as a printing press! This small scale machine is portable,
affordable and can produce amazing quality prints. We used our Xcut Xpress with Extended Print Bed and Felt to produce a linocut, a drypoint etching and a collagraph!

The Xcut comes folded into its portable form. The press unfolds to produce the print bed and rollers.

Each side has a removable piece that can be lifted out.

Underneath is a slide that can lock the sides of the press down in place.

The side pieces can then be replaced the other way up, clicking into place to produce a flat bed.

The Xcut Xpress comes with a short bed but we have an extended bed and compressed felt to further the printmaking possibilities of this machine. To print, we added two pieces of newsprint
between the bed and the felt.

Linocut: Pressure at 6.5

We inked up one of our linocuts with Hawthorn Dense Black Stay Open Ink. We used a Hawthorn Roller to transfer the ink to the block.

We adjusted the height of the roller to 6.5 and gently fed in the print bed and felt. The lino was placed face up on top of the print bed and one piece
of newsprint. The second piece of newsprint and felt were placed on top.

We are using 3.2mm traditional grey lino onto 190gsm Kent paper. 6.5 seems to be the perfect pressure
for this combination with our 3mm thick compressed felt and extended bed.

You will need to guide the bed with your hands until the roller takes hold of the lino. The handle is easy to turn and requires no pressure.

After one pass through the press we got a perfect print.

Drypoint Etching: Pressure at 4

We inked up one of our drypoint etching plates with Caligo Safe Wash Etching Ink in Carbon Black.
For more information about making and printing a drypoint etching, see our blog post.

We turned the dial to 4 to get the correct pressure and gently fed in the print bed and felt, again with two pieces of newsprint to sandwich our print
(you will need to turn the dial to 4 before feeding the bed and felt in as the felt will resist the dial being turned this low). This seems to be the
lower limit of the press when using this print bed and 3mm felt. We are using 0.5mm drypoint plastic with 190gsm Kent paper with our extended print bed and felt.

Dampened Kent paper was placed on top.

The print came out crisply with lovely embossed plate marks.

Collagraph: Pressure at 4.5

We inked up one of our collagraph plates with Akua Intaglio Ink in Carbon Black.
For more information about creating a card cut collagraph like this one, see our blog post.

We turned the dial to 4.5 and gently fed through our print bed, newsprint and felt. We used 1400 micron mount board with very low relief collagraph textures.
Again, we printed onto dampened 190gsm Kent paper.

Although the plate was old and worn out from lots of use, the print came out beautifully with varying tones and embossed plate marks.

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

This project uses just one block of Easy Carve to create a two colour block print on fabric. This is an adaptable technique that will have you printing yardage in
no time!

Start by drawing your design out onto a piece of Easy Carve. Try using a pencil to map out your image and then a permanent pen to finalise your lines.

Use a V tool to go round all the edges of your shapes and to carve out the finer detail.

Use a shallow U tool to clear larger areas and the background. Don’t worry about carving out the whole background as we are going to remove most of it in a few steps time…

Use a scalpel to divide the block into pieces that will be printed different colours. In this case we want a separate plant and pot. The Easy Carve cuts easily without having to apply too much pressure.

Cut out the bits of your background that you don’t need. The shaped block will also help you to see where you are printing on your fabric.

Mix your favourite colours from Speedball Screen Printing Inks for Fabric. Note we are using screen printing inks for block printing – they produce a soft handle
and washable colour on the fabric.

Roll out your colour using a Sponge Roller. A solid roller will
slide around in the ink and you will not get even coverage.

Roll your ink onto your first block.

Press your block face down onto your fabric and press down hard all over it. We used a masking tape line as a guide to keep our prints straight. We always
recommend that you use a slightly padded surface when printing onto fabric to ensure even prints. A piece of board covered tightly with a blanket and
topped with fabric works well.

Re-ink your block and repeat the process alongside your last print.

Use another masking tape guide to mark the next row, using a piece of Easy Carve to make sure your whole block will fit. Be sure to remove your previous
piece of tape first.

Print rows of your first block. We printed them in brick fashion to add a little more interest.

Mix a second colour and ink up your second block.

You should be able to see where the new block fits into the first block’s print (this is the part that I managed to cover up with my hand here…)

Fill in the gaps along the whole fabric to finish your print. When your prints are dry, iron the fabric on a hot setting to fix your ink. Your fabric will
then be washable.

To print your own fabric you will need:

• Easy Carve
• Pencil and permanent pen
• Lino Cutting Tools
• Scalpel
• Speedball Screen Printing Inks for Fabric
• Sponge Roller
• Inking Tray or glass slab
• Fabric to print on
• Slightly padded surface
• Iron