Author: handprinted

I’m Eric Gaskell, born in Wigan, going through school in 60’s and 70’s. I was always good at drawing but only really finding out about art as a 17 year
old sixth former. Before then I’d never heard of even Van Gogh or Picasso (let alone anyone else). For the last 37 years, since leaving art college,
I have been making “things” for myself, other people, publishers and companies in one way or another. Illustrations, graphics, typography, design and
art. I have always made the effort to draw, whatever else was happening, and whenever possible to exhibit work in open, group and one-man shows.

Describe your printmaking process.

Drawing. Then more drawing. Depending on the “idea”or the motif that would be drawing from life or drawing entirely from my head. This means some of my
work is quite abstracted (with no particular idea of how the print will develop) and some very figurative. But it all starts with drawing. When I have
“sort of” got something I can work with I transfer to a block, that could mean a highly detailed drawing or it could be a very loose set of boundaries.
I try to decide in advance if it will be a reduction or a multi-block linocut but more often than not I will go for a multi-block, which means I can
leave open the option of a reduction as well. Annoyingly this path often leads to confusion and progression dilemma. Whether it is highly figurative
or very loose I will always transfer the key block (whether that has lots of info or little) to the other blocks, at least this way I know they will
register. With highly figurative work it is around now that I will give each block its colour ways (on the understanding that they could change). From
here on out it is more a matter of flying by-the-seat-of-my-pants, however I do always proof on a very regular basis, probably a little too much sometimes.
It’s only by this constant proofing that I can work out the next sets of cuts, it’s a bit like playing chess and being aware of the next 5 or 6 moves
ahead. Here is why making multi-block, reduction print (which is how the majority of mine end up) can be problematic. As you cut less from each block,
than a typical one-block reduction, your options are always open. So knowing when to finish can be difficult. In the end you do though, generally because
I put it to one side and don’t do anymore for a month or so.

How and where did you learn to print?

I went to Wigan College of Art where, when we did any printmaking it was principally intaglio. It was also a bit ad hoc, I don’t remember a lecturer being
there very often so we would mix our own acids until there was a pungent green smoke. When I moved to Sunderland Art College the print rooms were a
lot more professional, certainly not as relaxed as Wigan. I spent my time split between painting and intaglio/linocut. The head of printmaking Dave
Gormley was brilliant, he was very good at prompting you to push your work, quick to questions your motives and technical skills but always there to
add comments about the best way to achieve something. Although mainly linocut/etching I did dabble in typography (producing a small book), litho and
engraving, but always went back to lino.

Why printmaking?

I am one of those printmakers who actually is a painter, who also makes prints. My working process tends to push me toward bright, graphic shapes and compositions
which can be developed in either discipline. Most of the time it ends up as print – but sometimes it goes down both avenues.

Where do you work?

In my studio at home which is big enough “just”, to print and paint. My painting area was the bigger, but over the years that has shrunk as printing took
over.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

Generally the first thing I do is check my emails – just in case I have sold something (which I do amazingly) and check out the world. I usually have some
form of work on the go, so I will generally take time to see where I up to with those pieces. That could be either print or paint as I usually work
on both at the same time, often the same motif crossing from one to the other. I try to spit my time between printmaking and drawing (painting fits
in there, but not as much) so while I am waiting for colours to dry, or for some form of inspiration about what to do next, I will draw. Often that
will mean leaving the studio to draw in front of the motif, sometimes it is drawing from drawings, to work out what either the next step in the print
or painting is or to push forward an new work. I spend an inordinate amount of time prevaricating through drawing, looking at new angles, new shapes,
marks, textures etc. Sometimes they do actually get used, most of the time they are added to 1000’s of drawings that time forgot. I don’t have a set
time for doing things as such, but I do try to have a couple of prints going at the same time. That means I try to get two colours a day on each. Clearly
that leaves time for the multitude of other things like; drawing, vacuuming (it has to be done), eating and most important of all – daydreaming.

How long have you been printmaking?

The very first “real” print I made, with real tools, in a print-room was in 1976. Before that I couldn’t really say that any printmaking I made at school
was done properly.

What inspires you?

Apart from a list of painters/printmakers as long as my arm, generally the world around me. I am principally a figurative artist, so the majority of my
drawings are from life, which get transferred and many times lose their “reality” in the print process. For many years what I has really inspired me
are man-made structures, things with angles and shadows. Which is why I like the canals, they are man-made but also have the benefit of water which
adds a separate dimension.

Having said all that I have for around 10 years been making work based on my genealogical research. I’ve even managed to have several one-man shows of
the work around the UK. This is a very different type of work, based on shape, iconography, abstracted colour and often – text.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

That is really tricky as without good tools, ink and paper I wouldn’t be able to do anything. But the two things I use a lot at the moment are extender/water-soluble
vehicles which let me play around with colours and newsprint which lets me soak up colours to produce subtle tints.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

From a printmaking point of view there are two things fairly recently, one “Narrowboat” because it was commercially successful and I actually sold out
the edition very quickly. The other a triptych “Rugby School 1, 2, 3” because it was a departure from work I had been doing (and in effect closer to
my drawing/painting) and commercially the opposite of the other print.

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

I try to show work several times during the year, in one-man shows and often in group shows (with the Printmakers Council and SGFA). I do have work in
galleries (which sadly come and go) and at the moment have work in The Fosse House Gallery in Dunchurch, The Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa and Audlem
Mill in Audlem.

Ellesmere Port Museum: 11 May – 9 July

The Glass Museum, St Helens: 11 Nov – 12 Jan

I am fairly mobile and teach linocut to any group that would like me to, so I have taught in Cheshire, Stoke, Coventry and to numerous small groups locally.
I also open up my own studio to groups of 3-4. I have in the past taught in Art Colleges, but recently teach regular classes in Rugby at The Percival
Guildhouse and to an Art Society in Weedon. If anyone would like me to do the same just email me.

What will we be seeing from you next?

The work I am making at the moment is moving away from the three-dimensional reality of previous work, toward a more stylised view of – in this case –
tumbling water, something I have played with a lot. That of course doesn’t mean that in the future I won’t be bouncing back and forth between reality
and abstraction.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Whenever I am asked this the most important thing I can say is – draw. Often the reply is, “I can’t draw” my answer is, It doesn’t really matter if you
can or can’t. Fundamentally the art of drawing is the act of seeing. To draw well you need to look a lot, most people give the world a casual glance,
they don’t really “see” it. Drawing also lets you develop ideas, it lets you experiment with mark-making, texture and composition and all very quickly.
If after you have made all those squiggles, and dots and marks and you still want to be able to draw, in an academic way – then take classes, but never
think that in order to make an interesting/engaging linocut that you need to be able draw at a very advanced level.

To see more of Eric’s fantastic work, visit his website.

This is Maisie on work experience at Handprinted. Shirley and Holly have very kindly let me try out this Carve a Stamp Kit and write about my thoughts on it. The kit contains: An ink pad, carving tools (1 V shape fine tool and another
V shape wider tool) and 5 blank stamps.

This new product uses a simple technique that produces effective results. The product is reasonably priced at £12.99 including everything you need to produce
many prints. It is a great gift idea for birthday presents or just if you are feeling creative.

You can print on plain wrapping paper to give it your own unique style. You can also be inventive with what you choose to print on. For example, present
labels, cards, envelopes and scrap book covers.

Step 1: Design the stamp.

Firstly, place the rubber on a piece of paper and draw around it so you know the size that your design needs to be. Then, draw your design in the box.

You could write a message, symbol or image.

Step 2: Draw your design onto the stamp.

You could use carbon paper or tracing paper to get the design exactly the same to your drawing or you could draw it free hand.

Step 3: Carve the stamp.

Holding the tool at a low angle, carefully carve away the areas of the stamp that you don’t want to print. There are 2 carving tools that you can use.
The finer V shape tool should be used for smaller detailed areas and the wider V shape tool should be used to clear away larger areas.

Step 4: Print the stamp.

Make sure that you generously cover the stamp as you don’t want it to be patchy. It should shine when you tilt the stamp like the image below. Then press
down firmly onto the material of your choice.

These are all 5 of my stamps.

And that’s it! 4 easy steps for creating your own stamps. The Carve a Stamp Kit is an easy way to add that homemade touch.

Here at Handprinted we are always getting asked to explain the difference between all the lino relief blocks available. It can be very confusing knowing
whether to choose traditional lino or try an alternative such as Softcut or Vinyl.

To help you decide on the right material for you, we’ve tested five different blocks in a variety of ways such as cutting fine lines and ink application
and posted our findings below. At the bottom of the page we’ve summarised each material to help you make an informed choice.

Blocks tested:

Traditional Lino –
hessian backed grey lino

Softcut – a softer, smooth rubber-like material

Easy Carve –
dark grey, soft carving material

Transparent Block – a see-through plastic carving material

Japanese Vinyl – double sided material that is blue on one side, green on the other and black in the middle

All of the blocks were fresh and tested with our versatile Japanese Cutting Tools which are inexpensive and cut very well.

Cutting Fine Lines

We used the V tool from our set to test how easy it was to cut very fine lines into the blocks.

Traditional Lino – When pressing fairly firmly a very fine line can be achieved by skimming the V tool across the surface

Softcut –Very easy to cut fine lines with less pressure needed than on lino

Easy Carve –As with softcut, very fine lines achieved easily

Transparent Block – Very fine lines can be achieved but are a little harder to control as more pressure is needed

Japanese Vinyl – Very fine lines can be carved easily but are too shallow to reach the black middle layer and so are not as clear to see

Cutting Curves

Traditional Lino – Smooth curves can be achieved but it’s a little tricky and needs practice

Softcut – Easy to cut, smooth curves, steeper curves can become a little jagged

Easy Carve – As with Softcut, curves are easy to cut but steeper curves can become a little jagged

Transparent Block – Stiffer to cut a curve and slightly harder to control

Japanese Vinyl – As with Softcut and Easy Carve, curves are easy to cut but steep curves can come out a little jagged if rushing!

Clearing

The large, shallow U tool was used to clear a larger area of the blocks.

Traditional Lino – Easy to clear large areas

Softcut – Easy to clear but with a little bit of stretch when pushing the tools

Easy Carve – Easy to clear

Transparent Block – More pressure needed and a little slippy but clears well

Japanese Vinyl – Easy to clean and the black middle layer makes it very easy to see where you have cut deep enough

Cutting Edges

With the large U tool we carved to the edges of the materials to see how they behaved.

Traditional Lino – Easy to control when carving edges and close to the edge with a little pressure

Softcut – Easy to carve to the edges with less pressure but the slight stretch leaves a slightly raised edge that needs to be cut

Easy Carve – Easy and controlled to cut to the edges

Transparent Block – Stiffer and a little harder to control, left a slight raised edge as with the Softcut

Japanese Vinyl – Easy to cut to the edges, clear to see and controllable with not too much pressure needed

Drawing your Design

We tested three ways of drawing a design onto the blocks: with a white pencil, an HB pencil and a Sharpie permanent marker.

Traditional Lino – Can see both white pencil and HB pencil clearly

Softcut –  Cannot see the white pencil, can see the HB pencil softly

Easy Carve – Can see both pencils in the right light

Transparent Block – Neither show

Japanese Vinyl – HB pencil shows, white pencil does not

Sharpie permanent marker can be used on any of the materials. The pen must be left to dry for a few seconds or it may smudge. It is worth noting that the
inside of the Japanese Vinyl is black so if using a black pen to mark a drawing, it may be a little confusing to see where you have cut. Another colour
would be better.

Transfer Paper or carbon paper can also be used to transfer a design. This works extremely well on Traditional Lino and quite well on Vinyl. The
design can be seen slightly on Transparent Block but not at all on Softcut or Easy Carve.

Cutting with a Scalpel

Sometimes you need to trim a block down to the correct size or shape. We tested how easy this was to do on each of the blocks with a scalpel.

Traditional Lino – 7 cuts needed to get through the block with quite a bit of pressure but easy to control

Softcut – Easy to cut in only 2 cuts

Easy Carve –  Easy to cut in 4 cuts

Transparent Block – Harder to cut a straight line, 5 cuts needed

Japanese Vinyl –  Harder to cut straight, 6 cuts needed

Ink Application

We tested each of the blocks for ink application using Cranfield Water-Based Inks.

All of the blocks covered easily in an even layer of ink with no separation or slippage.

All Five Materials Overall

Traditional Lino – pleasing
to cut, lovely detail and very controllable. Easy to draw onto with white pencil, HB, pen or transfer paper. A little more pressure is needed when
cutting, especially when the lino is very cold. Fresh lino is a lot better than old lino which will dry out and become crumbly. The edges snap off
when the cutting tool is flicked upwards to create a lovely edge to your marks. This seems unique to lino – when carving other materials, the tool
needs to be raised up through the surface to end your marks.

Softcut – Very
easy to carve with less pressure needed. Good for those with a little less strength or for younger printmakers. There’s a little bit of stretch when
cutting which can affect the edges slightly but does not crumble. Carve on the smooth side not the rough.

Easy Carve – Pleasing
to carve with less pressure needed than with traditional lino but a little more than with Softcut. Similar to Softcut with no crumble but with less
stretch.

Transparent Block – A
little firmer to cut and slightly harder to control. It can be tricky to see where you have carved but the transparent quality of this material is
really useful when registering prints and when tracing designs onto the block. Brilliant for multi-layered prints but not as pleasing to carve as the
other materials. Does not crumble.

Japanese Vinyl – Pleasing
to carve with slightly less pressure needed than with traditional lino. Does not crumble. Either side can be used (the blue or the green). Potentially
both sides can be used for a multi-layered print as long as large areas do not need to be cleared as they may affect the pressure. The black middle
layer is very useful as it allows you to see where you have carved (as long as you cut deep enough!)

We’re really getting stuck into using our new Ready-Made Thermofaxes.
Two weeks ago we showed you how we used some of them to print patterned papers in bright colours to make all the pieces seen here:

We printed a big stack of these papers using six of the Ready-Made Thermofax designs. We then used these papers to make a découpage chair! Here’s how we made it:

We cut a 3 x 10cm template from a piece of plastic and used it to cut up our papers into rectangles.

A while ago we got hold of two vintage chairs. We used the first to create this Block Printed Chair and now we’re ready to use the second!

Using Mod Podge we began to glue the pieces in a line down the centre
of the chair.

We used a foam brush to spread a slightly watered down Mod Podge over the surface of the chair and then over the top of the paper, one piece at a time.

We overlapped the edges of our chair to be trimmed later and left a few gaps in the pattern where the wood can be seen.

When the glue was dry (we waited overnight) we used a scalpel to trim the edges of the overlapping pieces.

The surface was then covered in another layer of Mod Podge.

The glue dried overnight to a clear finish, leaving us with a bright, print-covered chair!

To have a go with Thermofax printing yourself, take a look at our
Ready-Made designs or
make your own! See how the designs
were printed in our Blog Post.

My name is Elizabeth Harbour.

I studied illustration at Maidstone College of Art and went on to study an MA at the Royal College of art. I am a Printmaker, illustrator, designer and
crafter and run art classes and print workshops in Kent and Sussex.

Describe your process

I always make several drawings for ideas, often exploring mark-making and colour-combinations. Then I decide what print process my design is best suited
to, as each print process produces a very different result and feel. Once this is decided, I refine the image using trace and work out the colour.
Sometimes I like to make colour separation decisions halfway through the print process.

How and I where did you learn to print?

Maidstone College of Art’s print room where I gained my first print experience, this was with large cast iron presses. In the last 20 years I have developed
my own printmaking methods: mono-printing, screen-printing and relief-printing all of which can be done from home. I always paint directly onto my
screens, this method reminds me a little of the lithographic process.

Why printing?

I love that fact that sometimes print making can be unpredictable, this has been very freeing for me as an artist. I also love the fact that you can print
in multiples with some print processes – printing on paper, fabric and even printing books, I have always found this exciting. In the last few years
I have been making limited edition prints as well as hand-printed cards, printed papers and textiles.

Where do you work?

From my studio on warm days in my greenhouse and even from the kitchen table!

Describe a typical day in your studio.

I love my studio days, which are three days a week, as I also run my own Art for Enjoyment art classes in Kent and Sussex, which I really enjoy.

Once my children have left for school, I work in my studio from about 8.00a.m. I always listen to music when I work (I love an eclectic mix of music).
For laborious processes such as cutting 80 tiles for a paper design I listen to Radio 4 drama from the BBC website. I always have ideas and projects
that I am working on, whether it’s limited edition prints, new card designs or printed papers. I also love creating new seasonal crafts for Country
Living Magazine, which I have been asked to do again this year. Some of the crafts use simple printmaking techniques.

How long have you been printmaking?

30 years

What inspires you?

 Exploring Processes, Folk Art, Kent, Nature and 20th Century British Art and Design.

What product/tool could you not be without?

I am afraid that there are several: a Japanese hole-punch (it’s great for cutting holes in designs), a wooden-handled lino-cutting set and my homemade
silk screens.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I still love an etching with aquatint that I created in my Maidstone days – ‘Ice Skating’ and more recently my block printed-paper designs and Lavender
Tabbies.

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

Leadbetter and Good, Emma Mason Gallery, Edwards and Todd Hastings, Barnstar Rye and on my website and web shop.

My Twitter and Facebook pages (where I often show work produced in my print workshops) can be accessed via my website.

What will we be seeing from you next?

More Designs for textile animals, hand-printed papers and large monoprints.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Good prints can be created from home and the process doesn’t have to be expensive.

See more of Elizabeth Harbour’s work at elizabethharbour.co.uk

We’ve been working hard at Handprinted getting lots of designs together for a new range of Ready-Made Thermofaxes. We wanted to create adaptable designs that can be printed as they are, in repeat, layered to create textures
and printed onto paper or fabric! A special project using these new Thermofaxes is underway and we can’t wait to show it to you. Here’s a few of our new designs being printed:

Our new Zigzag design:

Printing our Circles design:

Six out of eleven of our new Thermofaxes printed onto paper:

All eleven Thermofax designs are available to buy through the website now!
We’re really pleased with them. Which is your favourite?

We are delighted to have Sue Brown joining us for her signature workshop next Autumn! We asked Sue to tell us about her work and processes:

I am Sue Brown and have been an artist/printmaker for nearly 20 years. I live and work in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and drive a 2CV.

What kind of printmaking do you do?

My specialism is Collagraph printmaking. Collagraph is an intaglio printmaking process which involves making a collage combining DIY filla, carborundum
and found textures. The technique produces prints with deeply textural surfaces.

How and where did you learn to print?

I learnt to do etching in the early 80’s when I studied for a fine art degree at Bristol Polytechnic. It was when I returned to teaching adults art in
a college of Further education after having 3 children that I discovered collagraph. I was checking out art departments after a career break of 10
years and discovered collagraphs being made at the local Stiener school, I introduced the technique to my adult learners and have been a technique
magpie ever since. I continually add new processes, materials and ideas to this flexible way of printmaking. In 2012 I graduated with a Multi Disciplinary
Printmaking MA from the University of the West Of England (Bristol Poly with another name).

Why printing?

I love the stages of plate making, inking and printing. I am a hands on sort of person and I enjoy the practical problem solving that only printmaking
offers me.

Where do you work?

I used to have a studio in the cellar of my house, then moved it into a posh garden shed. 2 years ago I took the step of renting a studio with a teaching
space just up the road from where I live. I can still get there in my pajamas but only in the dark so the neighbors don’t see.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

I would love to say there is a typical day, but in reality it varies unless I have a teaching day. If I am plate making or editioning I will start early,
lots of coffee will be involved and radio 4 will always be on.

How long have you been printmaking?

Professionally I have been printmaking for nearly 20 years, but I have been working on and off since art college in 1979.

What inspires you?

All things ornithological.

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

At the moment I love Hawthorn inks, their metallic inks are gorgeous. I cannot live without my Art Equipment press, I was able to buy it 20 years ago by
cashing in an insurance policy.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

A full sized collagraph of an Ostrich. Printed at the Cheltenham Ladies College who have a press the size of a double bed.

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

The last 2 years I have been fortunate enough to have been asked to demonstrate in the printmaking tent at Art in Action, Oxfordshire. My work can be seen
in several galleries around the country from Much Wenlock to Bristol, Lancaster to Godalming. This autumn I have had 2 collagraphs selected for the
RWA’s 164 Annual Open Exhibition in Bristol.

What will we be seeing from you next?

I am planning to explore birds perching on heads and create a series of textural pieces using polyfilla and carborundum. It is Cheltenham Open Studios
in 2017 and I want a new body of work that might surprise.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

I like the advice novelist Neil Gaiman gives to creatives: There are 3 things that make a good artist, being on time, making good work and being nice…but
you do not have to be all 3 at the same time. If you are late, but are nice and make good work you will be forgiven. If you are on time and make good
work you will be forgiven for being a bit hard to deal with. If you are on time and nice to deal with they will still like your work even if it is
not so good.

I maintain however, above all do good work, keep doing good work, you get no where without the work!!

To see more of Sue’s work, visit her website or The Yard Art Space. You can also keep up to date on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here for more information about Sue Brown’s
Mixed Media Sketch Book Techniques Workshop at Handprinted.

We’ve had such a brilliant year in the Handprinted Studio! We have enjoyed seeing our customers get stuck into a huge variety of techniques both in our
packed workshops programme and during our open access days.

As well as Shirley and Holly teaching workshops every week we’ve been lucky enough to have guest tutors such as Ian Phillips, Polly Finch, David Peduzzi,
Karin Moorhouse and Laura Boswell visiting to teach workshops and give talks on their specialties. We’ve covered screen printing, linocut, woodcut,
thermofax printing, collagraph, drypoint etching, natural dyeing, procion dyeing, devore, batik, stamping, block printing onto fabric, lampshade making,
monoprinting, transfer printing, Indian block printing, t-shirt printing, shibori, Japanese woodblock and more!

Have a look through our snapshot showing just a sample of the amazing work made this year in our Handprinted Workshops:

Our 2017 Workshops kick off on 13th January with our Cardcut Collagraph Fab Friday. We’ve already got Nick Morley,
Ian Phillips, Polly Finch and Sue Brown booked in to teach specialty workshops and we’re working on getting even more guest tutors. Check our Workshops page for the latest programme or contact us for more
information on workshops, custom group sessions, one to one lessons and open access studio facilities.

Thank you to all our lovely customers that have joined us in the studio this year. We have loved having you and look forward to welcoming you back along
with lots of newcomers in the new year!

We’ve had some amazing artists featured on our blog this year. They’ve opened up to us about their working practice, favourite materials and given their
best piece of advice. If you’ve missed any of this year’s Meet the Maker posts, scroll through this list for a catch-up of inspiration!

Gnarly Tree – screen printed ethical clothing

Sophia and Matt – Brighton based textile design

Jenny McCabe – nature inspired printmaking

Laura Boswell – traditional Japanese woodcut

Amy Laws – screen printed clothing

Sarah Waterhouse – fabric design and screen printing

Ian Phillips – linocut landscapes

Lizzie Mabley – nature inspired printmaking and textile
design

Paul Davis – linocut

Anna’s Drawing Room – printmaking and works on textiles

Holly Newnham – printmaking and batik

Kat Lendacka – relief printmaking and works on textiles

Will Dyke – relief printmaking

Karen Lewis – screen printing, textile design and quilting

Jonna Saarinen – screen printing and textile design

Drusilla Cole – relief printmaking

Hannah Madden – relief printing and textile design

Nick Morley – linocut

Karin Moorhouse – painting, drawing and monotype printmaking

Flora Arbuthnott – printmaking, natural dying and
foraging

Polly Finch – intricate papercutting

Lisa Hooper – nature inspired relief printing

Keep your eyes peeled for lots more Meet the Makers and blog projects coming in 2017!

Step-by-step instructions guide you through the techniques such as ‘how to make two-colour prints’ pictured below:

The book is packed with visual inspiration for your own stamping projects

…even printing onto food!

For the chance to win a copy of Rubber Stamping by Stephen Fowler. (This giveaway has now closed).

Can’t wait? You can buy a copy instead here and get stamping straight away.