Author: handprinted

Meet the Maker: Basil and Ford

We are a husband and wife screen printing duo. We met at university where we were both studying Art & Design. In 2011 we got engaged and started the
hunt for wedding stationery. We couldn’t find what we wanted without a huge price tag so we ended up hand screen printing them ourselves and we caught
the bug. Fast forward a couple of years and we were married and still working in London, both in design/ad agencies and then found out we were expecting
our first little one. We assessed all our options and decided we wanted to head out of the big smoke before the baby arrived and thought we would go
all in and set up Basil & Ford back in Stamford all before Matilda turned up in September 2013. And the rest, as they say is history.

Describe your printmaking process.

We have several arms to the business. We design and screen print graphic art prints, we create typographic designs that we print over original book plates
and we design our stationery ranges that we outsource. The screen printing process in short goes like this:

DESIGN – PRINT POSITIVE FILM – COAT SCREEN WITH LIGHT SENSITIVE EMULSION – EXPOSE DESIGN ONTO SCREEN – WASH – DRY – PRINT. We have a little diagram that
you can see on our website: http://www.basilandford.com/what-is-screenprinting/

How and where did you learn to print?

I (Lucy) went to Leeds Metropolitan University and studied art and design and was lucky enough to learn the ropes in their wonderful studio. Matt hadn’t
done it before so he learnt whilst we printed our wedding invitations. Then years later when we decided to set up our own studio we had to refresh
the knowledge again and there was A LOT of errors and learning on the job. Our skills now are so much further on that they were 5 years ago!

Why printmaking?

There is something so wonderful about creating something from scratch and using original processes to do so. Printing a design out on a digital printer
just doesn’t do it for us and we would find it very uninspiring and rather mundane doing that day in day out. We love being able to print on different
substrates and we especially love being able to print on extra thick card and wood.

Where do you work?

When we started we set up our studio in an old garage that wasn’t entirely water tight and was freezing in the winter and very warm in the summer. It wasn’t
ideal but it got us off the ground and we will always look back at those first years with fond memories. We now have an all singing, all dancing studio
that we love.

This is what the studio looked like before we took it over!

Describe a typical day in your studio.

We have two young children and it is only the 2 of us that run Basil & Ford. Our little boy has just turned one so Matt has been manning the studio
single handed for most of the last 12 months. One of our bread and butter products is our 3 Map Wedding Print which are made to order so they take
up a lot of his studio time as each one is laid out, hand printed and finished with original maps which have to be sourced from our vast collection,
cut, mounted and then everything is framed up.

When he isn’t doing that he will be creating new lucky dip prints on vintage book plates (which we also have a vast collection of!) or creating bespoke
wedding stationery for brides and grooms: https://www.instagram.com/mightyfineweddingsuk/

I look after all the finance, ordering, stocktake, wholesale, social media and all general admin from home, the studio or my parents house all with one
or two children tugging at my dress and asking for snacks! :0) September sees our eldest heading off to school so next year we will both be in the
studio together more which we really look forward to.

How long have you been printmaking?

We have been screenprinters since we opened up Basil & Ford in May 2013. We had a few days of it before this date so it was pretty bold to invest our
savings and set up a studio with such little knowledge but sometimes you have to jump straight in at the deep end. Below is an image of us at London
Print Studio back in 2011 and then in our old studio a couple of years ago.

What inspires you?

Everything around us really. Adverts, vintage typography, old books, graphic design, our friends.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

Matt loves creating our lucky dip prints as each one is unique and some of the book plates we are printing on date back to 1900 so the paper stocks are
just incredible.

My favourite product is our wooden table plans that we create for weddings. I think this shows how the screen printing process is more versatile than digital
printing and we also supply these plans with stickers so the table plan doesn’t have to be finalised up until the last minute which gives great flexibility.

We created a video that shows the process for printing our wooden table plans: https://vimeo.com/188961900

What have you made that you are most proud of?

We were very proud when we launched our first collaboration with the V&A for their Shipping Exhibition. Our prints were a sell out and we restocked
every couple of weeks whilst the show was on. We have worked with them since on various bespoke prints for their shop and online shop.

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

We have our own website and also sell on nothonthehightstreet and etsy. We travel the county showcasing our wares at the best craft markets and print fairs and people travel to see us as they want
to rifle through all the lucky dips to pick up some mighty fine art prints. We promote all our new prints on Instagram and confirm markets on there
so give us a follow @basilandford

What will we be seeing from you next?

We are in the process of creating reversed printed mirrors but there are various processes that we are trying to perfect to ensure the product is perfect.
We are also going to launch a small collection of children T-shirts so watch this space.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Don’t undersell yourself. When we started we did so much for no money and people seem to take advantage and see a design service as something that can
be given away for free. Your time is your cost so ensure you get paid for your hard work. Also stick to your guns and create items that you love so
you remain passionate about what you do.

 

See more from Basil and Ford:

Website

Instagram

Not On The Highstreet

Etsy

 

Screen Printing Hand Drawings using Film Marker Pens

Translating drawings into print doesn’t have to include scanning and digitally manipulating your design on a computer. By using opaque film markers onto
screen film we are able to skip the digital part altogether and create a photographic screen directly from the drawings you produce. This allows you
to work in full scale, even tracing other print layers or design elements so that they will fit exactly. 

To do this we need screen film and opaque pens. The
pens need to be dark enough to block the light when exposing the screen. Other pens may let too much light through and the screen will be over-exposed.
We’re using Zig Pens in four different nib types: fine, medium, brush and broad; as well as a Jacquard Film Marker. 

Screen film has a right and wrong side on which to print and draw. You can feel this with your finger tips: the correct side will feel slightly tacky and squeaky
whereas the wrong side will feel smoother. 

Use the different pens to draw onto the film. 

The different nibs yield different results and can be used in combination to achieve the look you want. 

When your drawing is ready you can make your screen. If you don’t want to do this yourself, ask us about producing a screen for you from your drawings. We are using an A4 90T screen to print on paper. 

A screen needs to be coated in sensitised photo emulsion using a coating trough and then dried in the dark. It is then exposed to UV light using an exposure unit, light box or lamp (or even the
sun!) with the film in between, blocking the light from certain areas of mesh. Different exposure units and lamps will need different exposure times
– if you’re trying this at home, experiment with exposure times first. 

Once the screen has been exposed it needs to be immediately rinsed with cold water. The water stops the emulsion from reacting to light. The design should
appear paler on the mesh. Rinse the screen until the drawn areas let light through and return to mesh colour (in this case, yellow). A jet wash is
perfect for this if used gently but a shower or garden hose will work too. 

When the screen is dry, tape round the edges to block off any unwanted open areas of mesh. The screen is then ready to be printed. If you’re printing onto fabric, the screen can
be placed directly onto the fabric on top of a padded table. If printing on paper, it’s best to have a ‘snap off’ – a slight gap between your mesh
and your paper. Vacuum tables or hinge clamps are perfect for this as they provide snap off whilst holding the screen in place, making it easy to register
your print. If you don’t have this equipment, read on for an easy at home way to print onto paper without the use of a vacuum table or hinged board. 

We have set up our print area on a padded surface just like the ones we would use to print onto fabric. A blanket has been tightly stretched around a board
and then covered in cotton. For right handers, place a piece of newspaper on the right hand side of your work space with your ink and squeegee on top. Left handers reverse this. Place your squeegee on a little plinth such as an empty tape roll to keep the ink from
spreading over the handle. 

To create our snap off we can use mount board. Tape a little piece of mount board to the base of each corner of the screen – this will keep our mesh slightly
away from the paper. 

Place the paper on the board – we’re using Kent. Arrange
the drawn film on top of the paper. Use masking tape to mark the edges of the paper. Then place the screen on top, lining the design on the screen
with the design on the screen film. Mark the corners of the screen position with masking tape. 

This method will allow us to place both the paper and the screen down in the same place each time with the print placed correctly on the paper. 

Remove the film and place the screen down on top of the first piece of paper. Use a spatula or spoon to put a layer of ink along the top edge of the screen,
just a little wider than the design. (If you prefer to flood away from you, place the ink at the bottom of the screen instead).

With one hand holding the screen still, gently use a squeegee at a 45 degree angle to drag the ink down the screen (or push upwards and away from you if flooding from the bottom).
Don’t press hard at this point. We are using a grey ink mixed from acrylic paint and acrylic screen printing medium mixed in a 50:50 ratio. 

Continue to hold the screen still with one hand. Scrape the excess ink off the squeegee using the bottom edge of the screen. Bring your squeegee to the
top of the screen and pull it down the mesh again, this time pressing hard downwards. You should hear a tent zip sound and your design should appear.
Check that there are no shiny areas of your design left – if there are, pull the squeegee down hard again. 

Peel the screen away from the board. You may need to peel your paper gently from the mesh. Place a new piece of paper in the marked position and repeat
the printing steps again for another print until you’re happy with your print run. Use a spatula to remove any excess in from the screen and then wipe
the mesh with a soft, cold, damp sponge. Finally, rinse your screen in cold water with a garden or shower hose. 

For this project you will need:

Meet the Maker: Rob Barnes

I studied painting and printmaking at Hull College of Art and London University in the early 1960s. I taught etching, screen-printing, linocut and related
surface printmaking at Keswick Hall College in Norfolk. Later I moved to the University of East Anglia where I continued teaching in the School of
Education until 2006.

I am based in South Norfolk. I have exhibited regularly in London and many of my etchings and linocuts are in private collections, here and abroad. More
recently I have returned to linocuts, enjoying the strong physical nature of this medium. My linocuts are inspired mainly by the landscape of East
Anglia. Effects of light and colour, weather and atmosphere contribute to the final linocut. Recent work has been inspired by observing the changing
fields and wildlife through the seasons. Coastal prints are inspired by Norfolk and Suffolk waterways.

All prints are in limited editions. I enjoy the challenge of cutting lino with a certain freedom in the cutting strokes. I also find printmaking fascinating
when I blend and graduate colours. This gives me an opportunity to play with light and shade, much as I first saw it in the subject that inspired the
idea.

The Albion press pictured above is a copy of one made in 1854. It was cast and constructed by Harry Rochat Ltd in 2013.

Describe your printmaking process.

I create a KEY block and usually two other lino blocks are used. These are REDUCTION blocks so there can be up to six printings. I blend colours and finish
with the black key block. My starting point is always a drawing or sketch on paper. I then draw this in reverse directly onto the lino using a blue
spirit marker pen. Nothing is ever traced as I like to make changes from the first drawing to the final reverse image. I print using oil-based inks
on my Albion press which is a copy of an 1854 press but cast in 2013 by Harry Rochat based in Barnet, London. As I use a reduction block method, this
means the whole edition of 45 or 50 must be printed at the same time.

How and where did you learn to print?

I learned at art school where I had a very good teacher, Simon Goldberg. If he were still alive he would be aged 102 so I cannot thank him as much as I
would have liked. He taught me etching, screen print, wood block, lithography and lino printing.

Why printmaking?

I do paint, but a painting is never really finished so I am tempted to tweak and make changes. Printmaking has a process which suits me well and I love
the challenge of colour blends I can achieve. I also like the developed skill of cutting details.

Where do you work?

I have my own studio in South Norfolk. This is a room in the house, so I come downstairs and everything is available to work.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

My days are not typical, but I have to set aside a very long day to print enough for a full edition. When prints are drying, I turn to my silver jewellery
workbench and make pendants, rings, earrings and bangles.

How long have you been printmaking?

I have been printmaking since I was aged 17 and never stopped.

What inspires you?

I live in the country, so see hares, march harriers, farmland and of course trees. I can watch the changes in the seasons and the nearest farm is only
a few yards away. I am also inspired by old boats and the coast in Norfolk and Suffolk.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

My favourite printmaking tool is probably my Rochat press. Leon Rochat has looked after my printing presses for well over thirty years, and recently we
had lunch together for old times sakes, along with his wife and daughter. A more skilful print engineer I have yet to meet.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I am quite proud of having made eight violins, but if you mean prints, it is often the most recent work that I like.

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

I exhibit at Snape Maltings, Suffolk each year and in Southwold. I also have some work in Blakeney, Norfolk. I can Parcelforce unframed but flat mounted
work. 

What will we be seeing from you next?

Well, I’m working on a piece at the moment which has swans and reflections in the water. My more typical images are rural landscapes often including starlings,
rooks and hares.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

The best advice is never to stop working. If you want colours to be registered perfectly, talk to, or email a printmaker who really knows how to do this.
There is nothing worse than poorly registered lino blocks. Learn to sharpen your lino cutters yourself as they must be razor sharp to produce professional
work.

Find more of Rob’s work on his Facebook page.

 

Caring for an Exposed Screen

It’s important to take care of your exposed screen so that it can last for multiple print runs. With proper care, you should be able to use your screen again and again until you’re ready to have it washed off and a new design exposed. The amount of time your screen can be used depends on many things, including how you care for it, the inks you are using and the detail on your design.

Read on for a list of rules and advice on taking care of your exposed screen:

  • Never let ink dry in your mesh. Once ink has dried it can be almost impossible to remove, especially if you want to keep your emulsion intact. Zest-it Printmaker’s Washdown can help remove dried in ink but this may not remove all of it. Sometimes a jet wash will remove some of the ink but this will damage your emulsion. Usually, if ink dries in the screen it will cause a permanent blockage and might need to be re-meshed. Opaque inks and metallic inks tend to dry a little faster than standard screen printing inks.

  • Keep a bucket of cold water and a soft car sponge with you whilst you work. This helps to prevent any ink drying in the screen. After a print run or when pausing from printing for a tea break or to organise your next prints, wring out the sponge and gently wipe over the mesh on both sides. You should see the ink leaving the design and light should start to show through. At this stage don’t worry about cleaning the taped edges of the screen too much. This way, your mesh stays clean but you don’t have to re-register your frame or wait for ages for the screen to dry. This is particularly useful when printing with hinge clamps or a vacuum bed.

  • Clean your screen with cold water using a garden hose or shower hose. You don’t need a pressure hose – this could damage the emulsion. Don’t use any cleaners, chemicals or soaps.
  • Use only soft sponges to clean your screen. Don’t use brushes. Use separate sponges so they do not become contaminated with other chemicals and solutions that could damage your emulsion.
  • Take off the tape after each print run. Usually, we need to tape the edges of our screen to cover up areas of open mesh. Occasionally, we also may tape over other areas of the screen. It’s important that this tape doesn’t stay on for too long as it gets harder and harder to remove. Try not to put any tape over areas of the design. Use magazine pages to cover these up when printing instead if necessary. It’s best to gently remove the tape after each print run or at the end of the day.
  • Keep your screen away from any sharp corners or objects as they can pierce the mesh.
  • Sometimes pinholes may appear in your screen. The emulsion can wear and little holes can appear that may let ink through to your print. Occasionally, these appear on a newly exposed screen. If this happens, the holes can be easily filled with sensitised emulsion or screen filler. Just paint a small, thin patch over the hole and leave to dry. You can also use a little piece of tape to cover any emulsion holes if you prefer.

  • Store your screen out of strong sunlight. Occasionally, emulsion can super-harden if exposed to too much light. This makes the emulsion almost impossible to remove which can be frustrating when you’re ready for your next design.

For more information on our exposed screen service, click here or read our custom screen terms and conditions.

Meet the Maker – Marian Haf

I’m Marian and in short I’m a Mother of three, allotment neglecter and printmaker, I live in my native West Wales on the side of a hill in Ceredigion.
I dabble with screen printing, wood cuts the odd bit of lino but collagraphs are my thing. 

 

Describe your printmaking process.

I’m a real night owl so all my ideas and plans tend to fill my head when I should be drifting off to sleep, I’m not one for sketch books although I’m trying
to make an effort as my head is so full, more ideas than time at the moment which is a great position to be in. I’ll draw out my plan or image onto tissue paper, as there is always an abundance of it (it’s used to wrap the damp prints in, to transport home from the print group safely and smudge free). Sometimes I draw straight onto mount board which I use as the plate for my collagraphs. The mount board is then worked into and onto, peeling away thin layers to reveal a more textured surface which holds the ink and gives you your darker tones The surface is also scratched and drawn into with controlled and haphazard lines, dots and marks (I like this bit a lot) highlights are added by applying glue to the surface. The mount board is then cut to shape, sealed with shellac and inked. The plate is inked intaglio, the ink is applied quite thickly and worked into the plate with gauze and then buffed away, firstly with yellow pages and then with tissue paper. The inking can take up to an hour for a larger piece but when ready it is sent through the press with damp paper. With one hand behind your back and fingers crossed you lift the paper for the reveal!


How and where did you learn to print?

My first taste of printmaking started early in Secondary School, we had a great art teacher (Huw Art) who had a printmaking degree from Loughborough. We
would make reduction lino prints with oil based inks, I can still remember washing my hands in white spirit! I also had the opportunity to take a printmaking
module on my foundation at CCTA Carmarthen; then that was it for years until I joined a local print group – Printers in the Sticks after the birth
of my first child Sam. It was an escapism for me, fast forward 7-8 years and two more children and I am about to embark on it full time, well as full
time as three children allows!

Why printmaking?

Because its the closest thing to magic that I know of.

I struggled with painting throughout my degree, never really achieving my desired aesthetic, I now understand why, I was in the wrong discipline.

I love the process and the fact that there is a guiding hand and a printing technique to fulfil. It meets all of my aesthetic requirements. although my
prints are predominantly collagraphs I do like adding a paper cut screen print or some blind embossing now and again.

Where do you work?

I feel very lucky to have a little studio in the garden although I feel much more comfortable calling it a shed. my husband built it and it has two equally
sized halves, a half each, its insulated and light and houses my little press and a beautiful plan chest that Andy managed to swap for an afternoons
work for a retired architect

Describe a typical day in your studio.

At the moment I only have one whole (school day) free to work which is a Wednesday and they usually go a little like this.

I pop my paper in to soak before dropping the kids at school and with the child minder, I call in for a cuppa with my friend and fellow maker Sue of
notchhandmade and we talk of our weekly struggles and successes. I drool over her latest leather bag which she’s been making, then home to another
cuppa and to tackle the printing to do list , whilst listening to the radio. 3.30 comes around quick and depending on my level of procrastination
for that day I’ll pop back out to the shed after the kids bed time to finish off. Most of my plate making and admin is done in the house in the
evening or whilst the kids play.

How long have you been printmaking?

Off and on since my early teens, but more seriously for the past two years.

What inspires you?

I find this hard to pin point, I’m very much a magpie and I’m easily distracted. I guess a running theme is nostalgia, memories of fishing with my father
and siblings, the discarded toys of my own children and more recently and so far unrealised the welsh tradition of quilt making.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

I love the paper the most, I use Fabriano Rosaspina and I’m very
partial to a tub of Neon Pink Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink, or Neon Yellow and really would like to get my hands on some Glow in the Dark.

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

I have an Etsy shop – etsy.com/uk/shop/marianhaf

I also have a permanent spot on the walls of Ultracomida Deli in
Narbeth.

A couple of prints can also be found at Lotti and Wren in Caernarfonand and 
Thyme and Tides in Aberystwyth.

I’m also currently a part of the ‘into the sea’ showcase in Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno and the soon
to be Art at the Hall ‘Surf, Sand and Sea Exhibition’   which runs from
the 25th of August to 8th of September in Llangathen, Carmarthenshire.

 

What will we be seeing from you next?

I think the fish, seafood and coastal aspect of my work is going to be sticking around. With the promise of more time in September I’d like to explore
my interest in traditional Welsh quilts and the nostalgia and melancholy they evoke in me.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Make time and go for it!

Website – www.mothermaker.com/store/marianhaf/

Instagram – @marianhaf

 

 

 

Jigsaw Linocut with a Rainbow Roll

A rainbow roll is a great way to easily add a beautiful range of colours to a linocut. This project uses only two colours to create a range of shades,
all in one printing layer. 

We are using the jigsaw linocut technique to give us areas of different colours. We want our background to be completely white so instead of carving it
out let’s cut it out!

Japanese Vinyl is a lovely block to carve – it has some resistance like traditional lino but allows you to glide around carves very easily. It’s also soft enough
to cut with a scalpel – perfect for jigsaw linocuts.

Begin by carving around the edge of your shape with a V gouge. We’re using Powergrip Tools which glide beautifully through this vinyl.

The V shaped groove creates the perfect line in which to run a scalpel. 

You’ll need to cut through the vinyl a few times before getting through to the other side. Be careful and don’t press too hard.

Use the scalpel to careful cut apart the separate pieces.

Carve finer details into the different shapes. The small U gouge is perfect for this. 

The larger U can be used to clear areas. 

The pieces should easily slot together.

Now we’re ready to create a rainbow roll. We’re using Caligo Safe Wash Relief Inks in Process Magenta and Process Yellow. The process colours are designed to mix to create a wide spectrum
of shades.

Place a small blob of each colour of ink a little apart on an inking plate. Don’t place them as far apart as your roller width as we need room for it to
spread. We want a thin suede-y layer of ink that doesn’t sound squelchy.  

 

Gradually bring down the ink and begin to roll and spread it out. The colours will start to meet in the middle. Slightly adjust your roller’s position
left and right to encourage a blend. The more you more the roller from side to side, the more of the blended colour will fill the centre. Have the
size of the lino in mind if you want to print with the full spectrum of colours in your rainbow. 

 

 

Use the rainbow roller to roll a blend across the lino. 

We mixed an orange from our Process Magenta and Process Yellow inks and used a separate roller to ink up our orange. 

The parasol was inked up with a smaller roller in Process Magenta mixed with a little Extender. 

Place the lino down onto a board. You may want to use registration marks such as these masking taped corners. 

Slot the pieces together, trying not to touch the inked surface. 

Place the paper down on top and use a baren to take a print. Press hard all over the back of the paper making sure not to miss any areas of lino. 

Lift the paper to reveal a print!

The blocks can then be taken apart, re-inked and re-printed. 

For this project you will need:

Meet the Maker: Bailey Schmidt

I’m Bailey, the artist behind Young Schmidt Prints. I’m American but living in the UK with my husband and our two dogs, Murph and Eddie. I consider myself
an illustrator and printmaker, but most of my days right now are filled with botanical-inspired linocut prints. I absolutely love houseplants and greenery,
and my art very much reflects that.

Describe your printmaking process.

I always begin by sketching on my iPad, but from there it can go two different directions. Sometimes I go from sketch to print in a matter of days because
the idea comes naturally and I’m able to draw exactly what I pictured. Most of the time my process is a bit more sporadic. I abandon ideas halfway
through, and then pick them up weeks later when I’m struggling for new inspiration and hope they come together. The initial sketch is always the hard
part for me because I overthink my design and I’m still too intimidated to draw directly onto lino. Once I start carving though, the rest of the process
feels effortless.

How and where did you learn to print?

I learned to print a bit by chance. I had been admiring several printmakers on social media for a long time, and briefly mentioned to my mother that I’d
be interested in giving it a go. She happened to have a beginners printmaking kit laying around the house somewhere so I was able to jump right into
it. I experimented and practiced for a long time, but about a year ago is when I really got into the botanical prints that I’m creating today.

Why printmaking?

There’s something so therapeutic about printmaking that really captured me. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so it’s a craft that really forces me to let
go. I obsess over the initial sketch of my design and tweak it until I think it’s perfect, but the rest of the process is somewhat out of my hands.
I’ve learned to accept the inevitable imperfections that come from printmaking, and I really enjoy how they make a piece look truly handmade.

Where do you work?

I work from home in a little studio space set up in the back of my house. I’m lucky to have an area with loads of natural light so I can work all day and
my houseplants around me absolutely thrive.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

Generally I try to drink a coffee and catch up on emails in the morning, then take the afternoon to create and print. It’s a nice routine in theory, but
it rarely happens that way. Like every artist knows, creativity happens when it happens and sometimes I feel like I have to run with an idea before
I lose momentum, which means all of the admin gets put on the back burner. I’m still learning the balance of making art and selling art because each
requires a whole lot of attention. It’s also worth saying that a typical day in my studio involves being interrupted by my dogs constantly, which is
both distracting and adorable.

How long have you been printmaking?

I first started experimenting with printmaking about two years ago, but I’ve been working on it seriously for just about a year now. I’m actually coming
up on the one year anniversary of opening my online shop in mid-August so that’s a milestone for me!

What inspires you?

I’m very inspired by foliage and flowers. I’ve definitely caught the “urban jungle” bug so my house is full of houseplants, most of which I’ve drawn or
printed at some point. I like how leaf patterns look when they’re simplified into a monochromatic print, so I tend to go for plants that already have
unusual marks. I’ve also been drawn to regional flowers from around the world. Australia especially seems to have some beautiful flora that is really
fun to capture in a print.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

I have a lino press from a company called “Woodzilla” that I’m absolutely in love with. I was doing prints by hand, but was struggling to get the consistent
results I wanted. The press has been perfect for me because it prints up to an A3 size, but fits on a tabletop so it’s ideal for my home studio. My
prints are much cleaner now and I can get more printed in a session.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

One of my first prints was “Monstera Obliqua” which was really the kickstart for my whole aesthetic. It was the first piece that I knew I finally had a
direction I wanted to go, and still inspires me today. It’s still one of my most popular prints with customers and I’m really proud of it. I don’t
know if it’s my best artistic work, but it’s a special print to me for those reasons.

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

I sell online on my website www.youngschmidtprints.com. I’m also really active
on Instagram so there’s always pictures of new work and process videos showing my printmaking techniques. I plan on getting involved with a lot more
markets this holiday season so I’ll hopefully be making some appearances around the UK too.

What will we be seeing from you next?

More colour, definitely. I’ve been very comfortable in my black and white bubble, but I’m starting to branch out and introduce more colour to my collection.
As we speak I’m working on a mixed media piece that will involve painting between layers of printing that I’m really excited about.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

It’s the cliche one, but practice. I spent so much time scrolling through instagram admiring other artists and wishing I had their talent, but didn’t do
anything about it. Once I finally got to work, I grew tremendously. I’m amazed at how much I’ve grown in just a year and I’m already at a place where
these artists I once admired are now my peers. Another thing I would suggest is to just put your art out there. It’s easy to doubt your own ability
when the internet is saturated with talented people, but you have to just go for it. People are really encouraging and involving yourself in a creative
community makes it easier to trust your own skills.

Website: www.youngschmidtprints.com

Instagram: @young.schmidt.prints

 

Screen Printing Hand Drawn Designs with Grain Mark Screen Film

We often talk about creating digital images to make exposed screens but there are a lot of ways to use hand drawn designs that bypass the need for computers
at all – hooray! Grain Mark Screen Film allows you to draw directly onto a screen film whilst maintaining all your lovely textural marks. Charcoal and black oil pastels work particularly
well. Here’s a project using Grain Mark Screen Film to print some fabric:

Use charcoal and oil pastels to draw your design on the rough side of the film.

Degrease and dry a 43T meshed screen and coat with sensitised photo emulsion. Dry in the dark. When dry, expose your design onto the screen using an exposure
unit or light. 

When your design is exposed, wash your screen with a hose. The marks should wash clean, leaving open areas of mesh for the ink to pass through. 

This type of screen film is a little more unpredictable than a digitally printed screen film. Lots of texture is achieved from our charcoal and oil pastel
marks. 

Pin out your fabric on a slightly padded surface. We use an old army blanket tied down with a piece of thick cotton on top. Tape the edges of your screen
with parcel tape.

If you’re printing a repeat pattern, you can use the screen and the film to mark out where the screen should be placed each time. Place the film where
you want your pattern to be printed. Place your screen on top and use masking tape to mark two of the corners. Lifting your screen up slightly at one
end, remove the film and slide it beside the pattern on the screen. You can see how it will meet the previous print through the translucent mesh. Move
the screen on top so the pattern lines up and mark the corners again. Do this all along one row of your fabric.  

With the screen in its first position, scoop a row of ink along the top edge of the screen. Use your squeegee at a 45 degree angle to drag the ink down
the screen, pushing it through the mesh. This movement should sounds like a tent zip. 

Your print should have some great texture – this one has even more because of the rough linen used. 

 

Lift your screen and place it down in position 3 using your masking tape markers. We’re skipping position 2 so that we don’t place the screen on top of
a wet print!

Continue along the row in alternative positions. 

 

When you’ve finished your row you can go back to print the gaps in between. If your prints are still very wet you can scoop the excess ink back into the
pot and use a well wrung out soft car sponge to gently wipe the ink out of the mesh on both sides. This will ensure that no ink will dry on your screen
whilst you’re waiting for your print to dry. This is a great practice to use when you’ve got to take some time between prints to re-pin fabric, re-lay
t-shirts or just for a tea break!

When you’re ready, ensure your screen is dry. You can gently wipe with a tea towel to remove any drips. Place your screen down in position 2 and print
as before. Move the screen to print in all the gaps left along your row.

 

 

Wipe down and dry your screen again and then use the same method to mark out the positioning of your next row. 

Print along the row as before, in alternative positions…

 

…and then back along again filling in the gaps. 

Your final fabric should be a repeat pattern such as this! You could also use your print in a random scattered pattern or on its own! When your prints
are dry they can be ironed to fix the ink. 

To print your own fabric you will need:

 

Meet the Maker: Gail Brodholt

I am a painter and printmaker based in London.

Describe your printmaking process.

I am mainly a linocut printmaker. I enjoy the straightforward process of cutting and printing a piece of lino as there is very little complicated procedures as there are in older forms of printmaking such as etching and lithography for example. You can basically set up a little printmaking studio on your kitchen table if you want to try making a linocut as there is no need for complicated equipment. Having said that, I do have a large Albion press, five plan chests etc. so things can get out of hand…

Generally, the established method is to start with the lightest colour and proceed through to the darkest but I prefer to use a dark colour first and then use more and more transparent layers of ink to create many different tones and shades of colour.

How and where did you learn to print?

I studied for a degree in Fine Art (painting) at art college and part of the course was spending a term printmaking. Although I didn’t catch the printmaking bug at the time as I was more painting with the painting process, I finally enrolled on a printmaking course at an adult education centre and I was hooked!

Why printmaking?

Printmaking is a great way of ringing the changes in your art practice. I paint and printmake and find the process of one will often inform and enhance the other. What this generally means is that when I am really fed up with, say, a painting, I can turn it to the wall and go and do a linocut!

Where do you work?

I have my studio at Thames Side Studios in Woolwich which overlooks the Thames Barrier. It is a complex of 300 plus studios and I find it helpful to go out to work as I am too easily distracted at home, with dogs, tortoises, the garden etc. – the list is very long!

Describe a typical day in your studio.

A typical working day starts, as I am sure it does with most printmakers, with a cup of tea (or two). I catch up with news with my fellow printmaker and
studio mate, Louise Davies, and then we both get to work. She is an etcher so it’s very interesting to compare notes on our different approaches to
our work. I work through the day and come home when I feel like it, which is one of the perks of being self employed! 

How long have you been printmaking?

I have been printmaking for about 20 years and before that I mostly painted.

What inspires you?

I get most of my inspiration from those often ignored corners of London. We all spend such a lot of time these days on our mobile devices with our headphones in, that we often have ‘no time to stand and stare’ as the poem, Leisure, by WH Davies expresses so well. This is why I love stations of all kinds so much – people are so focused on getting to their destination that they are not really aware of their surroundings. I like to watch people as they’re travelling from one place to another as they are often preoccupied and unguarded.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

My favourite printmaking product is my drying rack. It’s the sort that has marbles suspended in a wooden frame and it’s such a simple yet clever idea and I often admire that unknown person’s ingenuity in inventing it as I hang my prints up to dry.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I’m always most proud of the latest print I’ve made because it’s fresh and I haven’t had to edition yet. Of course it’s soon superseded by the next one, as it should be. That’s why we all keep working I guess!

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

I have a number of galleries who stock my work and I have a list of those on my website: www.gailbrodholt.com. I will also sell unframed work to be sent through the post if needed.

What will we be seeing from you next?

I’m working (very slowly!) on an idea which involves the south circular road in London. It is a very busy thoroughfare but parts of it are lined with modest semi-detached half timbered 1930s houses with little lawns and roses around the doors. It’s an interesting contrast with the roaring lorries and buses etc. that endlessly thunder past their front doors.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

My only advice really is to keep working. Try to do a little every day if possible and not be discouraged by rejection. So many talented printmakers don’t get the recognition they deserve because they get put off by how hard it can be. I guess you need to develop a thick skin.

To see more of Gail Brodholt’s work:

www.gailbrodholt.com

Twitter: @gailbrodholt

Instagram: @gail_brodholt

 

 

What’s a Halftone? Screen Printing a Tonal Image

People often want to screen print photographic images and hope to use black and white photographs for this. To do this you need an exposed screen. The way screen printing works is the mesh either has to be open or closed (ink passes through the open areas but cannot pass through the closed areas) therefore grey tones do not work. To make a photographic image work we have to fool the brain into thinking that there are grey areas.

We’ve put together this guide to show you a few ways to use Photoshop to get a tonal image ready for a screen. One of the ways in which to do this is by using a halftone – where the greys in an image are broken down into black and white dots.

Read our guides below for information on how to create a halftone in Photoshop, how to create a ‘cutout’ black and white image and how to get an image ready for halftone software.

If you’re getting an image ready for a Custom Exposed Screen to be made by Handprinted, we can create the halftone for you! Just send us a greyscale PDF and your imagewill go through our software:

Preparing an image for Handprinted’s halftone software

In order to get your image ready for a halftone it will need to be changed into greyscale mode. To do this in Photoshop, go to Image – Mode – Grayscale. You’ll then be asked if you want to discard all colour information so click Yes. 

Halftones will work better on images with lots of contrast. To make your image more contrasted you can use Levels. Go to Image – Adjustment – Levels (or Control+L). Drag the three triangles beneath the graph until you achieve the desired effect. The left arrow controls the dark tones, the middle arrow the mid tones and the right arrow the lightest tones. When you’re happy with the image, click OK.

We require that you send your artwork on an A sized portrait PDF. If you want an A4 screen, we need an A4 PDF. To do this, open a new A4 document. Go to File – New. Choose International Paper on the Preset drop down menu. Change Size to A4 (or A3 if using an A3 screen). Make sure your resolution is set to 300 pixels/inch.

You can then drag your image onto the new document. Use the top arrow on your vertical toolbar. The tool should look like an arrow with a cross beside it. Use the tool to click on the image and then drag your image onto your new tab (probably called Untitled-1). You can then change the size of your image on the document by dragging the corners. Holding down the shift key will ensure that you don’t stretch the image out of shape.

If you need your image to be a specific size, change the size before you drag it onto the new document. Go to Image – Image Size. Make sure the resolution is at 300 pixels/inch and then change the document size. You can then drag it onto the new document and keep it at the correct size.

You can then save your new document as a PDF by choosing Photoshop PDF in the Format drop down menu.

Our software at Handprinted will then change your image into a halftone which will look something like this:

We can expose this onto a screen for you, or send you the screen film to use yourself.

Using Cutout to create a full black and white image

Another way to use Photoshop to create a full black and white image is to use the Cutout filter. You’ll need to change your image to greyscale first  (as above) by going to Image – Mode – Grayscale and clicking Yes when asked if you want to discard all colour information. You can then change the  levels in the image (as above) using Image – Adjustments – Levels. 

 Select to Filter – Artistic – Cutout. A box will pop up giving you some options. We need the Number of Levels to be 2 (just black and white). You can move the sliders for Edge Simplicity and Edge Fidelity until you’re happy with the result. You’ll probably want the simplicity to be at 0 to get the most detail out of the image.

You’ll end up with an image that is completely black and white. It will have lost a lot of detail compared to a halftone image but it will be bolder and
easier to print, especially on a more open mesh (43T-77T) or onto fabric.

Different images will work give varying degrees of success. This image is more suited to this style:

We can change the Levels (Image – Adjustment – Levels) to give us more contrast…

…and use the same filter (Filter – Artistic – Cutout).

These images can then be changed to the correct size (Image – Image Size – 300 pixels/inch) and dragged onto a new document (File – New) ready to be printed onto a screen film or emailed to us at Handprinted.

Creating a halftone in Photoshop

When you create your own halftone you have a little more control over the outcome of the image. However, if you’re having the screen made  elsewhere (for example by us at Handprinted) you’ll need to check that you’re image is not too fine to be exposed onto a screen and you’ll need to be aware that you may not get all the detail onto the screen.

You’ll need to start with a greyscale image. Go to Image – Mode – Grayscale and then select Yes. 

Change your Levels for a more contrasted image if you like (Image – Adjustment – Levels). Make any changes to the size now, or drag your image onto a new correct sized document and then you’re ready to change to a halftone. In Photoshop it is called Bitmap Mode. Go to Image – Mode – Bitmap. You’ll then have options for how you would like to proceed. You want your Output to be 300 pixels/inch. For Method choose Halftone Screen…

Your Frequency should be around 45 – 55 lines/inch. Choose your Shape – this will be the shape of the dots. We’ve gone for Round. 

The higher the DPI (dots per inch), the more detailed your image will be in Bitmap Mode. This mode can be a little tricky though as, once it’s been converted, you cannot drag the image onto another document or easily change the size without distorting your halftone or losing detail – ensure you make these changes first and change to Bitmap Mode last.

For check your image is ready to be made into a screen, take a look at our artwork requirements for exposed screens or for more information, email us!