Author: handprinted

Meet the Maker: John Bloor

I am John Bloor, part time print maker and part time graphic designer. The amount of time I get to spend on each depends entirely on whether I have work
or not!

Describe your printmaking process

I always start by sketching in my book and at some point move onto the computer to develop the ideas into something more finished. I have a lot of anxiety
and find that working digitally is just something I need to do at the moment to help with that. I’d love to be able to work in natural media and take
that directly to print but I just don’t trust myself. So I tend to draw using my Wacom tablet in a style I call digital linocut. It allows me to closely
mimic real linocut and get a finished illustration that I’m happy with. The irony is that I then have to transfer that design to lino and cut it for
real – which allows me a chance to reinterpret the illustration and cut it properly.

So if I’m doing a linocut I then transfer the illustration to lino using old fashioned tracing paper and pencil. It’s laborious but it works. I then spend
time cutting the lino which I enjoy immensely and am very careful with. Once the lino is cut I move down to the print studio (garage) where I spend
time mixing the ink and once I’m happy with everything I will start printing.

If I’m screen printing I get the illustration colour separations printed onto acetate and then it’s off to the print studio to cut paper and mix inks.
I usually build up to printing at the weekends, so by the time I get to the weekend everything is ready, all inks mixed, paper cut and screens made.

My weekends are set aside for print making and I very much enjoy the routine you get into with printing.

How long have you been printmaking?

I’ve been printing seriously for about four years. And by seriously I mean continually going through the process of developing new ideas into finished
illustrations and then printing them.

How and where did you learn to print?

I honestly can’t remember the exact order but at some point in the past I got a screen printing kit. One of the ones which comes with a wooden framed screen,
a squeegee, some screen block and some ink. Oh and an apron which they suggest you print your first design on. So I must have done some rudimentary
printing. I seem to remember drawing and printing some alliums.

Anyway, roll on a couple more years and I was doing gig poster artwork for a friend and was very inspired by gig poster artists who screen printed their
posters – such as Strawberryluna, Cricket Press and Methane Studios. I went on a one day screen printing workshop at Badger Press where I learned how
to coat and expose a screen, plus printing technique. I started to try and print gig posters without much luck! I’d made real progress but there were
a few things going wrong I didn’t realise at the time. I was trying to print onto paper but the inks I was using were really thin, plus the squeegee
I had was a soft one and entirely unsuitable for paper printing.

Slowly, incrementally, I got better. I continued screen printing and also tried my hand at lino printing. I took yet another one day workshop, this time
at Squeegee and Ink in Newbury. That was when things really clicked into place. They helped me with my technique and finally I was able to really start
producing great quality prints.

While I had to get advice for screen printing, lino printing was a lot easier to pick up and I’ve managed to teach myself. It’s much more forgiving than
screen printing. I started cutting lino with some very cheap cutters and a tube of black ink, printing with the back of a spoon. You can’t get much
simpler!

Screen printing has been quite painful, in a way, but I’m glad I’ve made the journey. There were many small things which would have been useful to know
at the start – like how you need a hard squeegee for printing on paper, how you really want inks which don’t run all over the place and how flooding
the screen is vital to a good print (and it’s always better to have a lot of ink to flood with rather than too little).

There are still many things for me to learn but I’m so happy with how my prints are looking now, I’m far less stressed about it than I used to be.

Why printmaking?

Well I started off printing homewares because I thought I saw an opportunity; a gap in the market to make desirable things. It was only after a couple
of false starts and unhappiness that I started to realise I needed to create work for myself in order to feel good about it.

So, to put it simply: nowadays I make prints because it’s good for my mind. It occupies my head, my thoughts and is a great way to pass time I might otherwise
be worrying about things. I also enjoy trying to capture the essence of something – some place or journey perhaps – in the form of a print.

Also I think I enjoy printmaking because it brings together two disciplines I love: graphic design and illustration. I love the boldness and power of prints
but the fact that they are tactile and feel like a piece of art.

I enjoy screen printing because of the bold, graphical nature and fantastic detail of the prints. It encourages daring and experimentation with reproducing
all sorts of natural media style marks and overprinting of colours to create other colours.

On the other hand, I think I enjoy block printing because of the limitations and the fact that the cut shapes you make with gouges lend the pieces a certain
feel. You have to work hard to come up with a variety of marks and textures with block printing and that in itself is rewarding.

Where do you work?

It’s a bit of a joke really! I print in our garage, sharing the space with all the normal sort of stuff you might store in a garage. The only special thing
about the garage is that we have installed a large stainless steel sink which is great for making screens. It’s the opposite of photogenic but it is
functional.

Describe a typical day in the studio

I would start off by mixing ink and cutting paper if this hasn’t already been done. But I’m really organised so it usually has been! If I’m screen printing
then I would have made the screens the evening before. This is because my print studio garage is not light tight so unfortunately I have to wait until
after dark before I can coat the screens.

On printing days I prepare the first colour screen by clamping it to the base board with the hinge clamps. I then position the paper below the screen and
when I’m happy I put down a couple of plastic corners (made from credit cards) to register each sheet of paper. I then tape up the screen. I am ultra
careful about taping up the screen and I always do it so the way the tape overlaps means if ink ever gets under the tape it won’t get on the paper.
I love to use this blue tape called “R Tape” but it’s hard to get hold of in this country.

Once the screen is taped, registration corners are in place, ink is mixed and paper is cut then we are ready to print! I print each sheet with the first
colour and then hang it on my drying rack (which is actually just a bunch of metal foldback clips on lengths of string hanging from the ceiling!).

Once the first colour is printed it’s time to wash out the screen ensuring no ink residue is left. Printing ink onto paper usually dries really quickly
so it’s not long before I can take down all the sheets of paper and prepare the second screen for printing. The process is repeated for any further
colours.

What inspires you?

I’m very inspired by natural spaces and places around me, for example the river Test which is very close by where we live, and the countryside and hedgerows
of Hampshire. But I’m also very inspired by the coast, especially Cornwall where we holiday repeatedly out of a sheer love for the place.

I try to reinterpret these places in my work in various ways including fantasy, surrealism and abstraction.

If I’m allowed to talk about people who influence me I’m traditionally influenced by poster designers such as Strawberryluna, Daniel Danger, Cricket Press,
Jason Munn, Methane Studios and Jay Ryan. I admire their bold, graphical styles and in some cases the ability to convey meaning in the simplest of
forms.

More recently, in the last few years as I’ve got into block printing, I have discovered a whole new world of incredible artists such as Angie Lewin, Mark
Hearld, Bryan Angus, Holly Meade, Jane Ormes, Jeremy Speck, Maz Prints and Hugh Ribbons.

I’m amazed and impressed by the distinctive styles and textures which people like Angie Lewin and Bryan Angus have created for themselves.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

Wow this is the hardest question. I’d have to say modern polyester mesh screens are amazing inventions, allowing precise, clean, bold printing of colours
onto a variety of materials. Also Ternes Burton Co. registration pins and plastic tabs have allowed me to take a big step forward in registering colours
with my lino prints.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I think at the moment I am most proud of my “Tin Mine” screen print because it brings together so many important things for me. This is the print where
I started to experiment a little, where I got a bit more abstract but it still features a wealth of details which I really like. Also it’s the first
print where I completely nailed registration printing and I played around with overprinting colours quite a bit too, so these overprinted colours really
work well. There are some really subtle overprinting effects, like the mid blue and dark blue in the rock stack. This print is really a starting point
for my future work.

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

I will soon have my work in Craft Centre and Design Gallery Leeds. I expect to be in a few more galleries or shops soon. I’m just starting to approach
galleries and shops, as well as starting to apply to print fairs so I’m really hoping that 2019 will be the year I start to reach a wider audience.

I regularly do the Monthly Market at the Maltings, Farnham, and also the Festival of Crafts in October there.

My work is available to purchase on Folksy at: https://folksy.com/shops/JohnBloorDesign

It’s also worth mentioning that I have a blog which I regularly update with my work and also posts about people, prints and ceramics which inspire me.
My blog is at http://www.johnbloor.co.uk/

I’m on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JohnBloorDesign and on Instagram @johnbloordesign

What will we be seeing from you next?

I have more prints coming in the series “Safe Harbours” which will include linocut and screen prints. I am also excited to be printing a couple of posters
which feature song lyrics I particularly like in combination with illustrations. I am a big fan of letterpress printing and these lyric posters will
emulate that look with really bold typography.

I have also already illustrated three sleeping animal prints which will be printed in time for the Autumn fairs. And if that isn’t enough I have a few
fun projects such as a tote bag featuring a shark and a t-shirt featuring a rabbit!

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

I think my advice is hang in there! Problems can always be solved either by asking around or by having a little tuition. Looking back, my learning process
has been quite slow and incremental and I’ve solved one problem at a time. Be patient and keep on printing! 

See more of John’s work:

Folksy: https://folksy.com/shops/JohnBloorDesign

Blog: http://www.johnbloor.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnBloorDesign

Instagram @johnbloordesign

 

 

 

Making a Carborundum Gel Plate

 

Akua Carbundum Platemaking Gel is a great
new product that allows you to make high contrasted, textured intaglio plates. The gel can be screen printed onto a plate and printed with Akua Intaglio Inks. Drypoint Plastic makes a perfect plate with a wipe-clean surface.

 

To make our own Caborundum Gel plate we used an exposed screen.
A plain screen with an area sectioned off with tape also works well as the gel can be worked into when wet. A Thermofax screen may also be used.

Peel off the top piece of film from your drypoint plastic and place your plate underneath the image on your screen. Scoop a line of Carborundum Gel along the top of your screen. 

Use a squeegee to
pull the gel down the screen and push it through the mesh. Hold the squeegee at a 45 degree angle and press quite firmly for best results. Be careful
not to let your screen slide on the plate. 

Let your gel dry on the plate – around 20 minutes on a warm day seems to be enough. 

The Carborundum Gel can also be worked into whilst wet on the plate. We screen printed a large area of gel onto a plate using a screen exposed with a circle
but you could use parcel tape to tape off a square or rectangle. 

Whilst the gel is wet, work into it with brushes and other tools to leave marks.

You can also press textures into the gel. When you’re happy with the plate, leave to dry. 

When the plate is dry, peel off the back sheet of blue film.

Before inking, soak the paper – we’re using Snowdon. 

Roll a layer of Akua Intalgio Ink onto the plate. 

Use a wad of scrim to polish the plate, removing excess ink from the smooth areas of plastic. Use a piece of cloth or tissue paper to wipe any ink smudges
left on the plastic.

Blot the soaked paper. Place the plate facing up on an etching press with dampened paper on top. Cover with blankets and put through the press on a tight
pressure. 

Ink up your textured plates and print in the same way. 

Your plates can be washed up with a little water. If you want to reuse your plate for a new image, we have found that the gel can be gently removed with
white spirit or Zest-It (these kind of plates are therefore not suitable for printing with traditional oil based inks that require solvents for clean
up). 

To print your own Carborundum Gel plates you will need:

 

Meet the Maker: Maria Doyle

I’m a printmaker based in Edinburgh. I took up linocut as a hobby two years ago but it has grown arms and legs and is now my mini business.

Describe your printmaking process.

I mostly create architectural prints of the places I have lived in or visited. In a way it’s my diary! I work from photos which I then flip on my laptop,
sketch this reversed design onto battleship grey lino and then begin to carve. I like to fill in the block with black marker as I go, as this helps
me get a better idea of the image as it forms, and also helps to show up any missed spots which should have been carved away.

I don’t own a press so I pull all my prints by hand. A metal spoon and elbow grease get the job done!

How and where did you learn to print?

My first (brief) exposure to printmaking was when I was about 13 and at secondary school. Our art teacher introduced us to patterns from Liberty and taught
us how to make simplified versions using a polystyrene block. We drew on the block with ballpoint pens which compressed the polystyrene and then inked
these up using poster paint. Sadly, I dropped art as a subject soon after and didn’t make any more prints until about two years ago. This time I had
progressed to proper lino and the sharp chisels we were never allowed at school! Since then I’ve just been teaching myself, building upon the basics
that Miss Young taught us.

Why printmaking?

I really enjoy the graphic quality of linocuts and the bold images you can create. The process itself is also very meditative. I started linocut during
my final year of university and I found that sitting carving for an hour before bed was the perfect way to switch off and forget about my dissertation
stress.

Where do you work?

I work from my bedroom! I’ve put up a makeshift drying line up across one of my walls and another across my living room. Quite often my flat is just a
cloud of paper and half-dry prints…I have a very tolerant flatmate!

Describe a typical day in your studio.

I don’t really have a typical day. I usually just print as and when I have the time. Usually this is in the evenings after I finish work or at the weekend.

How long have you been printmaking?

Two years.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by the city around me. I didn’t fully appreciate how beautiful Edinburgh is until I spent a year living abroad. When I came back, I was struck
by the cobbles, the old buildings and winding streets, and knew I wanted to recreate these on paper.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

It’s a toss-up between my Pfeil chisels and Caligo Safewash ink. I’m a big fan of the Prussian Blue ink which has appeared in a lot of my recent prints.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I’m proudest of my print of Well Street in my hometown of Moffat. This was my second multi-layered reduction print….but the first that was the correct
way round! It’s a mistake we’ll all make at least once.

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

I post most of my work on Instagram (@maz.prints) and sell some on Etsy. 

What will we be seeing from you next?

I’m hoping to do some more pattern-based work on fabric. I made a hand printed skirt last year using Caligo Safewash ink and it came out really well so I’m hoping to design some new blocks and try my hand at making some cushion
covers and bags.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

I have found social media to be a very helpful source of both inspiration and support. The printmaking community on Instagram is particularly friendly
and everyone I’ve ‘met’ is very happy to provide advice on techniques and materials.

See more of Maria’s work on Instagram and Etsy!

Screen Printing a Graphite Drawing

When we think of screen printed artwork we tend to see bold areas of bright colour and graphic lines but there are lots of different styles that can be
achieved. By using graphite directly onto the mesh of a screen we can create loose, printed sketches that can be used for layering or as prints in
their own right.

This technique requires limited equipment. We’re using a screen attached to a board using hinge clamps to make printing and registration easier. We’re
using a 90T screen with an exposed aperture but a taped aperture would be just as good. 

You can trace drawings through the translucent mesh. Place your drawing underneath the screen. 

Use a graphite stick to draw directly onto the mesh. Use lots of graphite and goo back and forth over your lines. 

You can also use a soft pencil like a 6B or 8B. Make sure the point is not too sharp or it could damage the mesh. 

Use your nail to scatter flecks of graphite onto the mesh.

The drawing can be printed through with Acrylic Screen Printing Medium. Scoop an ink well along the top of your screen. Place a piece of paper underneath
your screen. 

Use a squeegee to pull the ink down the screen and force the graphite through to the paper. 

Your graphite drawing can be printed through several times using the acrylic medium and will become paler each time. When you’re finished, wash your screen
with cold water. 

To print your own graphite drawing you will need:

 

Meet the Maker: Frans Wesselman

Describe your printmaking process. 

I do several things: I make etchings, where I concentrate on people’s expressions and the quality of the etched line and texture;

I also make wood cuts, which are rather larger and where I exploit the areas of flat colour and the strong wood cut line; and in the past I have made combinations
of the two. 

How and where did you learn to print?

I attended art college in the Netherlands where I had an inspirational print making tutor, but have evolved my own way of doing things since.

Why printmaking?

Where I grew up I was aware of the etchings of Rembrandt and the nineteenth century Dutch impressionist group The Hague School, and I loved them. I also
experimented with wood cut at college, but only a couple of years ago came back to it.

Where do you work?

At home, after my last move I decided that I would arrange the house just to my liking, so it is rather like a workshop with a bedroom attached (and a
bath room and a kitchen and a garden…)

Describe a typical day in your studio.

Up early, shower, check out the garden, coffee. Start work on whatever needs doing, from cutting a wood cut to working on new designs, scribbles in the
sketch book and water colour studies. A quick look at the emails. I usually work for an hour or so before breakfast, then carry on again. I am best
in the morning, so the creative stuff tends to get done then, the routine, like printing or sending off parcels later in the afternoon. If the weather
is good I will have lunch sitting on the step in the garden, looking out for bees and dragon flies. In the evening, after cooking something, I am usually
too tired to do complicated work, but, if I have some possibly bright idea, I will make a note to be worked on at a later date. Of course contact with
galleries, ordering materials, delivering work all takes up quite a bit of time too.

How long have you been printmaking?

Since my first days at college, in 1970.

What inspires you?

People. Almost anything can inspire me, things I see or am involved in, things I read or hear. The bible, poetry, Shakespeare, sometimes things just turn
up in my head. But it will almost always be something to do with people, I love landscape to look at and walk in, but fail to make anything exciting
out of it if I try to draw it.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

My etching presses. The big one is a kind of proto type Polymetaal which I bought when I first came to England, the little one a friend of mine, a brilliant
engineer, built for me.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

Hard to say. As soon as I have made something I start seeing the flaws in it. Some times I come somewhere where there is a piece of my work that I made
a long time ago and then it sometimes seems not too bad.

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

There is always my web site, www.fwstainedglass.com (I make stained glass too). As I am a
member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, there is always something at the Bankside Gallery in London, at For Arts Sake in Ealing, Montpellier
gallery in Stratford, Twenty Twenty in Much Wenlock, Court Yard Gallery in Minehead, Primavera in Cambridge, McGillDuncan in Castle Douglas. My next
show will be Worcester Open Studios over the August Bank Holiday Weekend where I will be showing at 37 Vincent Road, Worcester, WR5 1AZ.

What will we be seeing from you next?

I am just working on a new wood cut. I saw a girl in the Netherlands on a skate board, cool as a breeze, being pulled along by her dog. So far it seems
to want fewer colours than I originally had envisaged. I am also experimenting with the stained glass, trying to make it without lead.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Look for a proper job would be the sensible advice. But having said that, if you are prepared to take the rough with the smooth, it can be wonderful to
work to your own agenda, doing the thing you love doing best.

See more of Frans Wesselman’s work on his website. 

How Much Detail on Exposed Screens?

When designing artwork for exposed screens it can be very difficult to figure out what level of detail you can include. Different mesh counts will be able to handle different levels of detail.
The mesh number relates to how many threads there are per cm of mesh: 32T has 32 threads per cm, 120T has 120 threads per cm etc. Ideally, 43T mesh
is used for printing onto fabric and 90T is used for printing onto paper. We’ve put together a quick test to see what detail can be achieved on our
two most common meshes: 43T and 90T. 

We are often asked which font sizes are appropriate for each mesh but this is tricky to answer as different fonts come out at varied sizes and some have
thicker and thinner parts to the lettering. For this test we’ve used Calibri (a plain sans serif font) Time New Roman (a serif font) and Apple Chancery
(a calligraphy style font with thinner strokes) in sizes 8 to 22.

The same sheet of samples was exposed onto a 43T and 90T screen. Scroll down to see the results of our prints with these screens.

For prints on fabric we have used Speedball Fabric Screen Printing Ink in black. For prints on paper we have used Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink
in black. These are both standard inks – opaque inks and metallic inks will be harder to force through the ink and block the mesh faster and are therefore
more suited to higher mesh count and less fine detail. 

Some of the areas have been halftoned through our rip software which turns grey areas into dots to give the illusion of tone. 

43T Mesh onto Fabric

We’re losing the detail on the font up until about size 14. The lettering on the right has been drawn with a 6px brush into Photoshop. 

90T Mesh onto Fabric 

90T mesh is not ideal for printing onto fabric as it puts down a lighter deposit of ink than a 43T. The prints can therefore appear paler and less bold.
We’ve got more detail here on the smaller font sizes but it’s not printing very well on the weave of the cotton – this print has also smudged!

43T Mesh on Paper

We’re still losing the detail up until font size 14. It’s putting down quite a heavy deposit of ink so it’s starting to blob a little in places with tiny
detail. 

 

90T Mesh on Paper

We’ve managed to get most of the detail in the size 8 font here, although this small size may start to dry fast so quick printing is a must!

 

43T Mesh on Fabric

This type of ont is a real problem on more open meshes as it has very thin areas that don’t expose well at all. 

 

90T Mesh on Fabric

We’ve got more detail but the font still isn’t great up until size 14. The 90T mesh also isn’t printing this evenly on the weave of the cloth.

 

43T Mesh on Paper

On paper it’s easier to see the areas where the font is too fine for a 43T mesh.

 

90T Mesh on Paper

It’s much clearer on a 90T mesh but we’re still missing the finest areas.

 

43T Mesh on Fabric

This font hasn’t exposed properly until about size 16.

 

90T Mesh on Fabric

The tiny serif lines are starting to show more but struggling to print on the fabric.

 

43T Mesh on Paper

We’ve lost some of the serif detail which isn’t clear until size 14.

 

90T Mesh on Paper

We’re getting good results from size 14 with legible results from size 12. These fine lines will dry ink quite quickly. 

 

43T Mesh on Fabric

Lines close together create vulnerable areas of emulsion and on more open meshes these areas will start to meld together. More may disappear as it’s printed
and washed. 

 

90T Mesh on Fabric

We’ve got much clearer paces between the lines

43T Mesh on Paper

90T Mesh on Paper 

43T Mesh on Fabric

The lines that are 1 pixel, 2 pixels and 3 pixels wide don’t come out on the screen at all. The 4 pixel wide line is faint and patchy. 

90T Mesh on Fabric

We’ve got an extra line on this mesh – the 4 pixel line is clear and the 3 pixel line is faint and patchy. 

43T Mesh on Paper

90T Mesh on Paper

43T Mesh on Fabric

Here we’ve created a gradient halftone through our rip software. The 43T mesh has given a grid distortion making the tone uneven.

90T Mesh on Fabric

On a 90T mesh the halftone is much more even with more detail as we go further down 

43T Mesh on Paper

90T Mesh on Paper

43T Mesh on Fabric

The grid pattern is prominent on this mesh give a moire effect. The palest grey halftone is barely there. 

90T Mesh on Fabric

The tone is much more even and we have much more detail on the palest tone. 

43T Mesh on Paper

 

90T Mesh on Paper

Order your own custom exposed screen here!

 

 

Oxmarket Exhibition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Screen prints by Anna Vartiainen, a regular studio user.

Screen prints by Sue England, a regular studio user.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Batik by Marya Draper, a regular studio user.

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

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

Linocut (right) by Shirley Scott.

Screen print (top right) by Shirley Scott.

Screen print (middle right) by Shirley Scott.

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

 

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

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

All of our workshops can found here. 

Meet the Maker: Paul Cleden

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

Describe your printmaking process.

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

How and where did you learn to print?

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

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

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

Why printmaking?

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

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

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

How long have you been printmaking?

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

What inspires you?

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

What is your favourite printmaking product?

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

What have you made that you are most proud of?

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

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

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

What will we be seeing from you next?

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

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

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

 

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

 

 

Tetra Pak Drypoint and Collagraph Printing

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

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

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

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

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

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

This foil lined carton reveals brown card underneath.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The cartons that were not foil lined printed beautifully too.

To make your own Tetra Pak print you will need:

Printfest 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

A close up of David’s stand.

A view from above.

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

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

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

and Sarah Mander’s etchings.

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

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

All photos are courtesy of Kate Kirkwood unless tagged.