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Screen printing onto fabric tends to get a little complicated as soon as you want to print onto dark coloured fabrics. Standard screen printing inks
are translucent and will therefore show some of the base colour through when printed. When printing onto white or pale coloured fabrics this is
not a problem. Most standard screen printing inks will disappear into dark backgrounds and you’ll need to use an opaque ink in order for it to
show up. Opaque Inks are more highly pigmented and thicker than standard inks. The exception to this rule is white ink. White screen printing ink
tends to be a little thicker and more highly pigmented than other standard inks. In order to help you decide which ink you need, we’ve printed
onto black fabric using three different white pre-mixed inks: 

Speedball Fabric Screen Printing Ink, 
Permaset Aqua Screen Printing Ink and Permaset Aqua Supercover Screen Printing Ink.

All of these inks are water-based and solvent free. 

1. Speedball Fabric Screen Printing Ink in white

Even though this is a standard fabric screen printing ink, it shows up very well on black fabric whilst leaving the handle soft. If you look closely you
can see that the hand is not fully white – some of the black from the fabric is showing through to create a very pale grey.

 

2. Permaset Aqua Screen Printing Ink in standard white

 

Again, this standard fabric screen printing ink shows up very well on black fabric whilst leaving the handle soft. Once again, if you look closely
you can see that the hand is not fully white – some of the black from the fabric is showing through to create a very pale grey.

 

 

3. Permaset Aqua Supercover Ink in white

This is an opaque ink and is a lot thicker than standard screen printing inks. The fabric handle is a little stiffer when printed and the thick ink means
that a more open mesh like a 32T or a 43T is usually required. Opaque inks also tend to dry a little faster so be aware of this when printing detailed
designs and wash your screens quickly after using. The thickness of this ink, however, allows for excellent coverage and a much brighter white end
result.

The screen hand prints above are, in order, Speedball, Permaset standard and Permaset Supercover.
All three of these inks print well on black fabric. Up close, however, the Supercover is the only ink that gives a truly white result. Hopefully these
samples will help you to decide which white ink you need, depending on the coverage desired and the detail of your design. Revisit our blog next week
for more information on the difference between standard and opaque inks when printing with colours!

 

 

Hello! I’m a printmaker living in Brighton. I came to printmaking relatively late as I trained and worked in the Health Service for 20 years before taking
a break to do an Art Foundation which I enjoyed so much that I went on to do a Printmaking Degree and later an MA in Sequential Design and Illustration
at the University of Brighton. In 2016 I left my job, set up Dekko Press and focused full time on screen printing and designing greeting cards. 

Describe your printmaking process.

I usually start by either sketching ideas and shapes in a notebook or collaging cut out paper shapes. I find Photoshop is great for then experimenting
further with the design and colours before creating the layers for my screen images

I expose my screens using a halogen lamp suspended from an old clothes-hanging frame. It took me ages to get my distance and timings right which led to
an awful lot of mistakes and screen cleaning. It’s all quite low tech, I print using a hand built vacuum screen bed, use a drying rack designed for
school classrooms and wash my screens out in the bath.

How and where did you learn to print?

I first got interested in printing when I was doing my foundation at City College, Brighton – I loved the experimentation that different processes offered
and the thrill of never quite knowing what you were going to get when you pulled back the etching blanket or laid down another colour on a print. I
went on to study Fine Art Printmaking at the University of Brighton – which was an amazing experience. I just loved being able to work in the print
room there with the incredible old presses and the space and time to experiment and try different techniques.

Why printmaking?

I love the process; the creative possibilities, the equipment, the inks, the papers and the ability to produce multiples of an image. I feel a real buzz
whenever I walk into a printmaking studio; they are such wonderful places to be.

Where do you work?

I work from home, we recently moved and I’m really lucky to now have a room to use as a studio. I miss the social and creative side of working in a communal
studio with other printmakers but at the moment working from home helps financially and gives me the flexibility of being able to print at any time
of day or night.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

I try and make a list each evening of what I need to get done the following day and then spend the day ticking my way through it! There’s usually a combination
of admin, orders, designing and printing while trying not to get distracted by emails and housework…

How long have you been printmaking?

About 14 years.

What inspires you?

Colour interactions and simplicity and clarity in design inspire me. A lot of the artists and designers whose work I admire were producing work in the
mid twentieth century such as Max Huber, Alvin Lustig, Patrick Heron, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Barbara Hepworth.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

My hand built vacuum screen bed! It was created from an old drawing board, some plywood and glue, with our vacuum cleaner providing the suction –There
are some great online blogs and videos which I followed for instructions and amazingly, given
my lack of woodwork skills it works really well! 

 

What have you made that you are most proud of?

One of the first screen prints I made when I started Dekko Press was Misplaced which was accepted as part of the Small Print International exhibition.
It’s a small, simple print but having it in the exhibition gave me the confidence to keep printing and start showing my work.

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

I often take part in art and print fairs and will next be at the Art Junky at the Phoenix Brighton on the 24^th and 25^th March. For
the May Artists Open Houses in Brighton I will be showing work at 13 Maldon Road. Online I have work on my website www.dekkopress.com and
sell via my Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DekkoPress

What will we be seeing from you next?

More prints are on their way and I am expanding my range of greeting cards

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Experiment and don’t be put off if you don’t have all the equipment you think you need, someone, somewhere will have found another way of doing things!

Find more from Dekko Press:

Website www.dekkopress.com

Etsy Shop www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DekkoPress

Instagram @dekkopress

 

There are a large variety of different lino cutting tools with different shapes and sizes. The most common lino tools are V Tools and U Tools.

U Tools carve softer lines with a curved end point and an even width but it can be harder to get control over the placement of your edges.

V Tools can give a variety of line widths with the same tool, are good for accurate edges and corners. Lines cut with V tools will have sharp pointed ends. 

Carving lino is not limited to carving lines around a drawing. A wide variety of marks can be achieved, creating interesting designs when printed that
are characteristic of the lino cutting process. 

We’ve had a go at mark making on lino to give an idea of some of the different marks that can be made. We’ve used traditional, grey, hessian backed lino – on other lino and vinyls the marks will vary as the materials behave differently. We’ve
used Pfeil Tools as well as the
Japanese Cutting Tools for Wood and Lino. 

Above you can see 24 different marks made using these tools on lino. The lino has been inked up so we can see the marks more clearly. Here’s how they were
all made:

1. Straight cuts made using Pfeil V Tools – 12/1 and 15/2. 

V Tools carve deep lines with pointed ends where the tool has been dug into and pushed out of the lino. 

 

2. Pfeil U Tools – 11/1, 11/3, 11/2 and 9/5

U Tools carve lines that are uniform in width and have rounded ends. You can clearly see the marks made by each different tool by its line width.

 

3. Clearing using large Japanese U tool

U tools are good for clearing as they create more even, flatter areas with less troughs and peaks that can pick up ink.

 

4. Pfeil 9/5 U Tool with snap off

On traditional grey lino you can create edges by flicking the tool upwards to snap off the piece of lino.

 

5. Pfeil 15/2 V Tool

V Tools can create lines that vary in width with tapered ends. 

 

6.  Circles with Japanese U Tool

 Create circles by rotating the lino as the tool stays still.

 

7. Japanese V Tool with snap off

You can also use the V tool to create sharp edges by snapping off pieces of lino. These shapes have a more pointed end because a V Tool was used. 

 

8. Japanese V Tool corners

Neat corners and arrow shapes can be made by using two cuts of the V Tool.

 

9. Cutting up to an edge with Japanese V Tool

You can use the snap off technique to cut up to a line before neatening the edge. 

 

10. Cross hatching with Pfeil 12/1 V Tool

The Pfeil 12/1 is a tiny V tool that can be used to carve delicate lines. The cross hatching can be used for creating tone or texture.

 

11. Japanese Hangito Tool at an angle

The Japanese Hangito tool looks a little like a scalpel. It is more commonly used in Japanese Woodblock Printing but can be used in lino cutting to achieve
sharp edges. Hold the tool at an angle and cut one side and then the other to create a V tool-like gouge mark. 

 

 

12. Moving the lino to curve with Japanese U Tool 

This mark was made by holding a U Tool straight whilst the lino is wobbled from side to side. 

 

13. Japanese Chisel in a square to get sharp edges

Like the Hangito Tool, the chisel in the set of Japanese Tools is more commonly used for Japanese Woodblock Printing. You can, however, experiment with
this tool on your lino – try pushing the tool straight down firmly to create sharp edges and skimming off the surface.

 

14. Tiny marks with Japanese V Tool

Random, delicate marks in the same direction can create texture or pattern. The V Tools will give you tiny lines. 

 

15. Small dots with Pfeil 11/2 U Tool

The same technique can be used with a U Tool to give small dots. 

 

16. Shallow dot texture with Pfeil 9/5 U Tool

Using a slightly larger U tool and making your marks closer together can create interesting patterns from the raised lino left behind. 

 

17. Circles with Japanese U Tool

Similarly to creating circles by rotating the lino, larger open circles can be made using the same twisting lino technique. 

 

18. Leaving a positive line with Japanese U Tool

Because of their even line width, U tools can be useful when leaving delicate positive lino lines raised. 

 

19. Japanese U Tool snap off up to a line

Use the U Tool to carve up to a positive carved line. 

 

20. Japanese V Tool snap off to a line

V Tools can be used in the same way, when using snap off up to a carved line. Different depths of V Tool will give different shaped Vs.

 

21. Japanese U Tool spirals

The even line widths achieved by using U Tools are perfect for carving concentric lines and even shapes with control.

 

22. Wiggling line made by rocking Japanese V Tool from side to side

Hold your V Tool straight and wiggle the lino from side to side to create a jagged line.

 

23. Pfeil 12/1 V Tool

The Pfeil 12/1 V Tool is perfect for very fine, controlled lines. 

 

24. Cleaning around a positive shape with Japanese U Tools

The edge of this rectangle was carved with a Japanese small U Tool. The background was then cleared using the Japanese large U Tool.

These are just some of the marks that can be achieved using your tools. Experiment with your own to see what you can make! 

Hi, my names Kathy Hutton, I’m a printmaker working out of my home studio in Wiltshire where I live with my husband and 3 girls.

In my work I combine many different printmaking techniques to produce my original one of a kind prints and I also run small group workshops teaching some of these techniques at my studio and for other venues in the South.

How & Where did you learn to print?

I studied Printed Textiles at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee many years ago with Printmaking as a support subject. This gave me a great grounding
in Silk screen printing but also a passion for all methods of hand printing.

When I graduated I went on to work freelance in Surface pattern design for Habitat, Heals and The Conran shop and later moved into a buying and product
development career, but I kept the printmaking up as a hobby in the evenings, always knowing it was something that I wanted to do more with in the
future.

Why Printmaking?

As a child I visited a local Art Gallery in Liverpool with my family and can remember trying silk screen printing for the first time; I was instantly hooked.
A few years later, my dad made me a basic mesh screen and we bought some fabric inks. Using stencils and hot wax I fashioned some simple designs. This
‘heath robinson’ DIY approach to printing has stayed with me and influences how I print in my home studio without much expensive equipment.

Where do you work?

I’m really lucky to have a fairly large studio space at my home. The previous owners built an extension designed as a summer room, It links to the house
but also feels a bit out on a limb, so actually it’s perfect. I’m still physically in the house which is important while my girls are so young, but
it feels very separate and the children don’t keep popping in!

The room as large windows on 3 sides, but doesn’t get much direct sunlight, making it ideal for working and teaching my workshops in.

Describe a typical day in the studio?

A typical day is tricky to pin down as my youngest daughter is still at home, so I currently only have 2 short school days without her around to work in.
Because of this, these days are pretty much reserved for a quick trip outside and studio time. My day would always start with tea, in fact many cups
of tea punctuate my day. Any orders that have come in will be packaged up, ready to go to the post office later.

I’ll try to get most of my printing done in the daytime so that I can check how the colours are looking against each other in natural light. A lot of drying
time needs to be factored in to printing as you want each colour to dry completely before layering down the next one; often I’ll have 2 or 3 different
prints on the go or I’ll use the in between time to plan and sketch out ideas. Having said that I’m not a great planner, I naturally seem to work more
intuitively, changing things as I go along. As each layer goes down I might get a feel that the print is shifting in another direction. I use coloured
pencils to help me work out my options as I’m going along and try to mix my inks to match.

I try to keep admin jobs and preparation such as cutting papers and stencils for the evenings when the kids have gone to bed. I’ll also try and do some
sketching in the evenings too as this really helps clarify ideas.

What inspires you?

Being out in the countryside is my main source of inspiration. I try to get out every day, I’ll often walk the short distance cross country to the post
office and combine the trip with a forage for plants that might inspire a new print. Being out in the open is normally when an idea will spark, often
from something that I may have passed or seen a thousand times. It could be the last leaf clinging to a branch, the formation of a seed head, a berry
or seed on the path in front of me; but on that particular day I see it in a different light and suddenly I know what to do, its like two thoughts
collide – right place, right time. I’m constantly picking up little nature treasures and stuffing them in my pockets, I’ve quite a collection now. 

Walking or running outside also gives me some much needed thinking space that helps to bring ideas that might have been bubbling away under the packed
lunches and laundry up to the surface to breath and sort themselves out! I always come back home feeling like my ideas have gained a bit of clarity
or direction.

Favourite printmaking product? 

As I use many different techniques, there are lots of products that I love, but if I had to choose just one it would be a tube of Caligo Safe Wash Black Ink! 

It’s the ink that I use for my mono-printed line work which forms part of almost every print I create and which has become my signature style. I love its
texture, consistency, its intense blackness and I even love the smell of it as I open the tube! It also helps that it cleans away with water or a wet
wipe even if I’ve been naughty and have left it out to dry for a day or two! 

Drawing with a mono-print line is where I feel most connected to my work. There’s a sense of freedom and spontaneity that comes with the fact that I’m
not in complete control of the marks that will be made. It’s this very loss of control that gives me the confidence to draw.

 

What have you made that your most proud of? 

The project that I’m most proud of is one that I did for a primary school a few years back. The school commissioned 4 prints to represent the school houses
named after the 4 villages that closed to create the current school. I worked with the children who made their own line drawings of the villages and
I used these drawings to create 4 large prints in the house colours.

Where can we see your work?

I sell online through my Etsy shop KathyHuttonPrints where I have one off prints and small runs of original prints. I also have a small online shop selling my botanical prints and sell my work and teach workshops at Nineteen, an artisan
boutique in Clevedon, Bristol.

What can we be seeing from you next?

I’m excited to be working on some new drawings that are already sparking ideas for a new series of prints which I hope to have ready this spring.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers?

For anyone just starting out, I’d say to be a little bit brave, start showing your work & put it out there. The creative community is incredibly supportive
and can offer so much advice and networking opportunities. Take things one small step at a time and keep believing in yourself.

Find more of Kathy Hutton’s work: 

Wesbite: https://www.kathyhutton.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathyhuttonprints/ 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hutton1kathy/ 

Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/kathyhutton1/

 

Every year Shirley visits Creativeworld in Frankfurt to meet with manufacturers and suppliers and to see new creative products from around the world. This
year it was a group trip as Holly joined Shirley at the glorious hour of 3.30am last Sunday morning to begin our journey! 

Creativeworld is the world’s largest trade fair for art supplies so there was a lot to take in. Here are a few snapshots of the things we saw that inspired
us this year: 

When it comes to screen printing there are so many ways to create your image. You can cut paper stencils, use Drawing Fluid and Filler, create exposed
screens with hand drawn or computer drawn designs. Red Masking Film is a brilliant way of creating exposed screens. It’s transparent so can be used
to trace over perfectly fitting designs and holds together in one piece, even when out design is cut out, meaning islands and delicate parts stay in
exactly the right place. The red film blocks the UV light when exposing films.

This red film is now in stock in our shop! Here’s how to use it: 

When we cut our film the red areas left behind will be the areas that will eventually print. In this case, we want a positive fish shape to print.

Cut a piece of film a little larger than your image and use masking tape to hold it in place. 

The film is made up of two layers: a transparent acetate and a thin red film that peels off. Cut around the edges of your design and use the point of the
scalpel to lift off the thin red film. Your scalpel should not cut all the way through the transparent layer – you can use a sharp knife but don’t
press too firmly! Test on an off cut first to get the pressure right. 

Follow your design with a scalpel, peeling off the unwanted red areas as you go. 

You can cut into your design too, leaving islands of red unpeeled. 

When you’re finished, remove the masking tape and trim off any edges that still have unwanted red film.

Coat your screen with
sensitised photo emulsion in a thin, even layer using a coating trough.
Leave to dry in the dark.

Place your red film between the screen and the light source and expose for your usual amount of time (we use 5 1/2 minutes in our exposure unit). 

When your the time is up your image should be visible on the mesh. Wet both sides before washing out the soft, unexposed emulsion with a forceful hose
of jet wash. Now your screen is ready for printing!

When your screen is dry, tape your edges with parcel tape and mix your inks. We’re using a mix of several colours for one print, marbled together at the top of the screen.

Print with your screen and a squeegee at a 45 degree angle. If printing on fabric, use a slightly padded surface.

To make a screen using red screen masking film you will need:

• Red screen masking film
• Scalpel
• Masking tape
• Aluminium Screen
• Photo emulsion and sensitiser
• Coating trough
• Dark space to dry your screen
• Exposure unit or suitable light
• Jet wash or strong hose
• Screen printing ink for fabric or paper
• Squeegee
• Parcel tape

If you’re not already a reader of our Meet the Maker blog series, you should grab a cup of tea and work your way through these fantastic interview posts.
We talk to printmakers and dyers every couple of weeks to find out how they make their work, where they get their inspiration and what advice they’d
give to fellow creatives!

Here’s a round up of all the Meet the Maker posts we featured in 2017:

Sue Brown – Collagraph printmaking – Sue will be teaching
Sketchbook Techniques and Collagraph with Lino in our studio in July!

Eric Gaskell – Intricate multi-block linocuts

Elizabeth Harbour – Combined printmaking techniques
including screen print and relief printing

Miesje Chafer – Screen printing onto fabric with vibrant
pattern and colour

 

Ian Swift – Bold, typographic screen prints

Sarah Hamilton – Contemporary, mid-century style screen
prints

Helen Murgatroyd – Linocuts and repeated images using
her own unique printmaking system

Pragya Agarwal – Delicate, nature inspired linocuts

 

John Coe – Founder, publisher
and designer of Pressing Matters Magazine

Jenny Sibthorp – Screen printed textile design 

Lennie & Co – Screen printed stylish kidswear 

Laura Danby – Bright, joyful screen prints

 

Sophie Chadwick – Textile designer and co-founder of
Seasalt

Kerry Day – Modern, plant-inspired linocuts

Hester Cox – Intricate collagraphs – Hester is teaching
Collagraph Workshops with us in June

Sarah Campbell – Hand painted textile design – Sarah
is teaching a weekend of workshops with us in May

 

Cath Bristow – Screen printer and community printmaker

Tom Boulton – Typographic designer and letterpress artist
– Tom is teaching a Letterpress Weekend with us in March!

Scarlett Rebecca – Surface pattern design and linocuts

We Are Mountain – Seaside influenced screen prints
and linocuts

 

 

…and our final Meet the Maker of 2017, Lucie Summers – Printed textile design and quilt making

Our Meet the Maker posts have already kicked off for 2018! See them all here. 

Knowing which inks to use for which printing project can be a minefield. There are different inks for screen printing, relief printing and intaglio. Some
can be used for more than one technique, some are only suited to one. Some can be used for printing onto fabric, some only for paper.

We’ve created a chart to help guide you when deciding which inks to use for which printing projects. These charts are based on the information from the
manufacturers and on our own recommendations based on our printmaking experience and experiments. 

Larger, printable PDFs of these charts can be downloaded here: Inks for Fabric and Inks for Paper.

You can find all of these inks on our website:

Akua Intaglio Ink

Caligo Safewash Relief Ink

Caligo Safewash Etching Ink

Cranfield Waterbased Relief Ink

Dye Na Flow

Essdee Waterbased Relief Ink

Fabric Screen Printing Binder (and Pigment Colours) 

Fabric Screen Printing Opaque Binder

Handprinted Fabric Paint

Hawthorn Stay Open Ink

Metallic Binder (and Metallic Powders)

Permaset Aqua Screen Printing Ink

Permaset Supercover Screen Printing Ink

Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink

Speedball Block Printing Ink

Speedball Fabric Block Printing Ink

Speedball Fabric Screen Printing Ink

System 3 Acrylic Paint (with
System 3 Block Printing Medium,
Textile Medium or
Acrylic Medium) 

Thickened Procion Dyes (Procion dyes and Manutex)

Versacraft Ink Pads (large and
small)

 

Hi, my name is Fran Wood and I’m a London based designer specialising in screen printing. I work from home, which is a small flat in central north London, where I live with my partner and son. I have worked in studios as both a graphic designer and textile designer, as well as working in education. My first practical experience of screen printing was on a short course three years ago, where I instantly fell in love with the process. So much so, I gave up my job to work part-time so that I could focus on creating and printing designs. I also set up an online shop called Fran Wood Design to give me an outlet to display and sell my work.

Describe your printmaking process

I start by doing sketches inspired by topics I’m interested in, such as vintage cat illustrations. I use Pinterest as an online scrapbook to collect images
and ideas for these topics. Once I’m completely happy with a sketch, I usually cut it from paper by hand. I then scan it to the computer and finalise
it in Photoshop. At this point the image is ready to be exposed to a screen, but I don’t have the space to do this at home, so I get them professionally produced. I’m now ready to print! For this I have a wooden board with two hinge clamps fixed to it at one end. I place this board on the kitchen table and use the hinge clamps to attach the screen to it.
I then place a piece of clear acetate to the board and attach it with tape on one side. I do the first print on to the acetate, as this allows me to
line-up the following pieces of paper correctly, by placing the first piece under the acetate and adjusting it so it’s in the right position for printing.
I use masking tape on the board, at the corners of the first piece paper, to mark where the next sheets should go. After printing, I clean the equipment
in the kitchen sink and shower.

How and where did you learn to print?

I learnt to screen print about three years ago, on a Saturday morning course at a local college. This course was great, as it was based on showing you
how to screen print at home. Once I’d completed the course, I thought I knew how to screen print, but soon realised after trying at home on my own,
that I had a long way to go! Over the past couple of years, there’s been much trial and error. I’ve watched a lot of You Tube tutorials and looked
at screen printing blogs for tips. I’m now at a level where I’m fairly happy with printing on to paper, but still feel there’s plenty more to learn.

Why printmaking?

Although I have a great love of art and design in all its forms, I’ve always preferred the results of images created by print. I especially love screen
prints, linocuts and woodcuts. There’s something incredibly magical about the process. I never tire of the moment after squeegeeing the ink through
the screen, then lifting the screen up to reveal the image transferred to paper.

Where do you work?

I work at home. I do the printing itself in the kitchen and I dry my prints wherever I can – on shelves, on a clothes airer, or any free space I can find.
I’ll definitely be investing in a print drying rack in early 2018! I have a desk and computer in the living room where I create the designs. It’s a
difficult space to work in because it’s so small, but I’ve managed to overcome this, as I love designing and printing so much. I hope one day to be
able to work in my own dedicated studio space.

Describe a typical day in your studio

I suppose that there isn’t a typical day as each one varies. For example, in the run up to Christmas I was completing online orders, packing and sending
my products to shops, as well as preparing for Christmas markets. At other times of the year I’ll be designing, printing and updating my online shop.
I prefer to screen print mid-morning and early afternoons, as I like to use natural light from the windows to check the screens for blockages.

How long have you been printmaking?

Although I’ve had an interest in printmaking all of my adult life, I’ve only been seriously screen printing for about three years.

What inspires you?

So much inspires me it’s hard to know where to start. In terms of print, my earliest inspirations were from printed African textiles as I love the bold
patterns and colours. I’m also a fan of both mid century and 1970s graphics and textiles. Over the last couple of years I’ve been particularly inspired
by Scandinavian and Eastern European design, especially Eastern European matchbox labels.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

I don’t have one favourite print making product, I have three: hinge clamps, screens and squeegees.
This is because these three items combined, have enabled me to do something I love – screen printing at home!

What have you made that you are most proud of?

In the last few months it’s been my Nouveau Elephant rainbow coloured screen print. This is because I used six colours simultaneously whilst printing,
to create the gradient coloured rainbow effect. This was very difficult, made more so by the fact the print is quite small – only being A4. After printing,
I felt as though I’d really achieved something.

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

I have an online shop called Fran Wood Design. I
also sell at seasonal local markets, such as E17 Designers, based in Walthamstow. I have a selection of my prints and products in a few shops, including
the Vestry Museum in Walthamstow, Casper in Bristol and The Bowery in Leeds.

What will we be seeing from you next?

I’m very excited about 2018. Much of the past couple of years has been spent getting the screen printing to a level I’m happy with. Now I feel more confident,
my main intention is to create artwork inspired by new topics and to expand my screen printing onto paper. I can’t wait!

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

When I was studying graphic design, the lead tutor on the course once said that to succeed in design, you have to be like ‘a dog with a bone’. I think
this is true of printmaking or anything creative. In order to get where you want, you have to keep going and not let anything put you off.

Catch up with Fran Wood below:

Online shop: www.franwooddesign.etsy.com

Twitter:
@franwooddesign

Instagram: @franwooddesign

Facebook: www.facebook.com/franwooddesign

Pinterest: www.pinterest.co.uk/franwood7

 

 

2017 has been a busy year in the Handprinted Studio! We’ve been visited by amazing tutors including Ian Phillips, Laura Boswell, Sue Brown, Tom Boulton,
Karin Moorhouse and Nick Morley, all teaching some of their signature techniques. We can’t wait to have these (and more!) tutors back next year. 

One of our most exciting ventures was the Tea Towel Print Exchange!
Lots of tea towels were printed and sent to us, swapped around and then a random selection of tea towels were posted back to each participant. We saw
some incredible prints and raised lots of money for WaterAid – thank you to everyone who took part!

We hosted our first Makers’ Market with great success at
the beginning of December where 20 local makers sold their handmade wares. We’ll be looking to host another of these events in 2018!

This year we’ve started our Open Access Thursdays and as a result have had the pleasure of seeing lots of wonderful artists use our studio space and printmaking
equipment.

All that and a packed schedule of workshops and classes –  it’s been a busy year! Next year’s workshop timetable is filling up so book yourself a space now while they’re still available.

Take a look below at a small collection of some of the wonderful work made at our Handprinted Workshops this year:

Book yourself into a Handprinted Workshop here!