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. 

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.

 

 

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:

• A tetra pak carton
• Scissors
• Tracing paper
• Pencil
• Etching needle
• Scalpel
• Inking plate or glass slab
• Akua ink
• Toothbrush or rag for applying ink
• A piece of mount board or stiff card
• Scrim
• Tissue paper
• Rags for wiping
• Cotton buds for wiping
• Tray for dampening paper
• Paper to print on
• Etching press

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.

There are several waxes that can be used for making batiks, all of which will produce slightly different results. Standard Batik Wax is a blend of beeswax and paraffin wax but soya wax makes a good alternative. Soya wax is more sustainable, plant based, natural and petroleum free wax. Our soya wax comes from renewable sources.

There are a few differences between making a batik with paraffin and beeswax and making a batik with soya wax – soya wax melts at a lower temperature and
is easier to remove from the fabric when the batik is finished but soya wax is more vulnerable to dye and soda ash so dye can occasionally spread under
the wax. Here’s a project to show some of the pros and cons of soya wax: 

Start by stretching your fabric over a frame. We’re using Prima,
a light weight white cotton, with a wooden batik frame and silk pins. 

 

Heat the soya wax in a Tixor Malam Wax Pot. The soya
wax will start to melt quicker than batik wax. Be sure to use different tools and a different pot when using soya wax. To use tools than have been
used with other waxes, wipe them clean with a solvent to remove any wax residue. 

Use a tjanting to outline the inside edge
of your frame. Different tjantings have different sized spouts so choose a mid-weight line like a size 2. For larger spouted tjantings you may need
to move faster along the fabric to avoid blobs. Try a few tjantings to get a feel for which suits your drawing style and speed. Holding the tjanting
spout against the fabric at a slight tilt (but not so much that it spills!) should produce an easy line. It can be useful to have a piece of kitchen
towel or a rag in your other hand to catch the drips. 

 

You can also use brushes to apply the wax. Use only natural bristle brushes as plastic bristles will melt in the wax (!). Keep the brushes hot in the wax
pot and transfer them quickly to the cloth to paint your wax. Keep dipping into the wax pot so it doesn’t cool down. 

Use empty kitchen rolls and tape rolls to stamp wax onto the fabric. Dip the tools into the wax for a couple of seconds and then stamp onto the fabric.
Don’t leave these in the wax pot. 

 

 

After your first waxing you’re ready to dye. Mix 5tsp of urea (colour
brightener), 2 tsp of soda ash (fixative) and 1/2 tsp of calgon (if you’re in a hard water area) with 1/2 litre of warm water. This is your chemical water. This solution will work for
a couple of hours and will need to be replaced after this time in order to fix your dyes. 

Separately, mix 1/2tsp of Procion MX dye with 50mls of cold
water. Do this for each colour you would like to use. 

To mix a colour, use a pipette to select the liquid
dyes and mix into a pot. Top up the dye with the chemical water. You want at least an equal amount of chemical water to dye but you may want more for
a paler colour. Once you’ve added the chemical water, the dye can be used for a couple of hours. 

Use your dye to paint the fabric. The dye will naturally spread and flow to the wax edges so it’s better to use less dye and let it spread naturally, coaxing
it to the edges if it does not reach. 

When your fabric has been dyed it needs to dry completely before your next layer of wax can be applied. If you can, leave your dye to dry naturally over
night so that the dye can properly fix to the fabric. If you’re in a rush, use a hair drier on a cool setting so as not to melt the wax. 

Your second waxing will preserve any areas of colour that you want to keep and all remaining unwaxed cloth will be open to another layer of dye. 

You can tell that the wax has penetrated the fabric if it appears darker than the cloth. If it looks white it is sitting on the surface of the cloth and
dye will be able to get underneath. If this is happening, either your wax is too cold or your fabric is damp. Make sure your fabric is completely dry
and dip your tools into the wax often, leaving them to heat up in between uses.

Soya wax seems slightly less suited to heavy layering than batik wax. The subsequent layers of wax seem to sit on the surface more and are more susceptible
to flaking off. 

After your second waxing, add another layer of dye. Remember that dyes are translucent and the base colours will come through. Here, turquoise dye is being
painted over magenta to produce purple. The pink lines left behind have been waxed.

Soya wax is more vulnerable to dyes so some dye may start to seep into the wax and get onto the cloth underneath! To avoid this where possible, it’s best
not to pool the dye on the fabric. 

A paler pink has been added to the background to make purple. 

Again, it’s better to leave your dye to dry naturally as the dye will fix better. 

When your batik is dry, iron between pieces of newspaper to remove as much wax as possible. If you want to remove all of the wax, soya wax can be removed
with warm water. Watch this space for updates after we wash this one! We’re also going to experiment with crackle and dip dyeing using this wax and
will update with the results… 

When choosing your wax, here’s a few things to remember:

 

• Soya wax melts at a cooler temperature than standard batik wax.
• Our soya wax is manufactured from renewable sources, more sustainable, plant based, natural and petroleum free. 
• Soya wax is more vulnerable to soda ash so dye can start to seep into the wax. It’s therefore not ideal for dip dyeing or crackling – watch this
  space for the results!
• Soya wax is easier to remove from fabric than batik wax as it does not need to be boiled out. It is therefore well suited to batiks on silk. 
• It’s more difficult to build up layers of soya wax than batik wax as it may start to peel off
• All tools used for Soya Wax batik should be used just for Soya Wax and cannot be used with Paraffin/Beeswax without cleaning with solvents.

For this project you will need:

• Soya wax
• Wooden frame
• Silk pins
• Thin cotton
• Tjantings and natural bristle brushes
• Tixor Malam wax pot
• Procion MX dyes
• Soda Ash
• Urea
• Calgon
• Pipettes
• Measuring jug
• Measuring spoons

My name is Amanda Colville. I’m a printmaker and artist from Kings Lynn in Norfolk.

Describe your printmaking process.

I mainly use linocut as a medium. However I also dabble in monoprint occasionally.

How and where did you learn to print?

I’ve always appreciated print and illustration, so decided to take a printmaking evening course about 7 years ago. I enjoyed it so much, I was determined
to carry on at home. I started off using a back of spoon, then managed to obtain a washing mangle, which I still use as a relief printing press. It’s
been very much an issue of trial and error, sometimes working, and sometimes things failing. It does make the process unpredictable but enjoyable.

Why printmaking?

My father used to collect antique books and also worked in a printing press when he was younger. His passion for all things ink really rubbed of on me
as a child.

I also love being able to produce a piece of artwork fairly quickly and easily at home.

Where do you work?

From my home in Kings Lynn.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

The day starts with coffee, emails and the radio. If I’m working on carving the lino, It really helps if there is music or a play to listen to. Usually
work involves moving one of the cats out of the way!

How long have you been printmaking?

For about 8 years now.

What inspires you?

Lots of things! I get drawn to anything with pattern, fabrics, textiles. Also my garden, plants, and all the wildlife in it.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

It has to be the ink itself. My favourite at the moment are the current range from hawthorn printmakers. They have an amazing range of stay open inks with some stunning colours.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

There are a few prints that I am really proud of, but one of them is my Four crows Lino print. It took a long time to carve, but I am incredibly pleased
with the finished print.

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

I have an Instagram and facebook page. Prints are available my Etsy shop.

What will we be seeing from you next?

I’m currently working on a new series of folk inspired prints. Drawing heavily from Eastern European folk art

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Be creative, have fun and original. Don’t be afraid to experiment and to fail at things sometimes. That’s how we learn.

 

See more of Amanda’s work:

Etsy: Mangle Prints

Instagram: mangleprints

Facebook: Mangle Prints

We’re very pleased to have a brand new roller available for block printing onto fabric! We love using screen printing inks to block print onto fabric as it
creates fast-drying washable prints. Screen printing inks are too slippery for standard rollers so up until now we’ve liked using Sponge Rollers to
print our fabrics. Sponge Rollers are great at rolling
out screen printing inks but leave a bubbly texture on the print and can sometimes be uneven. Our new Textile Rollers are slightly spongy and less absorbent – this means we can roll out slippery inks and print evenly onto fabric!
Here’s our first print with these great new rollers:

 

The new Textile Rollers roll out the ink evenly. When rolling out inks, try to create a thin layer of ink that looks like orange peel and isn’t squelchy. We’re using Speedball Fabric Screen Printing Ink in Green straight out the pot.

Because the roller is not too soft, it is easier to roll onto a carved block without picking up lots of carving lines and edges. 

We’ve printing with a piece of Mounted Lino onto our Heavy-weight Cotton. Press your block face
down onto pinned out fabric. Printing onto a slightly padded surface helps to get an even print. 

This little block can be rotated to create a repeat pattern of circles.

To see the difference between the new Textile Roller and the Sponge Roller,
we had a go using the same ink, block and fabric. The Sponge Roller works really well at rolling out the ink but is more absorbent – you need to press lightly to avoid all the ink going into the sponge. 

The resulting print is bold and the fabric is soft but the print has more of a bubbly texture and is uneven. The softness of the sponge also adds ink to
the carving lines that we may not want to show.

The following circle has been printed with the Sponge Roller on the left half and with the new Textile Roller on the right half. You can see that the new roller has picked up less of the carving lines and gives a cleaner print,
especially in the open spaces in the corners. The print is more even and has less of a texture – the only texture seen comes from the weave of the
Heavy-weight cotton. 

We’re always on the lookout for new ways to print and this new Textile Roller really improves the results when block printing onto fabric! To print your own fabric you will need:

• Textile Roller
• Speedball Fabric Screen Printing Ink
• Inking Tray
• Mounted Lino or other block
• Lino Cutting Tools
• Heavy-weight Cotton
• Padded Surface

Hello! My name’s Mariko and I’m an illustrator and printmaker. I grew up in Hong Kong, went to school in London, travelled around for a bit, and have just moved from California to Tokyo, although I do still travel all the time. I work on commercial illustration commissions such as cookbooks, window displays and packaging, as well as spending as much time in the print studio as I can.

Describe your printmaking process.

I primarily do etchings, but am spending more time on Japanese woodblock (mokuhanga) printmaking, especially now that I’m in Japan. For my mokuhanga prints,
I start with sketches, and try to develop a simple idea in lines and shapes. I carve the woodblock slowly and carefully. This is my favourite part!
I love the feeling of the wood slowly revealing its shapes as I carve. Then I print.

How and where did you learn to print?

I did my first monoprint at kindergarten in Japan, developed basic lino-cut skills in highschool, and did my first etching on my foundation course in London.
I spent a lot of time printmaking at art college, learning silk-screen as well as developing my etching skills. I studied mokuhanga at the Nagasawa
Art Park (now Mi-Lab) residency in Japan in 2004 and fell in love with working with wood immediately.

Why printmaking?

As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved the feeling of ink and paint on paper. But I’ve never been that into painting. Somehow print adds another
dimension to how I make art, another layer of process that adds a tiny element of chance. I love that I’m not totally in control of the outcome. An
added texture there, a little highlight here, it adds up to a sometimes-unexpected beauty.

 Where do you work?

I do etching either in my printmaking co-op the Graphic Arts Workshop in San Francisco or at the London Print Studio when I’m in the UK. I do mokuhanga
at home, as there’s no need for a printing press and I can sit at my low Japanese table on the floor to work.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

There aren’t really typical days in my life, but on a day that I’m going in to the etching studio to print, I’ll start by doing any drawing prep at home,
make myself a packed lunch and flask of Japanese tea, and then drive to the studio, about twenty minutes away in Dogpatch, San Francisco. I’ll choose
a table with lots of sunlight to work at and set out all my tools. I tend to work very quickly, so I can usually cut a plate, put ground on it, draw
it, etch it, and print tests from it all in one day. If I decide to edition it, I’ll come in again and print the edition in one day.

If it’s a mokuhanga day, then I’ll stay at home and sit at my low table, and if I’m carving, will probably be there for the whole day. And the next. And
the next. If I’m printing, I like to get it all done in one day, so the paper doesn’t have the chance to dry out.

 How long have you been printmaking?

I’ve been printmaking seriously since art college, so around twenty years. Today I looked at two of my prints side by side and realised that there were
forty years between them. So maybe the answer should really be forty years!

What inspires you?

I travel all the time, visiting museums and galleries, and looking at the world around me for inspiration. I’m constantly drawing what I see, and my sketchbooks
then fill up with inspiring things. I collaborate regularly with friends on various printmaking projects and they also always inspire me.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

I love my carving tools. Both my grandmother and mother also carved from wood, and I’ve inherited all their tools. My grandmother even made some of her
tools by hand. I sometimes buy old tools from Japanese flea markets if they look interesting. My prints are quite small, so I love tiny-bladed carving
tools.

I also love the barrier hand cream I got from Crown Point Press in San Francisco, for when I’m etching. It smells nice! I should really learn to use gloves,
but I can’t give up the feel of the ink of the metal plates, so barrier cream is pretty important for me.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I often look back at the first print I made when I was around 3 or 4 years old: it’s a single rose, and I find myself trying to recapture some of that
simplicity. It’s quite similar somehow to my newest mokuhanga print of a peony.

I’ve illustrated five cookbooks for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage in the UK, each one with a slightly different style and technique, and
the most popular by far has been River Cottage veg. I made the illustrations for that book from prints of actual vegetables: it’s next level
vegetable mono-printing. I love how they came out, and am now an expert on which vegetables print well!

I’m also very proud of the project I did about fifteen years ago for the Hong Kong subway system: I made over one hundred and fifty multi-plate etchings which were then reproduced on a large scale on vitreous enamel panels to renovate an entire underground station. I sometimes go there and marvel at the sheer scale of it.

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

My HK subway project is permanent and open to the public, just pop along to Cheung Sha Wan MTR station. My illustration/print work can be seen in the River
Cottage cookbooks and I try to exhibit my prints at least once a year, in various galleries. I occasionally put prints for sale into my online shop and my ceramics are for sale from faux in Hong Kong:

What will we be seeing from you next?

I’m going to spend the next year concentrating on honing my Japanese woodcut skills, being inspired by Tokyo everyday life, and making more artwork. I’m
working on several big illustration projects, so hopefully more printmaking will balance out the computer work. My collaborative printmaking project
wood + paper + box is also ongoing and a spin-off project from that, into the fold, will be touring and showing in three separate
locations this year: Philadelphia, Kansas and Tokyo.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Work hard and be determined! Find other printmakers and support each other. It’s really helped me a lot to work collaboratively and get advice whenever
I get stuck. I love going to the mokuhanga conferences and listening to the experiences of other printmakers and seeing their work first-hand. Being
able to do what you love is such a privilege, enjoy it as much as you can!

Find more from Mariko:

Website: marikojesse.com

Instagram: @mariko.jesse

Blog: marikojesse.com/blog

Mariko’s collaborative printmaking group: woodpaperbox.com

We are thrilled to have Cranfield’s new Traditional Relief Inks in stock. Cranfield make the hugely popular Caligo Safe Wash Inks.
These new traditional relief inks are oil based, highly pigmented and come in a wide range of colours including gold and silver! We couldn’t wait to
get our hands on that gold. Take a look at our first print with this lovely new ink. 

The ink rolls our beautifully. We’re using a Hawthorn Roller
which looks gorgeous in this colour. 

To get the perfect print, we prepared a board with Ternes Burton Registration Pins and stuck the lino block down with double sided tape. This way, we can get our print exactly where
we want it and can re-ink if necessary. We prepared some black paper with Ternes Burton Stripping Tabs before inking up our block. 

We used a Bamboo Baren to take our print. 

The inks printed beautifully on the black paper. They have a high proportion of pigment so show up on the black very well. It was not necessary to re-ink
the block – this print is with one inking. 

We cleaned up with vegetable oil and finished with white spirit to remove any residue from the roller. Apart from the gold and silver, the other Traditional
Inks can be cleaned up with Zest-it. 

We are so impressed with this ink – it was easy and quick to use and looks stunning on black paper. You can find the full range of Cranfield Traditional Oil Based Inks and everything we used below:

• Cranfield Traditional Oil Based Ink
• Inking Plate
• Palette Knife
• Hawthorn Roller
• Ternes Burton Registration Pins
  and Tabs
• Bamboo Baren

 

I’m a block printer working mainly with lino blocks, my work is largely inspired by nature & normally grows from our wonderful environment here in
Cornwall.

 

How and where did you learn to print?

I studied Illustration originally & while I didn’t necessarily do print as a specific medium in that study it is a way of working that comes very naturally.

Why printmaking?

It’s exciting! When you draw you know what the next mark will be but when you print the whole process of negative & positive shaping, the reverse process
etc. gives a lot of unknowns which has an outcome that feels like magic every time you do the first print.

Where do you work?

I work from home in a workshop which is a dream place to be.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

I mostly enter my studio after I’ve just done the school run & then the dog walk which means I’m generally super inspired by something I’ve seen when
walking & really relaxed because I’ve done some exercise & prepared my head for what needs doing or finishing that day. I get in, put a pot
of coffee on, answer emails, spend too long fiddling about on instagram then get on with the current print block or product I’m designing from a print.

How long have you been printmaking?

A good while but I’ve concentrated on JUST print for about two years.

What inspires you?

Nature, birds, a glorious walk in the woods, visiting somewhere interesting & generally being out & about.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

A really sticky inky ink… ideally in a dark indigo blue

What have you made that you are most proud of?

(My children) But in terms of print product it has to be the lowly ‘For Being Kind’ mug which was developed from a lino block but then I had it screen
printed for me locally on to bone china mugs. It’s my favourite because every time someone buys one they tell me a story about the person they’re buying
it for because they did something especially kind & then often I get a really kind reply from the recipient saying how much they loved it. It feels
like a double positive.

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

I sell from my etsy shop & my website www.loutonkin.com I also sell in lots of beautiful shops & galleries, I’ll try to list some (I have a famously terrible memory!)
: Me and East (Totnes), Midgley Green (Clevedon), Era of Leek, Mulberry Tree Gallery, Blue bramble Gallery, Circa 21 (Penzance) Tremenheere Sculpture
Garden, The Poly Falmouth, Morva (Marazion), Cornish Food Box (Truro).

What will we be seeing from you next?

I’m working on a new repeat print inspired by my love of Victorian stained glass.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

The same advice as I’d give for anything, work on what inspires you & do lots of it. Immerse yourself & enjoy it.