Thermofaxes are made using photocopy technology from the 1950s. They create a light weight type of silk screen without any chemicals just infared light
and Riso silk screen fabric. We can make your own design into a Thermofax screen – have a look at this quick film to see how speedy the process is.

 

There is much confusion around the differences between Photographic Silk Screens and Thermofaxes. Thermofaxes are most suited to textural, light weight
lines without large solid areas. They are not as hard wearing as a Silk Screen but much cheaper. We really like them as they can be used very spontaneously
to print a tossed design on fabric. You can use a Thermofax with a variety of mediums including thickened Procion Dyes, Screen Printing Inks or
as we have used here: Handprinted Fabric Paints.

We started by drawing our image onto a piece of standard (80gsm) photocopy paper using a carbon pencil.  

 

We then made our drawing into a Thermofax screen – we can make your design into a Thermofax for you just order online and then email the image over to us and we will do the rest.

We pinned our fabric to a slightly padded table top – we use a blanket with a sheet over – it helps to get a good print. We put a
strip of fabric ink of along the top of the screen.            

 

We printed in a similar way to screen printing except using much less pressure and just one pull – a Thermofax squeegee is much softer.  

 

Because the Thermofax screen is so small (we used the medium size) you can print images quite close together.    

 

When we had printed enough of the Turquoise we washed out the screen in cold running water and then dried it with a soft towel. You must be much more
gentle with a Thermofax when cleaning.

Then we dried the printed areas using a hairdryer so we could carry on printing.

 

We kept layering up the colours using the same motif. You can have more than one image on a Thermofax like we have but you need to be careful
not to print the second image.

 

When the ink was dry we ironed it using a hot, dry iron to fix the paints.  

 

The finished print!

 

You will need:

Thermofax screen

Thermofax squeegee

Fabric paints – we used Yellow, Kiwi, Orange, Dark Turquoise, Pink, Wine Red and Plum.

An iron

Something to print – we used Prima Cotton

 

If you are local to us we are running a introductory class in Thermofax Printing on 24th June 1.30-4.30 – £15 for more details click here.  

Two other prints taken from the same screen.  

 

 

 

 

I’m really a linocut hobbiest, artist and enthusiast. I enjoy spending my spare time carving into a piece of lino as my creative outlet. When I started
I had lots of questions, and I wanted to share my knowledge and experience to help and encourage others. I decided to setup Draw Cut Ink Press, my website, to document my journey and to act as an online resource to encourage others to pick up the tools
and start linocutting and printing.

I started off my career as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer before working with my business partner to setup a digital agency which makes up
my day job. As the agency has grown I found myself further away from the creative coal face and so wanted a past-time that scratched my creative itch.
I love every part of the linocutting and printing art form, from the process of planning and carving the piece to inking up my latest block and peeling
back the paper for the first time to reveal how the lino print turned out.

Describe your process.

I always begin with a pencil and an idea. I have lots and lots of ideas all the time so I keep a notebook on me where I can jot down any new creative sparks
of inspiration and slowly try to work through them all.

I like to draw directly onto a piece of lino, and once I’ve sketched my initial plan out I’ll then begin to add areas of light and dark with a black brush
pen. This really helps get the composition ready and allows me to map it out before I start carving away the negative space.

I use a set of Pfeil carving tools to cut away the lino and add areas of shading. I really enjoy experimenting with the variety of marks you can create by combining different techniques
and U shaped or V shaped tools. I think that this is the part of the process I enjoy the most. I find it really relaxing, it’s almost a type of therapy
and hours can just evaporate!

Once the process of cutting away the lino is complete, I’m pretty much ready to get printing. If I’m doing a multiple colour block then the process is
a little bit more complicated, as you have to map out the areas where you want to add some extra colour and create a registration template (I’ve written an article about that on my blog).

I have a book press at home, but I like to use an etching press most of the time when I’m printing. Using oil based relief printing inks and a Japanese
roller I’ll ink up the lino. Then I’ll crank it through the etching press and hey presto, the job is done and I’m straight back to my notebook to see
what the next print will be from my list.

How and where did you learn lino printing?

I just started doing it really, which means I made loads of mistakes! This was why I wanted to setup Draw Cut Ink Press,
in order to document what I’d learnt and to make it accessible and free to anybody else who is interested. The only training I’ve done was with Nick
Morely (aka LinocutBoy) at Resort Studios in Margate. My wife got me a weekend colour workshop
where I learned loads from Nick, who is a top print artist and really nice bloke.

Do you practice any other forms of printmaking?

I’ve done some screen printing before, and I’d like to try wood block printing one day but at the moment I’m really just focused on lino printing.

Where do you print?

I have a membership for Bainbridge Studios in Elephant and Castle in London. The studio is primarily setup for screen printers, but they’ve also got a
little back room with two etching presses that seem to mostly collect dust. I’m very pleased to dust them down and run my blocks through them, I think
they are fantastic.

Describe a typical day when you are printmaking?

I have two typical types of day really. Drawing and carving at home, or printing in the studio. I’ll usually stick some music on (I’d always recommend
The Rolling Stones) and just bury myself into what ever part of the process I’m at. When I’m carving the lino I tend to work in the evenings or for
a few hours at the weekend. When I’m printing I’ll book a four hour slot on the etching press at the studio and try to work through as quickly as I
can, especially if I’m doing a multi-block print.

How long have you been printmaking?

I’ve been printing for just over a year now, and I’m sure that I’ll be printing for many years to come. I hope!

What inspires you?

Lots of things, I have a really eclectic taste when it comes to things that I find inspiring. The first block print that really inspired me was an Ex-Libris
print a friend bought on a visit to Prague. I loved the graphic quality of it, and I’ve since found loads of these that get my creative juices flowing.
I love popular culture, from great musicians to cult movies as well as the just the world around me, from the city I live in to nature and big landscapes.

I think that if I had to express one thing that ties all my work together it is a sense of narrative and story telling, I like all my prints to look and
feel like a snap shot of an unfolding story.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

That’s a tricky question to answer, but I think my set of Pfeil carving tools are my absolute favourites. I can’t live without them now. When I started lino cutting I had a naff carving
tool with a blunt cutting edge and cheap plastic handle. It was so bad I almost packed it in before I’d had a chance to start, but then I decided to
invest some pennies into my first Pfeil tools and it was a completely different experience, I loved it!

What have you made that you are most proud of?

Another tough question, I think that as a creative person you always look at the flaws in what you’ve done because you’re too close to the pieces you create.
I’ve done a few pieces that I like, but I only start really liking them about two months after they’re printed and have sat under a pile on my desk
for a while.

I think some of my recent work is what I like the most, which have been based on characters from films I grew up with. I loved the old movies that merged
stop motion animation with live action, and so my latest piece of the mythological Greek character Talos that came to life in Jason and the Argonauts
is currently my favourite.

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

Primarily on my website or my Instagram feed at the moment. I have plans to eventually start selling my work via my website and to maybe try and exhibit in a few small galleries in London
if I have the opportunity.

A few people contact me through social media so I’ve made a couple of sales, but for me lino printing is primarily a hobby. The dream is to one day setup
my own studio and surround myself with other artists all day – to create a bit of a lino cutting and printing community where we can support one another
and setup classes, workshops and exhibitions open to people interested in the art form.

What are you working on at the moment?

Right now I’m doing a series around my stop-motion animation childhood hero Ray Harryhausen and the characters that he created. I want to try and get around
ten pieces in the series, so I’ve got a way to go yet!! The latest piece hot off the press is of Talos, a giant bronze statue that comes to life in
Jason and The Argonauts, but as I write this I’m looking for skeleton warrior references (as you do??) from the same movie…

Do you have any advice for other printmakers, designers and creatives?

I’d say just get on with it really, you can start lino-printing at home with relatively few tools and you don’t need loads of space. The most important
thing is to just be open to experimentation and the odd failure along the road. Mistakes are the best way to learn and I’ve certainly learnt the most
by making a few clangers along the way. Art is really 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, so be prepared to roll your sleeves up and sweat it out.
It’ll definitely be worth it in the end.

The only other advise would be to look at what other people are doing if you don’t know where to start. There are loads of inspiring people doing amazing
work out there, and I’m sure that one of them will be able to inspire you to get printing too… and obviously i’d say to go and have a look at
www.drawcutinkpress.com for lots of helpful articles and tips!

You can see more of Paul Davis’s work on his website, on Twitter or Instagram! 

Indian Blocks come in a wide variety
of designs perfect for printing onto fabric and paper. It can be a bit tricky to achieve an even, bold print on fabric so here’s our method of printing
with these blocks!

Handprinted Fabric Paints are perfect for printing these blocks onto fabric. We’ve scooped out a little of a variety of colours onto an Inking Tray: Mushy Pea, Kiwi, Yellow, Sea Green, Forest, Cloudy Blue and Royal Blue.

Loading up the blocks with a sponge is a good way of getting even coverage on the design. Dipping the block in paint would  result in a blobby, messy
print. We’re using Paint Applicator Sponges.

Place your fabric on top of a Foam Printing Pad.
This gives the right amount of padding underneath the block to ensure that the whole of the design prints evenly on the fabric. You don’t need to press
hard to achieve a good print.

You can blend different colours with the sponge onto the block to print varying shades.

Layer up your design by loading up another block with paint and printing over the top.

These block designs are Starburst and Starburst Circle.

Some Indian Blocks are designed to be repeated, like this Circle Square block.

Printing using the
Applicator Sponges
and Foam Printing Pad
 helps you to achieve an even pattern when printing in repeat.

Again you can blend the colours on the block with the sponge to print changing colours.

Even blocks with flatter printing areas like this Triangle will print evenly on the printing pad.

Iron your prints when they’re dry to make your fabric washable with a lovely soft handle.

To print using this method you will need:

• Indian Blocks
• Foam Printing Pad
• Paint Applicator Sponges
• Inking Tray
• Fabric to print on
• Handprinted Fabric Paint
• Iron

 

 

My name is Lizzie Mabley. I live and work near Stroud in the Cotswolds.I have a passion for pattern which I find in nature and my surroundings, I translate
this love to my lino and screen prints.

Can you describe your process?

All my designs start life in my sketch book. When I am happy with an idea I transfer it to lino and carve it out. Some of my designs stay as art prints,
but some I develop for printing on to textiles for cushions, tea towels napkins etc. If I intend to print a design on fabric I usually transfer it
to a silk screen – I find this much more efficient if I need to print larger quantities, it also gives a more ‘solid’ image than a lino print stamp.

While studying Textile Design and Surface Decoration at university I did a screen printing project and obviously used all the proper kit – exposing units,
drying cupboards and wash out booths. For ages I thought this was out of the question to do at home, but after a bit of research I found I could successfully
expose my screens at home using only the sun. Even on a relatively dull day there is enough U-V to expose an image on a screen coated in light sensitive
emulsion.

To transfer a lino print to a screen I first print my lino block on to acetate using an oil-based block printing ink, this will give the screen print the
look and texture of a lino print.

I then coat a screen with Speedball photo sensitive emulsion and let it dry in a dark cupboard. When it is dry I lay the printed acetate on to the screen, followed by a sheet of glass. This is then put on to
a board covered with a sheet of black paper. I then have to wait for a bright day as I expose the screen to sunlight for approximately 50-60 seconds
depending on the strength of the sun. This is enough to expose my image onto the screen. I then wash out the ‘un-exposed’ areas with a hose to reveal
the image.

How and where did you learn to print?

I did my degree in Textile Design and Surface Decoration at what used to be called Buckinghamshire College in High Wycombe.We worked in a massive textile
studio affectionately known as ‘The Red Shed’ – it was a big red tin building! Screen Printing and mixed media were my thing. I spent my time printing,
sewing, sticking and painting.

Later on I became absorbed in family life and although always making and creating did not call it ‘work’ for a long time.I needed a creative outlet so
decided on lino printing which I could easily do at home and fit in around my children.

Why Printing?

I really love repeat and pattern. I am very observant, as any visual artist is and look for pattern everywhere.It is amazing where you can find beauty,
just keep your eyes open. Print is the perfect medium for me, each print is the same – but not quite – as the last. I love printed pattern in home
furnishings so I am aiming to take my own work in that direction.

Where do you work?

I am lucky enough to rent a tiny studio at Victoria Works Studios in Chalford which is nestled in the Golden Valley near Stroud. It is an inspiring environment
in a beautiful place. This is only a recent development however, I moved there last September from the little Blue Shed in my garden at home – hence
the name of my business ‘My Blue Shed’! My new studio is certainly an up-grade on my damp old shed and I love it there, although I do miss the little
slice of the Cotswolds that is my garden. It is great for me to leave the house and go to work every day – it makes me more efficient and I appreciate
home all the more now.

Describe a typical day in your studio

After I have seen my children off to school I head off to the studio and arrive about 8.30am. Each day is different – although they all start with coffee,
then it might be carving a new lino block, working on a new design in my sketch book, screen printing a batch of tea towels or cushion covers and ironing
prints to fix them…

Then I tend to leave about 3, back in time for the children to re-appear.

How long have you been printmaking?

I began lino printing about 10 years ago. When my children were small it was an ideal hobby which fitted in with life. After a few commissions and stalls
at various fairs and markets this has gradually escalated into a little business. I moved on to screen printing about 3 years ago.

What inspires you?

I am strongly influenced by nature and gardens. I love plants and the shapes and colours that nature so cleverly puts together. I used to think I couldn’t
design anything without using flowers! As a mum at home with small children, trips to the allotment were frequent so I suppose I have been immersed
in this environment for so long that it always finds its way in to my work. I also find pattern in man-made objects and I like to photograph objects
like floor tiles, railings, gates and old street lamps while out and about.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

Having re-discovered screen printing I am a big fan of Speedball’s photo screen emulsion kit which works brilliantly with my ‘low-tech’ method.

For printing on fabric I love using Permaset Aqua Screen Printing Ink (it works well for block printing with lino too) when it is heat fixed with an iron it washes and wears really well.

For printing my lino blocks on paper I use Caligo Safe Wash Relief Ink. It is a natural oil based ink and gives a good crisp print even without a printing press. It smells
lovely (evocatively taking me straight back to art college) and as an added bonus it washes off equipment with warm soapy water.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I was so proud of myself when I found I could successfully expose my printing screens at home in a ‘low-tech’ way with a very limited budget and very little
space, it really was an exciting moment! I am very proud of the prints I have achieved using this process like my Dodo, Paisley, Bee and Mackerel to
name a few. I love the fact that my screen prints almost always begin life as a lino print, where all this began!

Where can we see your work?

Being a self-confessed technophobe my website, which has always been on my ‘to-do’ list is still under construction – soon to be rectified! But I do have
an online shop on Folksy and I’m getting pretty good at social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

I usually post new work and work in progress straight away on these platforms.

Email me on lizzie@myblueshed.co.uk

I also sell locally in shops in Stroud, Gloucestershire and of course I always welcome visitors to my studio.

I teach Lino printing workshops to beginners which is great fun, even people who think they can’t draw and believe themselves not to be artistic go away
with something lovely that they have created. It is immensely satisfying to pass on my craft to others.

What will we be seeing from you and your work next?

I am loving printing my designs on fabric, so I will definitely be heading in that direction and developing my range of cushions, tea towels and aprons.
I am also planning to make lampshades using my fabrics.It is my ambition to eventually get a bigger space and be able to print with larger screens
and longer lengths of fabric. I would love to design gift wrap and who knows maybe one day, wallpapers!

What advice would you give to other creatives and printmakers?

Have faith in what you are doing. Engage with other creatives on social media, it will boost your confidence and reassure you that you are going in the
right direction. Until I looked on facebook and twitter for other lino printers I thought I was alone in my obsession, but I was so wrong! There are
loads of us out there producing beautiful and inspiring work.

Above all, do what you love doing and don’t give up!

You can see more of Lizzie’s work in her Folksy shop or get in touch by email at lizzie@myblueshed.co.uk.

Photography by Britt Willoughby-Dyer and Lizzie Mabley.

We are thrilled to be taking part in this year’s Chichester Open Studios Art Trail. 119
venues are opening their doors to 155 local artists exhibiting a wide range of work in and around the city of Chichester, West Sussex.

The two of us here have been working hard putting together a body of our own work to exhibit in the Handprinted Studio.
We’ve got examples of all of our favourite techniques: screen printing, linocut, woodcut, indigo shibori, batik, drypoint and cyanotype in framed prints
as well as in the form of lampshades, bags, tea towels, garments and sketch books!

We opened last weekend on the 30th April and will be exhibiting again this weekend on the 7th and 8th May.

Some of our new range of lampshades and garments, all hand printed and dyed by Shirley and Holly.

‘Branches’ – a linocut by Shirley

Screen printed sketch books with Shirley’s designs.

‘Flight’ – a two layer photographic screen print by Shirley

Our lovely Adana press tucked in the corner with four of Holly’s botanical drypoints and one of Shirley’s cyanotypes.

There are plenty of additional prints in the browser!

‘Venetian Door’ – a five layer reduction linocut by Holly

Screen printed tea towels featuring Holly’s ‘Polyprop’ and ‘Fern’ designs

Screen prints by Holly – ‘Botanical’ and ‘Hydrangea’

Please pop by and see us this weekend if you are in the local area! We are venue no. 59 on the map at Handprinted, 22 Arun Business Park, Shripney Road, Bognor Regis, PO22 9SX.

 

We are lucky to have relief printmaker Ian Phillips joining us in July for a two day Reduction Lino Workshop! We spoke to him about his incredible work:

 

 

I am a relief printmaker based in Mid wales. I studied Illustration at Leicester and then worked as a Freelance Illustrator in London for a number of years.
I came to my senses in the new millennium and moved to Wales to live in the hills and concentrate on printing the landscape. I work full time as an
artist and also teach, give talks and take workshops on the joys of lino.

Describe your processes.

Until very recently I worked solely with reduction linocut print making. A relief process. After a day spent collecting drawings I return to the studio.
The drawing is then transferred to a sheet of lino and the consecutive layers are cut and printed from the same lino sheet. Starting with the lightest
and finishing with the darkest colour. You have to print the whole edition at a time. All that is left is the sheet of lino with the areas of the final
colour remaining so you cannot go back and print any more. This is also known as the waste or suicide method.

I am now also experimenting with multi-block lino prints and,with Pine Feroda on large
woodblock prints. (Pine Feroda is the collective name used by five artists working together on one print. The artists are Ian Phillips, Merlyn Chesterman,
Rod Nelson, Julia Manning and Judith Westcott). 

 

How and where did you learn printmaking?

I actually taught myself. I studied Illustration and lino was one of the techniques we were introduced to. I enjoyed it but didn’t follow it up. It was
only later, weeks before my degree show, that I decided to use lino, badly, for my final show. After graduating I worked exclusively in lino and kept
looking for my own solutions to improve my mistakes and achieve what I wanted in a picture. I gradually became obsessed by it. Until very recently
I wouldn’t have described myself as a printmaker. Now I do.

Why lino?

I don’t know. I just love it. After twenty years I still get completely involved in the process. I love the inherent contradictions in the medium. The
complete control in transferring a sketch accurately to lino then the spontaneous quality of cutting pattern freehand within the confines of the drawing.
Then the painterly freedom of mixing and rolling up the ink. Of course after all that there is the magic moment when you peel back the paper to see
what you have created and it is always a surprise, so all that control was just an illusion.

Where do you work?

I have a studio in the Old College in Aberystwyth, Mid Wales which is an amazing building. A cross between Harlech Castle and Hogwarts. Although when I’m
drawing I could be anywhere in Wales or the UK, walking up a mountain or sitting on a beach, with my sketchbook. I’m also working a lot down in Hartland,
North Devon, at the moment with Pine Feroda.

Describe a typical day at work.

Luckily I don’t have one. There is, unfortunately, always admin to do and emails to answer but there is a lot of variation; I might be driving down to
Bognor Regis for a printmaking workshop at Handprinted;
clambering over moorland in the rain to get a good view for a drawing; framing and delivering work; Ideally if it’s in the studio I’m losing myself
for a week or more in the cutting and printing of a new picture. My favourite type of day is when I’m kitted up and, having driven to a deserted laybay
somewhere, stroll off for a day’s drawing in the hills. It’s all worth while then.

What inspires you?

Spending all day outside in the countryside, walking, looking and drawing. The weather doesn’t matter and the further I walk the more excited I get to
see what’s just around that bend or over the ridge. Once I think I’ve spotted a great composition for a drawing I really get a bit giddy. It’s all
there for the looking and I’ll never see it all or ever get bored of it.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

My favourite product is currently a Ball Bearing Baren, that a fellow printmaking friend, Laura Boswell, brought back from Japan. It really helps when hand printing large prints on heavy paper, and it makes a really cool
swooshing noise when you use it. Everyone I’ve shown it to wants one, until they hear the price..

I’m also currently testing a new Tabs form of registration which seems pretty neat, so I could become quite taken with them and they’ll become the next best
thing!

What have you made that you are most proud of?

This was a hard question to answer. However I have literally just finished a new print with the print collaboration, Pine Feroda, in which I pushed my cutting and inking abilities further than I have before and painted with the roller as well as
cut.

Really though I’m actually most proud of my nine year old daughter Lily for working so hard to do her first reduction print in a day (pictured below).
It’s lovely and she was very insistent on doing most of it herself. She mixed colours, cut and used the Baren. Brilliant.

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

I sell from my studio, in Aberystwyth, through my website, Reliefprint.co.uk, and in various
galleries in the UK.

What will we be seeing from Ian Phillips next?

I’ve got a new series of new multi blocks prints I’m currently working on which, hopefully, will be quite exciting. In terms of showing work I have two
exhibitions coming up with the print collaboration Pine Feroda. We are showing
at the Rebecca Hossack Gallery, 2a Conway Street, London (4^th May – 28^th May) and the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, The Riverside
Gallery, Bovey Tracey. (21^st May – 3^rd July)

Do you have any advice for other printmakers, designers and creatives?

That’s a hard one. Everyone’s situation, motivation and circumstances are so different. What I know applies to what I do and how I got here which might
not always be relevant or interesting to others. I would say though that your art should excite you somewhere in the process. Conversely it’s okay
for some bits to be boring too. It IS work, after all, and should be respected and treated as such by yourself and by others. Also, when you can, take
a risk with stuff like colour and technique and always, always be honest in what you do. ( Except when you can’t ). Finally remember when it comes
down to it, it’s not brain surgery and no-ones going to die if you get that blue wrong so relax.

See more of Ian’s work on his website, or book a place on his Reduction Lino Workshop.

Transfer printing is a fantastic way of getting colour and designs onto synthetic fabric. You’ll need hardly any equipment and materials to get started – you can just use an iron at home! Here’s our simple method:

You can use Transfer Dyes (disperse dyes). The dyes come in powdered form and need to be mixed with water. To mix up a transfer dye, sprinkle 2tsp of Transfer Dye onto 100ml of water (please wear a mask for this part). Mix and leave for five minutes. Mix up all the colours that you want to use – you can combine dye colours to make your own shades too! These will keep for a long time in a lidded pot.

Paint your dyes onto paper. Standard 80gsm copy paper works perfectly but you can try others if you like.

You can create different marks and textures on your papers, or paint full designs and patterns.

Transfer dyes appear dull when painted onto paper but become very vibrant when heat transferred onto fabric. If you want more subdued colours, mix up more muddy looking shades. Paler shades can be achieved by adding less dye to the water when mixing them up. Leave your papers to dry. These will keep for a very long time so you can keep these to use another day.

Assemble a collection of objects. Feathers, seed heads and leaves work really well. These objects need to be able to be pressed completely flat to the fabric. Thick stems won’t work. The materials need to be dry too – plants with water content will make a wet steamy mess when heated!

You will need to use synthetic fabrics for transfer dyeing for the best results. Polyester works perfectly. In order to use natural fibres, Transfix can be painted onto the surface and left to dry before use.

Lay your objects over the fabric. Place a sheet of dry painted transfer paper face down on top of your assemblage. Cover with baking paper and iron on a hot setting. You can also use a heat press or a trouser press. After a minute or two (less with a heat press or trouser press), the dye will have transferred to the fabric with the objects acting as a mask. This fuchsia pink appeared as a dusty mauve on the painted paper. The print is dry and heat set immediately, making this technique pretty instant and mess free!

Create layered designs by placing different papers onto the fabric and ironing over the top. You can layer the designs as much as you like.

This blue layer was added next, using the same leaves to mask areas. You can cut shapes from the transfer papers and place them face down before covering and ironing again.

Your design will build up as you add more layers.

The design below was created using a dried hydrangea flower between the dark green paper and the fabric. Pink stripes of paper were placed down before the green paper.

After being pressed against the transfer papers, your objects will pick up colour of their own. Turn them over and iron them onto the fabric.

You can use paper masks and stencils between your paper and fabric.

You can see that the vibrancy of the transfer dye intensifies when it is heat pressed onto the fabric. Each piece of painted paper can be used several times. The intensity of the colour will decrease each time until very little dye will be transferred.

The hydrangea print below was heat pressed onto cotton that had been painted with Transfix and left to dry. First the fabric was pressed with a hydrangea and pink paper, then the flower was moved slightly and pressed with green paper. Both the pink and green papers had been used several times before this print was made, giving subtler shades. The Transfix treated cotton produces paler shades than a synthetic fabric would.

To create transfer dyed fabrics of your own you will need:

• Transfer Dyes
• Measuring jug and measuring spoons if using transfer dyes
• Paper – 80gsm copy paper is perfect
• Paintbrushes
• Synthetic fabric such as polyester (or natural fabrics painted with Transfix)
• Objects to print with such as leaves, seed heads and feathers
• Scissors
• Baking Paper
• Iron (or heat press or trouser press)
• Ironing board or padded surface

Hi, I’m Sarah Waterhouse and I’m a Sheffield based fabric designer and screen printer. I specialise in hand printed sustainable fabrics, printing my original
designs on to hemp and organic cotton fabrics with water based eco friendly inks.

(Photo by Nigel Barker) 

How and where did you learn to screen print?

I studied Art & Design at college and immediately fell in love with lino printing, unfortunately I never got a chance to screen print whilst I
was there, but the idea fascinated me so I decided to teach myself some years later. I couldn’t find any classes any where near where I lived so
I taught myself with videos and books instead. It was a great learning experience as I learnt the hard way, making a lot of mistakes along the
way, which helped me to troubleshoot issues from early on. Also I built most of my equipment (screens and exposure unit) so that was a great way
to learn. In 2007, a year after I taught myself to screen print I launched my business selling hand printed accessories and small craft items.

Why screen printing?

I had already tried other methods of printing which had given me the printing bug, I especially enjoyed lino printing but the ability to create patterns
and repeat them with screen printing really appealed to me. Also, the kind of designs I found myself drawing were more suited to screen printing,
especially the photo emulsion method which allowed me to keep the nice clean lines in my drawings.

(Photo by Nigel Barker)

Where do you work?

I work from my studio in Sheffield, it’s in a building called Yorkshire Artspace which houses over 70 artists and craftspeople. I share my studio with
my husband, who is also a designer, and we have our rescue pug Etty in work with us every day. I’ve had a studio here for nearly 6 years and it’s
such a lovely place to work, the best thing is being surrounded by so many talented artists and makers.

Describe a typical day in your studio.

A typical day starts for me at 7am, usually with something creative like sketching or painting. I used to always get in the studio and turn the computer
on first thing to catch up with my admin, but I found that by swapping this to after lunch, I got so much more done in the morning! At the end
of the previous day I set out any orders, sewing and printing that needs doing so I usually start that work around 9am and work the rest of the
morning on those jobs. After lunch I spend some time doing admin and answering emails then it’s back to more printing and putting orders together
so that by 3pm I can start to pack up things that need posting out that day. By 4pm I’m ready for home.

How long have you been printmaking? For how long has your business been going?

I’ve been printing for 18 years but only screen printing for 10 of those. My business is celebrating 8 years in business this year.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by so many things around me, from the buildings and street furniture on the streets of Sheffield to the mesmerising patterns in the natural
world. I take my camera everywhere with me and record everything I see that catches my eye. At the moment I’m particularly obsessed with worn and
distressed things so I’ve been taking lots of pictures of random rusty gates and weathered bark on trees, I’m not sure if this will lead to a new
collection but it’s definitely creating some interesting drawings.

What is your favourite printmaking product?

My favourite item is definitely my squeegee, I get really excited when I get a new squeegee made up, especially if it’s one of my super large squeegees
that are around 80cm wide, those are wonderful to see with a shiny new blade.

What have you made that you are most proud of?

I think I’m probably most proud of the furniture pieces where I’ve used my fabric. I love seeing the fabric come alive on a piece and also choosing
just the right fabric for the style of the furniture. All of my furniture pieces are vintage pieces and so I’ve already fallen in love with them
when I choose them, and tend to have a fabric already in mind that would work well. It’s great to see it all come together when the piece is finished.

(Photo by Nigel Barker)

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

I sell a variety of homeware pieces and furniture alongside my fabric by the metre, all of these are sold online through my own website and I also still keep my Etsy shop open where I sell smaller pieces of fabric and remnants. I also sell at galleries and shops around the country and have a number of fabric shops
who hold my fabric books where customers can come in and choose fabric for a project.

What will we be seeing from you next?

I’m due to go on maternity leave soon so I’ll be taking a few months off work, but I’ve been busy preparing for a new collection and wallpaper launch
which will be ready for when I return to work so that’s really exciting. I also have plans for more products to add to the collection, including
some more small furniture pieces.

Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?

Doing what you love is an amazingly rewarding career and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but it’s definitely hard work. If you’re thinking of running
your own business then it’s a labour of love and one that takes over your life so you have to be prepared for that. But whether you’re making and
printing as a hobby or running your own business then my best advice would be to just enjoy what you do, don’t worry about what you create, also
try to do something creative every day.

You can see more of Sarah’s beautiful work on her website and in her Etsy Shop.

This week we wanted to test a technique for transferring an image onto lino using a printed image and an iron. It worked surprisingly well and was very quick and easy. Here’s how we did it:

Your image needs to be printed either through a laser printer or a photocopier (inkjet printers will not work). If you are working from a drawing, scan
it into the computer and print it out. It needs to be full black.

Place your printed image face down onto the lino. Your paper needs to be larger than the lino block.

Place baking parchment over the top. This will protect the lino and paper from becoming too hot and make it easier to slide the iron without moving the
image.

Iron over the top of the paper for a few minutes. Hold the paper and lino still with one hand. We used the iron on its hottest setting for about three
minutes. You can carefully peel up the paper in one corner to check its progress.

Remove the paper to reveal the transferred image! We were pleased with the strength of the lines and the fact that they didn’t smudge. The transfer is
a little patchy but you can see where all the cuts need to be made.

If you make any mistakes or the image smudges under the iron, the carbon can be removed with nail varnish remover and a cotton bud.

We tested this technique on a few of our other printmaking materials but the traditional lino was definitely the most successful:

Softcut lino – the image turned yellow before it turned black. The black can be removed with nail varnish remover but the yellow stain stays behind. The
softcut also warped a little in the heat! In retrospect perhaps it would have been better to turn the iron down a little…

Mastercut – the image turned yellow and then the Mastercut started to warp before the image could be properly transferred.

Japanese ply – the image transferred beautifully but then the layers of ply began to separate (!) The think this would work better on a solid piece of
wood.

You can watch a video of the transfer here:

or click here to see the video full size.

We’re really excited to have Ternes Burton pins and tabs in stock! We have already started using them for our own work and wanted to show you a really simple example of how they can be used to register block
prints with effortless accuracy. We’ve whipped up a quick reduction print and a multi-block to show you how they work!

Printing a Reduction Linocut using Ternes Burton Pins and Tabs:

You’ll need a pair of pins and a flat board that is bigger than your paper.

Tape the pins to the top of the board using parcel tape. The holes in the pins will allow more of the tape to stick to the board and stop the pins from moving. Place the
lino underneath the pins (leaving enough space for your paper all the way round). Stick the lino down with double sided tape. It will need to stay
here for the whole printing process.

Place your paper over the lino. Leave a little extra space at the top that can be trimmed off later if you can.

Snap your stripping tabs onto the pins so that they overlap the paper. They should make a clicking sound as they go into place. Stick your tabs down with masking tape. If your
paper has a correct print side, make sure the paper is print side down.

Prepare your paper for the whole edition in this way. You’ll need two tabs for each piece of paper in your edition. We sell them in packs of approximately
100. 

Ink up your first layer. We inked up our block using Caligo Safewash Relief Inks and a Hawthorn Roller onto an uncut piece of lino.

Click your paper back into place using the strips and pins.

Take your print using a baren or by putting the board through a press. The pins are slightly lower than the height of a piece of traditional lino
so will go through a press easily with no damage!

Remove the paper by peeling it off the block and unsnapping the tabs from the pins. Print the first layer of your whole edition this way.

We wanted to use a simple grid to show you the accuracy of the registration.

Carve your block whilst it remains stuck to the board.

Ink it up with your second colour.

Snap the tabs of each piece of paper to the pins and print as before. The paper will go down in exactly the same place as on the first layer.

The edges line up perfectly!

Printing a Multi Block using Ternes Burton Pins and Tabs:

 

We are using Softcut for this print. It is important to make sure your blocks are exactly the same size and shape.

Stick your pins as before. Use mount board corners or plastic (as we have used here) to register your block. Both of your blocks should be able to
slot into the space without room for movement.

Ink up the first block. Place it into the space.

Snap your tabs on the paper to the pins.

Place the paper down and use a baren to take your print.

Ink up the second block and place it on the board in your marked out space.

Snap the paper to the tabs and take your second layer.

You can find Ternes Burton Pins sold in pairs here and Strippng Tabs in packs of 100 here!