Lino Printing...

You can carve almost any design onto a piece of lino. Where-ever you decide to carve will not print (treat this as the negative space) Tip: it's easier to try and carve the lino in a linear motion (see image to the left).

 

 

Once you've decided on the theme of your print (depending on your current interests and project) you should start to think about the colour scheme you wish to use. I have been working on a man-made collection project and because my objects are mechanical forms I have decided to use dark and urban colours. To best achieve this I have stained some fabric with Quink ink (can buy from any good stationary shop – this is ink for fountain pens). To experiment with a different approach to printmaking and rather than using printing inks I thought bleach could also transfer the lino image. As Qunik ink is dark rolling bleach onto the fabric would make the positive shapes light and bleach out the Quink. Wear gloves at ALL TIMES, label the bleach and always contain in a GLASS JAR. Some areas of the fabric when bleached can leave some orange patches which just adds to the 'Urban' effect.

 

 

The bleached print (can be used on fabric dyed with Quink ink or Brusho inks - none permanent dyes) the lino print has been printed twice - note how I have carved half the cog which when lined up and printed twice can create a whole cog and is a mirror image.

Mono-printing...

Mono-printing... Mono print means you can only create this type of print once (mono meaning 'one') The simplest form of mono print is inking up thin flat textures. For me, everyday 'found' textures/objects from the household work best for example; scrap embossed wallpaper, lace, packaged netting, feathers, doilies, scrims corrugated card...

Ink up the 'found' textures (using any kind of printing ink oil or water based) could be rolled out on a sheet of glass or thin plastic sheets. These textures can be printed onto fabric or paper through a printing press. Think carefully about arranging the textures, for example what will be at the foreground/background. Use a range a colours to give a more interesting design I have used rusty organic colours (not too harsh on the eye!)

 A mono print drawing onto fabric.... 

 

Roll a thin layer of ink evenly onto a sheet of glass, mask tape the fabric to the glass this will enable it to not move around when drawing from observation. Try not to keep touching the fabric (or paper) as you will print and create finger print marks to the fabric - be careful not to rest your hand on it too when drawing. I usually use a red, blue or black biro to draw with as it has a hard ball point and will easily created a printed drawing. The idea is that every mark/line you create will create a mono print on the reverse side of your fabric. I have chosen a natural form and therefore have used an earthy brown ink underneath.

 

 My complete mono print drawing onto fabric, this can be stitched into and better still the 'found' textured mono prints can be collaged around this print and merged together. You can see in this image that I have managed to transfer some finger print marks where extra pressure has been added.

Further reading: Cas Holmes 'The Found Object in Textile Art'

Block Printing....

  A zoomed in detailed drawing of an ikat pattern (watercolour pencils, coloured ink)

Taking inspiration from the book 'From Print to Stitch' by Janet Edmonds I thought it would be a great idea to create a block print from this drawing...

 

Above (left) the block print created onto a thin piece of card with raised sections of foam board shapes from the original drawing. To enhance detail I added thin textures, for example sequins, thin string and rice. To add more line to the piece I scored and peeled away sections of the foam board, any peeled away section will be picked up by the ink. Above (right) is the outcome onto fabric, adding colour to the varnished block print isn't easy as you need to use a cloth to spread ink into all the hard to reach areas. You can never really get neat areas of colour when using a cloth, however care when applying the ink is needed (ensuring the ink isn't too sparse or blobby). The above print was printed through the etching press (this did flatten the foam slightly)

Left is the same block print however inked up using a roller. As you can see this can easily be repeated and lined up to create a repeatative pattern, just like ikat patterned fabric.

Stitching into the fabric will enhance the print, pattern and colour!

Silk Screen printing...

I have prepared a drawing for a silk screen print. This drawing is of some Islamic tiles  - a photo I took a few years ago (knew it would come in handy one day!).

I created a fine-liner drawing and then once finished - photocopied it about 4 times, 3 times onto normal printing paper and one onto acetate which was then exposed onto a silk screen using the light sensitive emulsion. With the three paper copies I decided I wanted 3 different blocks of colour underneath my detailed line drawing. So I cut all the yellow areas using a craft knife and a cutting mat, then all the areas of blue where then cut out and green... I think you get the gist! So I now have three different stencils to work with. Which had to be printed indivdually (as you have to wait for each layer to dry before printing th next).

 To print the stencils with the different colours I used a blank screen and a squeegee to spread the ink (I used fabric inks mixed with binder)

Right: there are the cut out stencils and above you can see the layers of yellow and green...

Left: Detail of the finished layered print! It took some time and it was time consuming having to keep drying each layer but it was worth it! Next I really want to repeat this tile pattern 4 times and make an Islamic inspired cushion, watch this space...

Simple foam board prints...

Here is the foam board print I etched into a few weeks ago (a little late I know...) I have lined up the stem of the leaf and repeated the print. A very simple way of printing with a really effective outcome, this was printed onto patterned fabric, which always makes a print more interesting to look at. I made sure I picked out the darker green in the fabric to ensure it would stand out on the fabric and not get lost. I also tried to match the thread colouring to some of the fabric patterns underneath. I used some water based inks (see pic) and two printing rollers - one to roll the ink with and one to roll the print with - which should be kept dry. I also use a sheet of glass to mix and roll the inks on, you can use an old piece of glass from a picture frame or a thin piece of plastic.

Foam Board Prints...

Today I am creating a foam board print to show my students after half term. For me it is a very simple and one of the easiest printing techniques (apart from potato prints!). As you can see below I have already made a few using a photo of a fern, some printed on paper and some on fabric which can be stitched into.

These are some old ones, however you can see below how easy it is to make. You can use recycled foam at home for example the white thin foam which lies under a pizza base is perfect to use or you can buy this foam board from any good arts/craft shop. You can draw straight onto the board or trace and image which you would like to use. Don't make it too thin an image as you will find it hard to cut out the entire shape afterwards. Use a sharp pencil or Biro to impress a mark for the lines, making small dotted marks is also effective. Below I am using a William Morris design onto my foam board, you can pretty much use whatever you like

Detail in Morris's Work

 I will print this tomorrow and show you the outcome. I am just going to use printing rollers and water based ink. I am going to create a paper collage to aline the print with, experiment with repeated pattern and print onto fabric. See you tomorrow!

Lavender themed wedding...

I have recently returned from my sisters lavender themed wedding... what a lovely weekend!! Me and my family took inspiration from the fields of lavender in Provence (hence a pic of me in a lavender field!).

So as you can see the lovely rich colours the lavender can give off. This made us think of a lilac colour scheme with some hints of purple, we then got to work with a mood board of ideas...

After the trip I got a start on the wedding invites. I created a few fine-liner pen drawings to then be exposed onto a silk screen. I created about 3 different line drawings which would then allow me to use 3 different colours from the colour scheme. As you can see from the picture I had a bit of a system going.

 Here, I have spray mounted on the writing for the invite which is printed onto tracing paper to allow you to see the print underneath.

Me and Mum also hand made some scented lavender cushions for the female guests to take home...