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  • Mono Screen Printing Using a Guide

    Mono Screen Printing Using a Guide

    Mono screen printing is a great technique if you want to create beautiful painterly prints but achieve the flatness of a screen print. It allows you to incorporate multiple colours in one layer and play with brush strokes and. . .
  • Making a Multi-Block Linocut

    Making a Multi-Block Linocut

    A multi-block linocut uses more than one piece of lino to create a layered image. Usually, each block is inked with a separate colour. Where the colours overlap, another colour can be achieved. Multi-block linocuts allow you to partially print an edition and create complete test prints as you can go back to each block…
  • Screen Printing a Repeat Pattern

    Screen Printing a Repeat Pattern

    Printing a length of your own designed fabric is so exciting but most of us do not have the luxury of a fabric registration table. So using a bit of logic we have come up with step by step guide to printing a repeat pattern on a length of fabric using an A4 screen. You …
  • How to Design and Print a Half Drop Repeating Pattern

    How to Design and Print a Half Drop Repeating Pattern

    A half drop is a great way of creating a repeating pattern where the repeat is slightly obscured. It can make for a less gridded-looking structure and add complexity to your design. Here's a simple, analogue way to make one...
  • In the Studio 2022

    In the Studio 2022

    We have had the pleasure of hosting lots of new and exciting Fab Friday workshops and wonderful Guest Tutors in 2022, exploring a variety . . .
  • How to Design and Print a Straight Repeating Pattern

    How to Design and Print a Straight Repeating Pattern

    Here’s an easy way to design a repeat pattern (without using a computer) and to block print it on to fabric. We used MasterCut for our block because it’s an easy to cut stamping material that prints beautifully...
  • Screen Printing with Permaset Puff Paste

    Screen Printing with Permaset Puff Paste

    Puff Paste is a great way to add a little something extra to your fabric prints! It adds depth and texture and is so much fun to use. In this project, we have exposed a screen and used it to print with Puff Paste onto a tote bag: Half-fill the coating trough with photo emulsion. … Continue reading "Screen Printing with Permaset Puff Paste"
  • Speedball Speed Screens for Easy Screen Printing at Home

    Speedball Speed Screens for Easy Screen Printing at Home

    Speedball’s Speed Screens are a great new way of exposing a design at home without the mess of Photo Emulsion. Speed Screens are light sensitive, pre-coated emulsion mesh sheets. This means they’re ideal for a home studio setup as you don’t need anywhere dark for a screen to dry. They come in packs of three …
  • Exposing a Screen using Speedball’s UV Light

    Exposing a Screen using Speedball’s UV Light

    Speedball’s new UV Light makes it so simple to expose screens at home. It has a fold-out bracket that can be mounted or hand held. Its small size makes it ideal for a home studio setting. For our project, we hung the might from a tripod, but you could hang it from the back of …
  • Speedball Block Printing Ink – Black and Extender

    Speedball Block Printing Ink – Black and Extender

    Speedball Block Printing Ink is a great water-based ink for relief printing! We love the combination of black and extender to make beautiful grey tones, like this graduated moon, made using the rainbow roll technique! Start by drawing your design onto a block. We are using a piece of Speedy Carve to create two blocks …
  • Using Diazo Photo Emulsion - Tips, Tricks and Troubleshooting

    Using Diazo Photo Emulsion - Tips, Tricks and Troubleshooting

    We are often asked for guidance with screen printing and the most common request is for help with exposing screens and the problems encountered. Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” – I don’t know how good he was at screen printing but it sounds like he …
  • Making a Thermal Screen using the MiScreen

    Making a Thermal Screen using the MiScreen

    Thermal Screens or Thermofaxes are often made using traditional photocopy technology from the 1950s. However, here at Handprinted, we use a machine called a MiScreen to process our screens. The MiScr. . .
  • What is a Thermal Screen?

    What is a Thermal Screen?

    Thermal Screens or Thermofaxes are a great alternative to exposed silkscreens. They are made using a Perspex frame stretched with RISO digital screen mesh. The design is transferred to the me...
  • Video Round Up 2021

    Video Round Up 2021

    We’ve loved creating videos and blogs to aid and inspire your printmaking throughout 2021! What started out as a way of reaching our customers whilst our workshops had to be closed down, turned into an ongoing project that’s reached so many more printmakers all over the world. Thank you for watching our videos and supporting … Continue reading "Video Round Up 2021"
  • Staining Lino to See Your Carving More Easily

    Staining Lino to See Your Carving More Easily

    It can be tricky to see where you are carving when making a lino block, making it more easy to make mistakes. An easy solution to this problem is to stain the lino. That way, the colour of the lino on the surface is different to the inside, allowing cut marks to show easily. Read …
  • Designing a Repeat Pattern by Hand

    Designing a Repeat Pattern by Hand

    This method is quick and simple. No digital equipment or software is required: all you will need is paper, a pen/pencil, tape and scissors. With this technique, a repeat pattern can build seamlessly with no awkward joins or obvious lines. It’s perfect for a scatter design and can be used for screen printing or block …
  • Using an Etching Press to Print a Linocut

    Using an Etching Press to Print a Linocut

    Etching presses aren’t just for printing etchings. They have a bed that is rolled between two rollers, the top of which is adjustable in height. This makes it great for printing from lots of different surfaces as the tension is customised for each print! Printing a linocut with an etching press is easy with a …
  • Introduction to Linocut for Beginners

    Introduction to Linocut for Beginners

    If you are completely new to linocut and would like help getting started, you are in the right place! Read on or scroll to the bottom to watch a video. Start with a piece of lino. There are several to choose from, from traditional Lino to Easy Carve to Softcut. You can learn more about …
  • Uses for Zest It Printmakers Washdown

    Uses for Zest It Printmakers Washdown

    We have found Zest It Printmakers Washdown an incredibly useful addition to our studio. It’s designed to remove dried on acrylics and so far has got us out of a couple of scrapes. Here are a few ways to use it in your studio: Removing dried on water-based relief printing inks from rollers, blocks and …
  • Creating Hand-Drawn Designs for Exposed Screens

    Creating Hand-Drawn Designs for Exposed Screens

    Making exposed screens is a fantastic way of creating screen prints from your bespoke artwork. If you’d like to make exposed screens at home but would rather skip the digital processes then we have a great way of creating screen films with analogue methods! For detailed advice about exposing your own screens at home, head …