Blog - Tutorials

The ever-helpful Michael from Cranfield has some top tips for drying prints when working with oil-based inks. We’ve summarised some of his advice to help us with our own printmaking: When working with oil-based inks, the air in the room is very important in order for your prints to dry. The atmosphere should be warm … Continue reading "Drying Prints when Using Oil-Based Inks"

When printing wrapping paper is a task too mammoth to tackle, why not print your tape instead? Versacraft Ink Pads and Delicata Metallic Ink pads can be used to print onto paper parcel tape to add some festive fun to your gifts! This is a great project for children once an adult has carved the …

This is one of our favourite ways to make a card, and it certainly the quickest! You will need a black toner photocopy of your design. This can be from a carbon photocopier or toner printer. Inkjet will not work with this method. Place the foil shiny side up on the carbon photocopy. Place a …

This two-layered lino card is quick, easy and so effective on square kraft cards. Print or draw your design onto paper. Trace your design so that it is in reverse. Use a piece of red carbon paper to transfer the design onto a piece of lino. Carve out the unwanted areas of the design with …

This drypoint card can be traced from a photograph into a simple line drawing. A mono-printed red breast is made with a swipe of an inky thumb and will be slightly different on each card you print! This method uses a press but you can see a press-less method here. Use a piece of drypoint …

This card is such a quick make and is so easy to print in large quantities with Versacraft ink pads. A pencil eraser is a resourceful and quick way to print the berries!  Draw the leaf shapes onto a piece of Mastercut or another stamping block. Use a lino tool to carve around the edges …

This is a great option to print with children. Safeprint sheets of polystyrene are brilliant for quick printing. You need hardly any materials – the patterns are printed with the end of a biro! You’ll just need to cut out theshape for them as, to get neat edges, it needs to be done with a …

These cutout snowflakes make the perfect paper stencils for a screen printed card. Layered up with silver ink, these cards are so Christmassy, we couldn’t stop printing them! To make a snowflake, start with a small square of paper. Fold in half diagonally and then half again. Fold the left side towards the middle and …

Stamping is one of the easiest ways to print at home. Use ready-made stamps or carve your own to create beautiful designs. We love these Delicata Metallic Ink Pads for printing onto paper. They come in Golden Glitz, Celestial Copper and Silvery Shimmer. All three print brilliantly onto both light and dark papers. Ink up … Continue reading "Delicata Metallic Ink Pads"

Choosing the right roller for your relief printing can get confusing. Different uses, budgets, sizes and preferences can dictate which roller is best for you. We’ve put together a guide to lino rollers to help you choose the best roller for you. There are several factors that decide how a roller will perform: There are … Continue reading "Relief Printing Rollers: A Comprehensive Guide"

Printmaking with metallics can add a real pop to your designs. There are a few different options to choose from when screen printing with metallics: pre-mixed metallic ink, metallic powder and textile foils. We’ve made this project using all three methods to show you the advantages of each one. We cut three paper stencils: one … Continue reading "Screen Printing Metallics: Ink, Powder or Foil?"

Mylar film is an extremely useful addition to your printmaking kit. It can be used to mask off areas when relief printing, as registration plastic for screen printing or even used to make stencils. In this project, we use mylar film to make a registration device and a mask for screen printing. Mylar film can … Continue reading "Setting up a Hinged Board for Screen Printing and Printing Using a Mylar Film Stencil"

We love printing with lino onto fabric – it can take your designs into loads of fun new places like t-shirts, homewares and bags! Back in 2016 we wrote a blog post about how to block print onto fabric and it’s still one of our most popular posts ever! Since then, we’re continued to refine … Continue reading "Lino Printing onto Fabric – Which Inks and Rollers to Use"

Enviromount is a brilliant paper-based drypoint surface. It can be scored with a sharp tool such as a drypoint needle, and the top surface can be peeled away. We were keen to try it out in the studio. A drypoint print is an intaglio technique in which lines are scratched into a plate, creating a … Continue reading "Drypoint with Enviromount"

Schmincke Gloss Medium can be used to add a glossy finish to your prints. We tested the medium in a few different ways to see how the results that can be achieved. Gloss Medium can be added into Schmincke inks to produce a finish with a sheen that is more like an oil-based ink. Combining … Continue reading "Relief Printing with Schmincke Gloss Medium"

We are really pleased to add rose gold to our textile foil collection. Foils add an extra shine to fabrics and work particularly well on dark coloured cloth. Read on for an easy screen printing foil project. Start by cutting a paper stencil. 80gsm copy paper works perfectly – this is a great use of … Continue reading "Rose Gold Textile Foil"

Making your own stamps is so satisfying. You can build up your own collection of personalised stamps for all of your projects and what’s more personalised that a portrait! These adorable portrait stamps are perfect for your arts business, signing cards and letters, scrapbooks or just for fun! Create a collection of stamps of your … Continue reading "Creating a Portrait Stamp"

Using an equilateral triangle stamp creates an easily repeatable pattern that builds quickly whilst breaking up the typical grid structure often found in repeat patterns. This project is quick, easy and versatile. It’s important to use an equilateral triangle so that the edges will match up perfectly each time – if the sides are not … Continue reading "Making a Triangular Stamped Repeat Pattern"

This is a quick, no-sew method for turning an old t-shirt into a reusable tote bag. Use Handprinted Fabric Paints to create your own design. Take your bags shopping to carry loose fruits and veggies or to the beach with your suncream and towel! Start with a t-shirt – any will do. The fabric paints … Continue reading "Upcycle a T-Shirt into a Reusable Tote Bag using Fabric Paints"

The ways in which we communicate with one another have changed recently and a lot of us are thinking about alternative ways to connect with friends and family. In this project, we show you how to design and print a stamp for the front of your envelopes to add something special to your snail mail … Continue reading "Designing and Printing an Envelope Stamp"