Blog

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"

I am a screen printer, working out of my Studio in Bedford where I am also mum to two children and various pets. I screen print Art Prints and Greetings Cards, I love bright colours and my prints more often than not feature animals, I am partial to a Dachshund and most recent piece is … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Hannah Carvell"

Brusho is a fantastic dye to have in your creative kit. They come in little pots of watercolour crystals in a huge range of highly-pigmented colours. They can be used on lots of different surfaces but we especially like to use them on fabric. They’re not fixable on cloth so aren’t suitable for projects that … Continue reading "Brusho Dye Resist Painting"

Will is a graphic artist, designer and printmaker currently based in Brighton. He began freelancing full-time in 2018 and now divides his time between commercial work and personal projects. Will’s personal work explores improvisation and play within design through the use of modular systems and printmaking techniques. Describe your printmaking process. I’ve experimented with a variety … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Will Mower"

When printing with intaglio methods (etching, drypoint, collagraph etc.), it’s important to print onto dampened paper. Imagine you’ve just inked up your plate, your paper is soaking in a tray of water or in a stack and it’s time to print. You wash your hands but there’s still a little inky grubbiness in your fingerprints … Continue reading "Make Your Own Paper Fingers"

My Name is Mark Lord and I have set up a lino print business called Lino Lord. I make limited edition hand printed quality prints to display in peoples homes or work places. I’m a professional photographer with 20 years experience and generally if I’m photographing people, animals and plants in our countryside then I’m … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Mark Lord"

Your printmaking doesn’t have to be tethered to a studio or kitchen table. This project takes you outside to gather and enjoy the natural materials around you! Go for a walk around the garden, your road or even just your house and collect a few leaves with different shapes and textures. Use a tray or … Continue reading "Printing with Leaves"

My name is Margaret Mallows. Having loved drawing and painting from an early age, I was encouraged by artist Dennis Syrett to continue after leaving school at 16, and had work exhibited in The Mall Galleries in London for 2 consecutive years when still a teenager. A very busy work and family life put art … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Margaret Mallows"

Viscosity printing is a process that uses different viscosities (stickiness) of ink to enable you to ink up a plate with more than one colour – the different viscosities of ink will not mix. The foundations of this method can be used to create monotypes where a greasy medium can be used to resist ink. … Continue reading "Viscosity Monotype at Home"

Describe your printmaking process. I begin with a few sketches and then I draw directly on to the block to work out the final details, I like the work to evolve and I enjoy the serendipity of this process. I use pins and tabs to ensure a safe registration so that the prints are consistent … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Emma Swift Kirkman"

Intaglio printmaking is a printmaking method using marks incised into a plate. Ink is worked into the recesses of the plate and is usually printed onto dampened paper through an etching press. Intaglio printmaking can create strong positive marks, interesting texture and tone – these results shouldn’t be missed out on if you don’t have … Continue reading "Printing Intaglio Without a Press: Tetra Pak Collagraph"

I’m a linocut artist based in a small village on the Norfolk/Suffolk borders. Art was the only subject I enjoyed at school and actually felt I was good at. However, it took nearly 40 years plus voluntary redundancy and children leaving home for me to find the time to rekindle that love. Describe your printmaking … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Gill Thornton"

There are lots of different blocks available to make your own stamps. Unlike linocut blocks, stamp blocks are designed to be cut into smaller shaped pieces. We have tested four of our blocks to help you decide which is the best block for your project and budget:Pink Speedy Carve, white Mastercut, blue Speedy Carve Easy … Continue reading "Printing with Different Stamping Blocks"

We, Amy and Louise, started Ruby and Bean because we wanted to provide a range of clothing which not only gave positive messages to all who wore them but also a range of clothing that would suit the demands of an entire family – being able to buy for all the family under one roof … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Ruby & Bean"

Tjantings (or cantings) are beautiful Javanese tools for applying wax to cloth when making a batik. They have a long handle and a little copper or brass pot with a spout from which melted wax is let out. Read more

I’m an Illustrator, Printmaker and Arts Educator based in Margate.  I used to love drawing as child but it took a long time to find my way back to art, spending my twenties in a variety of unfulfilling jobs before studying Digital Design at the London College of Communication.  After a few years of being … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Mat Pringle"

Sgraffito is a fast batik technique in which positive marks are scratched into the surface of the wax and filled with ink. Use sgraffito in combination with other batik methods or make a speedy sgraffito batik like in the project below: Begin by pinning out your fabric. Pre-washed, 100% cotton works best – we use … Continue reading "How to Make a Sgraffito Batik"

I’m Christina, also known by the moniker Tweeny. I’m a designer by day, living and working in the beautiful city of Bath, and an artist-printmaker in my free time. I mainly do lino printing, but like to experiment with other processes. Describe your printmaking process. I tend to sketch out ideas first, either on paper … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Tweeny"

We are very lucky to have Jamie Barnes in the studio teaching Aquatint Etching in April 2020! Join us for the weekend or weekday workshop and read on for more information about Jamie and his beautiful work. Describe your printmaking process. I make etchings about structures in the landscape and on the coast, so everything … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Jamie Barnes"

This week’s blog post has been created with Sophie, our fantastic work experience student! Over this past week, I have been doing work experience. It has been an amazing opportunity and I have leant some great new skills. Yesterday I tried screen printing, I drew out my own designs which I used in three different … Continue reading "Screen Printing onto Fabric with Translucent Colours"