Blog

Hello! My name is Kiran and I’m a pattern designer based in Leicester. Describe your printmaking process. My designs start off as lino prints. I carve each design on Japanese vinyl and print them on fabric. How and where did you learn to print? I was born and raised in Singapore where I did my … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Kiran Ravilious"

Making your own inks for screen printing onto fabric is an economical way to get a wide range of colours exactly to your specifications. The mixed inks will leave the fabric soft and washable. Here’s how to mix them: Start with Fabric Screen Printing Binder. This is a colourless screen printing medium and will form the … Continue reading "How to Mix Pigment and Binder to Screen Print onto Fabric"

I’ve always been creative and I’ve dabbled in lots of techniques in the past. When I graduated from a Design: Crafts degree in 2004 I was making and selling silver jewellery and I also painted. I happened across the reduction lino technique in 2010 and I’ve not really looked back. I’ve been a full-time professional … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Alexandra Buckle"

Having a fabric printing pad makes a huge difference when you’re printing at home or in the studio. When screen printing or block printing onto fabrics, it helps to have slight padding underneath your printing surface to ensure you get an even print. You can also pin out fabric to the pad. We use these …

We’ve had another brilliant year in the Handprinted Studio! We love seeing our customers get stuck into loads of different techniques both in our workshops and during our open access days. As well as Shirley and Holly teaching workshops every week we’ve been lucky enough to have guest tutors such as Ian Phillips, Sue Brown, … Continue reading "Handprinted Studio 2018"

Homemade decorations can be the best (and cheapest!) way to decorate for Christmas. These little birdies would make lovely presents too. Get the kids involved with this easy project.  To make things even easier, we’ve made a printable template for you to use. Print out a batch of templates. Each A4 template can be used …

I work mainly in relief print, both Lino and woodcut, I actually use Marley vinyl floor tiles in place of Lino, I like the way it cuts and I can easily jigsaw shapes together. I carve into lime wood blocks which is very easy to carve and I love the rasp it makes as … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Angie Mitchell"

This is a really fun way of making a big batch of Christmas cards. Making a screen with drawing fluid and filler maintains a hand-drawn look whilst giving a flat professional finish that’s the same on every card. Here’s how: Draw around a blank card onto a piece of paper. Draw your design in the …

My name is Rob Luckins I’m a printmaker and commercial photographer. I make screen prints, letterpress and linocuts under the name Triffid. My inspiration comes from 1950’s television shows and packaging. I love old tin toys, model kits and the 1950’s view of what the future would look like. Describe your printmaking process. My printmaking … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Rob Luckins"

Hi, I’m Katie Edwards and I’m a freelance illustrator and screen printer, I produce conceptual illustrations for a wide range of international clients from editorial to advertising. I also sell screen prints online, in galleries and at art shows. Describe your printmaking process. Using traditional photographic and silkscreen printing techniques. Focusing on metaphors and symbolism, … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Katie Edwards"

I’m Turid, I live in West Sussex. I’m a mum of three teenagers and owner of two cats and a nutty spaniel called Peggy. I was a teacher then children’s counsellor, but gave that up a few years ago, and took the plunge with setting up a small business. Now I’m lucky enough to balance … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Turid Monteith"

When transferring designs to a block, there are several factors to consider: can the design be seen on the block? Will it wash off? Will the design be transferred to the print? In this project, we test two different carbon papers on six different relief blocks. We test them with three types of ink: waterbased, water …

My name is Freya Scott and I am a book binder, photographer and marbler. I work mostly out of a studio in London, but I also work across the country teaching, especially in the West Country where I am an instructor with Bound by Veterans, a charity that helps sick and injured veterans to gain … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Paperwilds"

Making a batik is the satisfying process of layering wax and dye to create bold, intricate designs. The more layers of dye and wax that are added, the thicker and stiffer the fabric will become. At the end of this process, you’re left with a hard, milky-looking piece of cloth. Here’s how to iron the … Continue reading "Ironing the Wax out of a Batik"

I am a painter and printmaker. I have experimented with pretty much every type of material and process over the years. I always return to painting and printing though. Describe your printmaking process. I am usually a Lino artist. I have returned to etching and lithography this year too. I love the immediacy of Lino. … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Ian Mowforth"

If you’re a Halloween lover this project is for you! We’ve had a go with Speedball’s Acrylic Night Glo Ink and made our own glow in the dark Halloween poster. This ink really gives your prints a twist – it would be great for children’s (or adults’!) bedrooms too. This project uses paper stencils to …

We are a husband and wife screen printing duo. We met at university where we were both studying Art & Design. In 2011 we got engaged and started the hunt for wedding stationery. We couldn’t find what we wanted without a huge price tag so we ended up hand screen printing them ourselves and we … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Basil and Ford"

Translating drawings into print doesn’t have to include scanning and digitally manipulating your design on a computer. By using opaque film markers onto screen film we are able to skip the digital part altogether and create a photographic screen directly from the drawings you produce. This allows you to work in full scale, even tracing…

I studied painting and printmaking at Hull College of Art and London University in the early 1960s. I taught etching, screen-printing, linocut and related surface printmaking at Keswick Hall College in Norfolk. Later I moved to the University of East Anglia where I continued teaching in the School of Education until 2006. I am based … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Rob Barnes"

It’s important to take care of your exposed screen so that it can last for multiple print runs. With proper care, you should be able to use your screen again and again until you’re ready to have it washed off and a new design exposed. Read on for a list of rules and advice …