thisisknockout

Print 52 week #4

thisisknockout — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:43:09 +0000

This week’s lino print is all about boxes. I just sat a drew every box or cube shape I could see around me to make this abstract pattern, then set to work cutting it out, leaving some overlapping areas, and cutting away others.

Print 52 week #3

thisisknockout — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:28:52 +0000

A new week, a new Print52 lino print. I created this print during the weekend’s Artists and Makers Fair at Waddesdon Plant Centre. As I mentioned in my blog post about the event on Friday, these occasions usually lead to huge consumption of tea (ok, and cake) which can lead to going slightly bonkers from too much caffeine and sugar. This is what happened.

Artist and Makers fair at Waddesdon Plant Centre

thisisknockout — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:19 +0000

I’ve scheduled this post because, no doubt, I will be running around like a headless chicken on Friday. I’ll be getting ready for the Artists and Makers Fair at Waddesdon Plant Centre which takes place over the weekend on both Saturday and Sunday, 11 and 12 May 2013. I always leave getting ready to the last minute, but have written this in advance so must be doing something right this time.

Getting ready usually consists of pricing and packing up my products and prints (try saying that over and over) making signs, gathering together all of my craft fair bits – tape, scissors, business cards, pegs, stands, demonstration pieces, and table cloth (very important!), and working out where we’ve meant to be and when. I say we because I always do shows and fairs with my sister, Sam -who also makes and designs super cool stuff!

Last year at this event we met lots of great customers and fellow artists and designers. We had a lot of tea and cake (craft fair habit – will be crashing on Monday!), and I also created a lino print over the course of the weekend. If you fancy popping along this weekend take a look at the website for details, it’s pretty awesome so you better!

Here are some photos from last year to give you a taster!

Print 52 week #2

thisisknockout — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:15:30 +0000

Week two’s print is all about 101. My nanna’s 101th birthday that is! She reached this amazing milestone on Sunday so I thought I would use the opportunity to create a birthday print for my Print52 feature. It also made a great print to make into a birthday card for her (plus it’s pretty tricky to buy a 101th birthday card!). So happy birthday nanna!

The eagle-eyed amongst you might have noticed that I cut the lino the wrong way round at first, forgetting the first rule of lino printing – it will print a mirror image! You can see in the second picture in the collage, realised just as i’d finished, so started all over again. Must be the sun melting my brain, oh dear – can’t believe I did it after all these years printing!

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Make: simple lino stamps

thisisknockout — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:57:18 +0000

I have been using this little red brayer/lino cutting tool since I first got into linoprinting. I don’t use it as much nowadays, but they are great for beginners and pretty inexpensive to boot. For months I’ve had some little circular lino discs kicking around, they’re designed to stick to the bottom of the brayer to be used as a stamp, and have a self-adhesive back so they can attach. Today I thought I would actually use them and see what I could do. You can buy the brayer and lino stamps on most good online art websites, just search for ‘Lino Cutter Baren Kit’.

What you need

Lino cutter baren kit
Self-adhesive soft cut lino discs
Stamp pad
Paper or surface to print on

First draw your designs onto the lino and use the cutting tool to cut around the outline:

I found the discs to be quite fiddly to cut, and pretty slippery. Holding the disc like so and cutting away from you seemed to be the best best. Mind your fingers!!

Cut away the rest of the area to leave your design remaining:

Remove the backing and attach to the cutting tool/brayer:

Then press into your ink pad and stamp away!

I created three little birdy designs, which turned out to be pretty cute. It’s fairly hard to get much detail on these tiny discs. It may be better to glue them to square blocks of wood first so you can cut them easier. These would be great to stamp on cards, envelopes, or to decorate things like bunting of fabric. Hope you like them, why not have a go yourself?

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Print 52 week #1

thisisknockout — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:20:06 +0000

So here goes…Print 52 week #1. If you’re not sure what this is all about let me fill you in; I’m recording the next year in lino prints by creating a new A6 mini print each week in response to what’s been going on around me. I’ll post each week’s on the blog. You can find out more on my previous post.

Week #1:

Sun!

Last week was wonderfully bright and sunny, and it’s been a long time coming. I lay in the garden and looked at the rays of light spilling through the tall bamboo that swayed in the breeze. And I though ‘this is nice, I with it was like this always’.

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Print 52 begins next week

thisisknockout — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:11:25 +0000

On Monday I’m starting a new weekly feature called Print 52. This will run for a whole year and will be based around me creating a small one-off A6 lino print each week in response to something that’s happened to me or in the world, something I’ve seen or been inspired by, or anything to do with my week. The aim is to make a record of the year through print and to experiment, explore, and, or course, share with all of you.

I’ll post the first print next Monday, then each Monday after that, so follow the blog to keep updated. To whet your appetite in the meantime here are some printmaking photos I’ve taken over the last few productive weeks.

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Spring has sprung

thisisknockout — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:45:50 +0000

This weekend was actually sunny; I went out without a coat and sat and had a pint in a pub garden – bliss! As it was so nice I thought I’d take some springtime photos using a new app I’ve downloaded called Aviary, which I actually love! Anyway, I hope you can feel the warmth radiating through the screen.

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Make: scribble decorated breakfast set

thisisknockout — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:13:44 +0000

I’ve been thinking about using a ceramic pen to decorate some simple, plain white plates and things for a while. I found these egg cups and plates in Hobbycraft, along with the ceramic pen so thought I would give it a go. I had no particular design in mind, but wanted it to be simple, fun and not to cover the entire surface. I came up with the idea of just scribbling in a masked-off area and I think it looks quite effective.

All you need is some ceramic objects that have been washed in warm soapy water and thoroughly dried, a ceramic pen, and masking tape. The pen I used doesn’t require you to bake the items in the oven, but takes 3 days to dry before you can use or put in the dishwasher.

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What’s new?

thisisknockout — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:41:27 +0000

Sorry for being a bit quiet during the last few weeks. The combination of bank holidays on the two days I usually work for myself (Monday and Friday), a wedding in Belfast and a rotten cold have left me behind when it comes to blogging! So here’s a little bit of a catch up.

This morning I took delivery of lots more mugs, this time with a new colour – Mr Green, to make up a set of four. I love these mugs, really bright and fun and it’s like Christmas when I receive another box of them, especially when I can send my design off and it comes back as a fully made product.

Next on today’s agenda is creating a new lino print. This time I’m printing the WHOLE alphabet. I’m hoping it will make a great print, but I’ll also use it as a basis for a lino typeface which I will use to create some digital art and cards, I’m starting now so it will all be ready for Chr*****s (didn’t want to say it – far, far to early to utter those words!!) . Here are the first few steps in the process:

Another new project that’s underway is my new website. I’m creating it myself and it will be even bigger and better, so soon there will be a whole new home for this blog – I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, here’s a quick peek:

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