A Bit of Relaxaton

Abstract Moon v2

Abstract Moon 1

Had lots of fun at the weekend when I unexpectedly became a student on Sue Brown's  two day Silk Aquatint workshop.

I have played with the technique before when I really enjoyed it. It was such a pleasure to revisit this method and have time to spend producing plates and then altering them to improve the image.

First of all I used Prussian Blue as a background and then changed to Sepia and viscosity inking.

A blackbird inked with sepia and then changed to viscosity inking on the next one.

Playtime again

The last solo printing session before Christmas so decided to try out some thermofax screens I had borrowed from one of my stitchy friends.  They were based on lace and I combined them with a bought honey bee screen I already had and a barbed wire screen created from one of my drawings. Initially I worked into my sketchbook.

Next I used some decoularant through the screen onto some black discharge fabric.

Finally I printed onto some fabric.

Which reminds me I need to heat seal it with an iron.

I am still here ....just

I do not know where the time goes …. still cycling as much as I can fit in between the wet weather, which is occasionally rewarded with lovely views towards the Malvern Hills like this.

Also finished and delivered a quilt that I made as a present for the lovely lady who got me cycling who has recently got married.

Making some progress with printing at the moment too ….

Pottering

Almost forgot about this print I produced a couple of weeks ago.  It uses two plates - a collagraph and a drypoint - which are printed one upon the other. I was quite pleased with the result but need to play with the colours a bit more.

Beautiful Blossom

The weather has been so nice that I popped to Cheltenham early on Thursday and went to see the latest exhibition by printer Sue Brown at Chapel Arts.  I had a spot of lunch there and stuck my nose into The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum.  I did not have much time left before I needed to be back at The Yard Artspace for solo printing but will make another visit to The Wilson soon when I will allow myself time to explore the galleries.

Lots of cycling the past fortnight too.  I did over 80 miles (not all at one go I might add) during the first week and this week I have done 34 miles and will hopefully do almost another 20 at the weekend.  The weekend ride will be very challenging as I know it is quite hilly.

Lost the Plot .... Again!!

I have been messing around with this drypoint of a chicken for several weeks now and this week I actually managed to finish a collagraph plate to provide a background for it.  A little bit of experimentation followed.  Do I print the drypoint first or the collagraph? A chicken and egg situation I think? Anyway I prefer the collagraph first followed by the drypoint as it then retains the light areas I created on the collagraph. Need to try some different coloured inks now.

Thank goodness I got out for a fairly long cycle ride on my own today. It seems like forever since I was last out.  I did almost 38 miles in fairly pleasant weather, albeit a little chilly at times.  Stopped off at National Trust Croome Park on my way for parsnip and apple soup and a scone. I had to ride up a section of road that was supposedly closed but I never came across anything happening that would have meant it should be shut. The alternative was far more daunting which was to cycle back along part of my route I had already done to get to Croome another way.  I would then have still had to cycle the remaining 17 miles back to Malvern. Decided to take a chance and it was the right decision for once.

Clucking Around

First week back at Solo Printing in Cheltenham with Sue Brown and, of course, I had done no preparation. Took along a photograph of a chicken I had taken some time ago and did a quick drypoint. It is probably my most accomplished effort yet. Must get better organised for the coming 9 weeks.

The Pears Keep Multiplying

This week was the last Solo Printing session in Cheltenham before Christmas and we were all doing viscosity inking. It changes the print completely. A base ink is rubbed into the plate and cleaned up and this one had a dark brown. Then a thinned ink is rollered onto the surface (Peter Wray Grey) with a second thicker ink rolled next (Raw Sienna).

A change of base ink to Prussian Blue gave a completely different result.

When I originally printed this plate with just one colour of oil based ink the centre of the pear remained almost white.  With viscosity inking the Raw Sienna stuck to the surface and gave a completely different result.

This was the original print where the base colour was Prussian Blue with a little Red Oxide blended into the bottom corner. A very different print to the viscosity one.

Still on a 'Pear' Theme

The original collagraph plate was created using bits of wallpaper pasted to the mountboard base, with skim and repair being added to parts of the background surface afterwards followed by waterproof PVA to lighten areas. Whilst I liked the image it was not really what I wanted to achieve so this past week it was back to the drawing board and I remade a couple of my printing plates.

This is one of the new plates and now the pears have been formed by using masking tape on selected areas with a thin layer of skim and repair being added over the image.  Oiled wallpaper was then pressed into this whilst it was wet to create the texture. The background is waterproof PVA built up in layers to provide texture and light areas.  A small amount of carborudum was used to add contrast in the darker parts as well as cutting into the surface of the mountboard. Shame I had forgotten what colour oil based ink I used on the first plate.  I think it was Prussian Blue and Raw Sienna whilst I changed to Prussian Blue and Red Oxide on the second plate.

Mainly Prussian Blue

Next week I am going to try viscosity printing and could also look at the addition of chine collee to the surface.

Museum in the Park

On Wednesday of this week I was meant to be helping a friend in the Forest of Dean stitch some cushions together, but she was not well and cancelled last minute.  It was such a nice day that I decided to drive myself to Stroud to visit the current print exhibition at The Museum in the Park that I have been trying to get to for the past 2-3 weeks.  I was not disappointed. This lovely piece of vintage embroidery was on display in the general part of the Museum and it just demonstrates that you do not have to look far for inspiration when you are stuck!!

Sue Brown's piece of work was inspired by this drawer of moths.

Lots of different methods used to produce her prints onto silk - Eco Printing and Gum Arabic Transfer amongst them.

At the rear of the Museum there is also a calm and peaceful garden which is well worth a visit.  The borders are full of dried seedheads and Michaelmas Daisies at the moment. Alas the exhibition ends this weekend I am afraid.

Another book

Finished another book off and added an image to the cover from a print block I carved from an eraser some time ago. Have started a couple more. Perhaps they will become presents for people?

Last week's printing was based on, yet again, an old print block which needs modifying but I have not got round to sorting it out yet. Perhaps I will just start again.

Peared Up

Back to Solo Printing again in Cheltenham this Thursday. Was so sad to miss it last week when I went instead with DH on a River Cruise up the Severn for 3 hours.  Know where I would rather have been!!

Sue Brown was beavering away on her own work in the other room, piecing fabrics and then printing onto them using the Gum Arabic method. There were only 3 of us "Solo's" this week and strangely two of us were using old printing plates with pears on them ….

Margaret's

My effort

Beetling About

As usual I went to Solo Printing with Sue Brown today, with only half an idea of what I was going to do, but ended up with some nice viscosity prints from a couple of 'beetle' plates.  I have been meaning to try them out for ages.

Gum Arabic Birds

This was a piece of linen fabric I had previously used to transfer two separate images onto using Gum Arabic and oil based printing inks.  Think the colours were Sue Brown grey and gold.  This week I overprinted it with a pencil sketch image using the same method but a blend of Prussian Blue and Red Oxide. I now need to add some discreet stitching to lift the image.

This second image of a raven was sent to me by a friend who wanted it putting onto some pieces of her own fabric. I took the opportunity to add it to some snow dyed fabric I had lying around and am really pleased with it.  Looks like I shall have to get on with some stitching soon!

More Fun

Have been printing sheds and beetles over the past few weeks ...

An ordinary collagraph print

A viscosity printed version of the same print

A collagraph print with Gum Arabic transferred beetles on top

More Sheds

Had a lovely day printing again on Thursday afternoon.  Viscosity inked one of my collagraphs and managed to improve my efforts on the second print.

Back to some kind of Routine

It was back to the weekly trek to Cheltenham on Thursday.  Having done nothing over the festive period (and still suffering with an ongoing cold) I took Sue's advice and chopped up an existing print and inked it up. A surprising result.

Playday

This last week I had managed to get myself in a bit of a panic as I had to prepare some fabric collage plus some black and white images for the Solo Printing class with Sue Brown as she had decided we would have a playday with Gum Arabic Transfer.  The fabric collage took me forever to get my head round and the drawing was a last minute thing using a dip pen and a bottle of black ink ... here are some of the results

A scrap of linen, a photocopy of a pencil sketch of a shed from my sketchbook, plus the blue tit below reduced in size and reversed before transferring.

Full size sketch but printed in Raw Sienna onto a scrap of calico I had in my box

This one is the piece that took me the longest to prepare. It is A4 and not only did I collage it, but I also did some machine and hand stitching onto it in preparation.  If I wish (or have the time) I can now add more stitching.  Scanning the work really shows how cockeyed I got the fabric!

Another Tweet

Making slow progress at Solo Printing.  Today's effort was a drypoint print of a long tailed tit.  Experiencing lots of problems with some ink and have had to resort to Prussian Blue again until I sort out the problem.  The strange background was caused by my using some plastic(?) based material that I think is meant for drypoint.

Almost a Tweet!!

Started Solo Printing class with Sue Brown in Cheltenham this week.  This little chap is going to be another Silk Aquatint printing plate.  I have just got the preliminary sketch laid down using white acrylic and now need to spend some quiet time adding the layers of texture to the plate.

Have not seen the long tailed tits in the garden for a few days but lots and lots of goldfinches.