Totterdown Arts Trail - this weekend in Bristol

Looking forward to Totterdown Arts Trail this weekend - I am going to be at Hawthorne Street BS4 if you are in Bristol and want to pop in - a house filled with ceramics, printmaking, fabric, mice, fishes, penguins, bridges, bears and tapirs!  Yay.

Open Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday 15th/16th/17th November 2019.

Lino printing in gold ink

 Here is a peek at my Bristol lino print in gold coming up off the lino block - always a good moment when it has worked well.  I've started using gold ink for some of my lino editions and really enjoy the way it makes them look.  I think this lino print, with lots of little buildings, works really well in this colour way.  The gold does show up really well on white paper too, but this black Stonehenge paper is the one for me.

Brighton Lino Print

Here is a little peek at my new lino print - ink still slightly wet - Black Cat Devouring Brighton Pier

I'm not sure if there are many cats around who do want to eat the pier in Brighton, but this one certainly does and I am not going to argue with it...

This was so much fun to cut out (if you are into lino cutting) - all those lovely fur marks on the cat and all the fiddly buildings and landmarks in Brighton...not to mention the Pier itself, with incredibly intricate metalwork on it's structure.  I may have missed a few support struts out, sorry structural engineers.

If you want to take a look at Black Cat Devouring Brighton Pier in my online shop you can pop over here--->  ETSY or FOLKSY you can choose :)

Lino Printing Events - Fairs, pop ups and exhibitions...Autumn 2019

Six Puffins in Flight - lino print by Melanie Wickham

It's Autumn, one of my very favourite seasons and also the time when I start to emerge from my studio and bring all of my new lino prints to fairs, exhibitions and exciting Pop Up Shops!

I've popped a list below for you to have a peep at and there are several more things in the pipeline which I will gradually add when they are confirmed.  It is great to be heading to so many places out and about and not just in Bristol this year, so if you are nearby on any of these dates it would be so lovely to say 'Hello'...

Next events 

Print Fair - Holburne Museum, Bath 5-9pm 25th October

Present Makers, Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Honiton 9 Nov - 21 December

Totterdown Arts Trail, Bristol 15-16-17th November

Stanley Road Store Artists Open Houses, Brighton every weekend from 22nd Nov - 15th December

Etsy Made Local Fair, City Hall, Bristol 30th November

Bristol Bazaar, The Island, Bristol 1-24th December

Southville Centre Fair, Bristol, 7th December

Malago Christmas Fair, Bristol 14-15 December

I have linked to all the shows own websites/FB pages on my website if you want further details - pop over HERE

How to lino print - workshop alert!

Beginners lino printing - I am so excited to be running another lino printing workshop - this one is for anyone, beginners or slightly more experienced lino printers and we will be using nature as inspiration (perfect in Autumn as there is so much inspiration to be found in nature, all those lovely leaves, seed pods, nuts and berries etc).

This workshop will be in Bristol on Sunday 13th October, so if that sounds good to you follow the link here to get all the details and book on....

Lino Print fabric designs

I have often thought that some of my lino prints would work well as fabric designs and so have made a couple into repeat patterns and had them printed onto cotton - and I am so happy with it!

In the photo here are 'Pigeons' and 'Stars' - both digitally printed onto 156 gsm cotton in the UK, so fully washable and a great fabric weight for lots of different types of sewing project.

I have hand printed fabric with lino blocks several times and it can be great fun, but it is really time consuming and so makes the fabric more expensive (quite rightly as it takes a while!).  I hand printed my bedroom curtains with big birds and I love them so it was completely worth the process.

As these fabrics have been digitally printed I can have much larger quantities and so I have listed them in my ETSY shop if you fancy taking a peek.

I have no idea what projects might suggest themselves using this fabric (I am up for trying lampshades and PJ's first) so have listed a few different lengths as options to buy, but am really up for suggestions of what sizes of fabric would be useful...

Below is an amazing set of coin purses made by JoeJoeHandmade using my Pigeon fabric and I think they are just fab!  I love the contrast of the black and white with the zingy zippers.

I am really excited to see what else these fabrics turn into in the future!  Pigeons everywhere....

Ink Paper + Print at the Towner Gallery

I am so excited to be heading off to Ink Paper + Print on 21-22nd September - being held at the Towner Gallery  in Eastbourne the line up of illustrators, print makers and artists is amazing (and me, gulp!)

I will bring along my usual basket of lino prints, including a few new ones - like these Baby Tapirs - and also tea towels, tote bags, fabric, handmade purses and lampshades - would be lovely to say hello if you are passing by.

Greetings Cards

Great to get another delivery of my cards from ARTPRESS recently - including the new Christmas Card, yipee!

I'm so happy to have my lino prints on their lovely cards and it is great fun looking out for them in shops/galleries/museums as I travel around the country.  Do let me know if you spot any out in the wild...

September exhbition

After a summer break and then a lot of beetle carving it is time for a show - really excited to be part of an art exhibition called NATURAL HABITATS in Bristol at The Malago on North Street. 

It has been organised by TRIBE AISTHETICA and there rare three of us showing nature inspired work, so definitely worth popping in if you are in Bristol.

I have several pieces based on drawings of birds and beetles I have made in Bristol Museum, where I have been lucky enough to spend time in the stores with some of the amazing collections held there.  The beetles are mostly burying beetles and it has been fascinating studying them so closely.

The show runs 2nd September - 6th October if you fancy calling in.

Lino print sort out!

I have spent the last few days having a studio sort out - always a dangerous task to start as who knows what will be unearthed in the process.

These Seagulls have re-appeared from the bottom of the lino print drawer.

Lots of unfinished lino blocks too, all asking for a bit of attention....

Summer Lino Printing Workshop in Bristol

It's workshop time!

Always exciting - if you are based in Bristol then pop 18th August in your diary - Nature inspired lino printing...


Everything you need provided, including a lot of nature finds as inspiration - no previous experience or arty skills needed - we will print the designs onto cards, bunting, stationary and fancy printing paper - here is the link if you fancy booking in

Puffin lino print - work in progress

Starting to plan a big flock of Puffins...
Smaller flocks will also be printed - I am just going to have a warm-up session of Puffin lino cutting to see how they come out before going for the huge one!

I went to see Puffins on the Farne Isles in June and it was amazing, totally overwhelming to spend an hour on their island and watch and draw them.  It was too early for Pufflings but the parents were busy.

I am trying to show their brilliant flappy flight in the way I draw them, so hopefully that will work out too as the drawing progresses....

I always draw my designs out on paper first before l transfer it to the lino block using tracing paper.  It can take a while for a large lino block but I love drawing so would hate to miss that stage out.  I know some people draw straight onto the block or just carve, but that is not for me!

Lino cut print - Lots of Crows and a Sparrow

Close up of all the crows...

A proof print of the crows lino print.

 The original 15 Crows lino print, which is still one of my faves...

This week I have been up to my printers elbows in Crows as I have started editioning my new lino print 'Lots of Crows and a Sparrow'.  It has gone really well, despite making it hard for myself by taping an extra piece of lino onto the block so that I could add an extra bit of crow that didn't quite fit on.  This means that each time I hand burnish a print I have to check that the crow is lined up properly and flat with the main block...the original piece of lino seemed quite big, but was not big enough.  Lesson learned.

Beetle lino prints

For the last couple of years I have been drawing in our local Museums Natural History department whenever I get the chance.   The collections there are huge, varied and really inspiring.  Drawing the birds is my usual habit, but recently the curator had beetles out and I couldn't resist spending an afternoon drawing those too.

I found them tricky, I am no expert on beetle anatomy and they have so many parts - legs, antennae, etc that have to be in the right place.  My drawings would never be any use as an identifying guide but I had so much fun making them and learnt a lot too.

I couldn't resist making some lino prints from the drawings - keeping the slightly misplaced legs and wobbly lines where they were in my original drawing and using the scientific labels as part of the design.

Carving the lino block was tricky as I couldn't mis-cut anything - all those letters and legs!  It worked though, all in place and so in this picture you can see me peeling back the paper from one of the first prints I burnished from the block - success.

Hopefully this will become part of a small series of lino prints as it was great to work on.

New Dog lino print and Featured Maker on Folksy

Here is  a new lino print, freshly printed - Dog Disco

My sketchbooks are filled with dogs so it was only a matter of time before they all got together and had a party and here they all are.

This lino print was also great fun to cut out - all those twirly bits on the string of lights... but then I am happy cutting out lino prints anyway, however twirly.

The image happened during a weekend at an Art Fair - they had amazing twirly lights along the beams which I doodled all over my sketchbook and then I started drawing all the dogs who were visiting the Fair.  It was a particularly popular one for dogs and some very fine hounds stopped to say hello which was fun.  Somehow the dogs and the bright lights got mixed up together on the page and before I knew it the idea for Dog Disco had arrived.

I have popped it into my Folksy shop and right now I am their Featured Maker which is exciting - so to celebrate I have done one of those money off things.  Type in PIGEONPARADE15 as you go through the checkout bit and you get 15% off (until 9th June 2019) - hurrah!

Bristol Craft and Flea

Is three days notice enough?  I am going to be at the Craft and Flea in Bristol on Bank Holiday and it would be so great if you came along to say "Hello"!

I will have lots of my lino prints of course as well as lots of Bristol themed goodies - tote bags, mugs, cards and so on - I am so excited, having seen the exhibitor list it is going to be amazing fun.

New Three Hares lino print

I've just had a jolly old time making this big hares lino print!

My 'Line of Hares' (the smaller print) has been really popular and I have loved printing it, so I decided to play around with the scale a bit.  I'm so happy with the result as well.  I think of them as 'big' because I am so used to seeing my usual quintet, but they are actually about 16 cm high.  With so much more black in the image they are a little harder to print as i am still hand burnishing them, but definitely worth it.

Exhibition at Harts Bakery

So excited to have an exhibition on at the fabulous Harts Bakery in Bristol at the moment!  It runs until the beginning of February, so just time for a visit.  Lots of my lino prints framed, unframed, hand printed cards, tea towels and tote bags on show.

If you have never been to Harts then you should go...it is right next to Temple Meads Railway station and they make such good bread (and amazing cakes, and tasty coffee).

My advice if you are passing though Bristol by train is to hop off, rush to the Bakery, buy bread, cakes and coffee and then hop back onto the next train to your destination.  Don't forget to look at the art too :)

If you are nowhere near Bristol then my Etsy and Folksy shops are always open too...