Printing 'Dungbeetle' in gold ink

This lino block of a Dungbeetle with its lovely ball of dung is one that I carved long ago and it has lived in a drawer for years - and then I had the idea to try it again with a bit of gold ink as I was printing some other gold prints...luckily it has survived well and printed perfectly still. Inked up it looks like an ancient relic to me with the gold. Plans now are to make an edition in gold, printed onto black Stonehenge paper and enjoy printing a lovely golden ball of poo!

New Lino Print - Otter Feast

A new lino print of a trio of hungry otters - well not that hungry as they have a pile of fish to eat. I have only ever seen an otter footprint, never a glimpse of the elusive creature although apparently they do live right here in waterways of Bristol, urban otters! This was a fun little lino print to carve, especially the little pile of fish bones - somehow the perfect subject matter for lino. I have added the Otter Feast to my online shop HERE if you are interested in any more info about it (size, paper etc) so pop over and have a look.

Lino Printed Golden Bats

Having a great time printing these little Flappy Bats in gold - they look really striking on black Stonehenge paper and make a really sweet little print.

Lino Printing workshop - Bristol - 27/03/2020

Really excited to be hosting another lino printing workshop in my studio space in Bristol - this one is on Friday 27th March - and it is always lots of fun!

Here are the details:

We will try out the different lino cutting tools, materials and different inks in a step by step way so that you can explore the areas you are interested in. These are all provided in the ticket price.

These workshops are perfect for those who have no experience, those who haven’t made art-work since school, artists who would like to try printmaking, or anyone needing a bit of a refresher.

Feel free to bring anything for inspiration (sketchbooks, doodles, photos, etc) but I also have lots of things around that we can use as a starting point.

Tea/coffee, savory nibbles and cakes/biscuits all provided to keep energy levels up!

and here is the link to TICKETS if you fancy coming along

Lots of lino printing events coming up this Spring...

I have just updated my website with some of the lino printing events that I have got coming up and it is a great list!   Take a look below or check them out on my site where all the links are sitting...I might try to fit a few more in too if I get the chance.

Workshop - Sunday 9th Feb - Lino Printing Workshop at We Make Bristol - suitable for all, an introduction to Lino printing using Bristol landmarks as inspiration.  Details HERE

Workshop - Tuesday 11th Feb - Lino Printing beginners workshop at my Studio in Bristol BS3 10.00am - 1.00 pm £30.00 - with snacks and tea/coffee

Try out the tools, make a lino block and print on greetings cards, gift tags, lovely printmaking papers etc - lots of help if needed, no drawing skills needed, just come and play.  Contact me on melaniewickhamlino@gmail.com to book a place/find out more...

Frome Independent - 1st March - I will be with my trusty suitcase, so come and say hello! First Frome Independent of the season...

North Wales Print Fair - Sat 7th March - Really excited to be heading to NORTH WALES PRINT FAIR at MOSTYN - will bring lots of lino prints, come and say 'Hello' - details HERE

Workshop - Sunday 29 March - at We Make Bristol - suitable for all, an introduction to Lino printing using Nature as an inspiration.

Southbank Arts Trail - 16 & 17 May - Southbank Arts Trail - My local Arts Trail in BS3 - always a good one!

Manchester Print Fair - 23rd May - Manchester Print Fait at Manchester Cathedral - lots of printy goodness, all day long!

Shopcreative Pop Up Market at Cabot Circus - 30 & 31st May - looking forward to this fun weekend in Bristol, lino prints, tote bags, enamel mugs - I will bring them all...

Exhibition at Harts Bakery

Starting 2020 with a lino print exhibition at the amazing HARTS BAKERY in Bristol from 7th Jan 2020.

Very excited to be asked to show my work here again as it is the most fab place, incredible bread, cakes, coffee - cannot wait to be there again!

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....

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.

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.

Drawing and printing plants

I have spent a few weeks drawing plants, all those amazing leaf and flower shapes, foliage shadows and criss-crossing stems and branches.  It's been fun.  Now I am trying to make some of the doodles and drawings into prints that show off the plant forms...

I do like taking a plant out of context so that you can really see its shapes (like this one above) as well as drawing/printing the whole tangled mass that exists in a garden.  We will see what happens...

Night Dancing lino print on Folksy

Happy to spot my 'Night Dancing' lino print on Folksy's Favourites list at the moment.  I love the idea  of pets getting up to things as we sleep (and we all know that they do!) and lets hope it is just a bit of harmless dancing...
It is fun printing this one too as I so rarely use blocks of tone in my lino prints, so a good dramatic area of black is good to see when you peel back the paper from the block.

Check out what else is on the Folksy list here (and take a look quickly if you want to see my kitties there as who knows when the Folksy team will find some new favourites!)---> FOLKSY FAVOURITES

Lie On the Ground - lino cut print

A new lino print  One that has been simmering for quite a while now and has finally made it onto paper.  It has a friend too, but that one is still in a sketchbook.  I've popped it into my Etsy shop too :)

I was also pleased to carve all those little words without mishap - that doesn't always happen!

Pop-Up lino printing shop

Hurray, my Pop-Up shop in Bristol is now open :)

It's in The Galleries Shopping Centre right on the top floor & I've filled it up with lino prints, tea towels, tote bags, handprinted cards, gift tags, pencil cases, notebooks and lots of other things too :0)

It even has a jolly big sign with my name on it above the door - how exciting....

The shop is open everyday until the end of 13th Nov so if you can, pop in!