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 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.

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!

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

Three Foxes at the Disco - lino print

Three Foxes at the Disco, they are ready for a great night out dancing!

It's nearly December which is definitely party season - and great to have a bit of shimmer to brighten up the Autumn gloom...

Lots of handprinted bits and bobs...

 

...and some laser cut birds too!  So excited to have my lino printed birds turned into a lovely wooden flock.  That is my week filled up now, playing with wooden birds :)

Several of these printed goodies have found their way into my Folksy shop so you can always pop over there if you would like to!

New lino prints about to hit the shop!!

I've been having a marvellous month of lino cutting and printing and in two weeks time I'll be filling up my Etsy and Folksy shops with the results.  That makes me feel like a proper shop-keeper!

I just want to do a couple more first - really keen to make a lino print of some bladderwrack, because it's such a lovely word, so maybe I'll do that this week.  (and it would surely make a fantastic christmas present??!!!  who wouldn't want a lino print of bladderwrack on their wall???)

Above is one of my faves, 'Feet in Shoes', but you are welcome to have your own fave....

New prints

 Gulp

I've had a bit of a flurry!

Lots of ideas that have been sitting in sketch books have managed to get out recently....

Nine tiny armadillos

I'm not sure why I wait until a really busy time of year to suddenly HAVE to do new lino cuts, but maybe it is to sub consciously remind myself that it is not all about packaging and wrapping and standing in a long queue at the post office, that the plan all along was to make lino prints.

Cat on its brain, it's going to rain, again...

I've listed several new prints on Folksy and Etsy, so take a look...

Now I can concentrate on the important things, like where to get some gold tissue paper from and whether the queue in the Post Office will take longer than the time left before school pick up (answer is always yes, however early I set off, is there a PO queue app that anyone knows of???)

Animal prints and tea towels

Spotters Guide

I've been doing lots of printing recently, ready for that busy time of year...

I think in the summer I assumed I was on top of it all and that I would be avoiding the quiet panic of low stock and ideas that really must be done before the end of November.  But a few parcels to galleries and some online sales and suddenly the pile of lino prints doesn't look quite as big as i would like...

That was last week though!
Now I am happily back in charge, prints editioned (some wont be dry until tomorrow, but that's ok), cards in cellophane and little bows happily tied around a pile of tea towels, gift tags printed up ready for packaging up orders and the whole house back to it's happy chaotic state, a sure sign that printing has been happening...

have a look in my shops here and here if you fancy some lino printed goodies...

Today I've used up the last of my big paper stash, so a restock is needed because I've only proofed a couple of new lino prints and now I want to print the rest...I'm sure there is time to fit it in and it wont turn into another last minute rush.

3 new prints in Folksy shop and an offer...

 I've just listed 3 new prints in my Folksy Shop if you fancy popping across to have a look,  Spring is in the air (honestly) so I have been making prints of Hares...above is 'Dancing Hare'...

...this is called 'Line of Hares'...

...and on a completely different track, here is 'Mini Bath'.  One of my fave UK cities for spending a day wandering around, taking in the beautiful buildings, parks, the river, amazing street entertainment and general people watching, I just love it, so here it is captured in mini form.

My Folksy Shop is teetering on 100 sales at the moment, so I have decided that the next 5 customers I have on Folksy (numbers 99, 100, 101, 102, 103) will get a free gift with their purchase.  How exciting, don't you think.  I'd love it if all 5 bought a Hare print because they are my newest babies, but there are lots of others to choose from and the bigger the purchase the bigger the free gift.  What an offer - it might even cheer you up an a gloomy nearly Spring day!!  I've got lots of printed goodies that aren't in my online shops, so you'll get a lovely suprise package...

February Studio Sale

I'm having a sale in my Folksy shop - lino prints that need a new home.

Lots have been hiding at the bottom of my print draw, ends of editions, some printed long ago, not in my current range of prints in galleries, experiments and old favourites - time for a great big clearout and a February Sale!  

I've got more to add, but only so much computer staying power, so have a look at what I've added today and then I'll remind you to pop back in a week or so...

...I need those drawers emptying...so grab a bargain print while you can.

just time to buy a print!

You know there is still just time for you to buy a print from my Folksy shop  if you live in the UK don't you? - or a tea towel, or a canvas bag - it really would save a trek around the shops in the rain listening to Slade and fighting your way through a jungle of tinsel and mince pies...just saying...although you may well have got all that sort of thing organised already... I haven't - eeeeek!

giveaway

 Vixen and cubs

 Nanny and kids

 Roosting

Goat reaching for a tasty leaf

I've just had a happy time printing a lot of new lino prints and so I thought I'd have a giveaway for followers of this exciting print blog to celebrate!

How can you resist?  Tell all your friends...

But you will have to earn a print if you want one followers - sorry.
I want to know three things first...

1. Which of the four prints above would you like to have if you are the lucky winner?
2. What was/is your favourite childhood toy and why? (Question stolen from small childs homework)
3. What/where is your favourite wild place?

Have you noticed that 50% of the prints you can choose from feature goats?  I am still pushing them as the next big thing...
Have a look in my Etsy and Folksy shops too as there are lots of other new prints there that have NO goats in them at all.

(Can I let you in on a secret too?  I can't do everything!
Lou from Little Green Shed has sorted out lots of my photos and images for me and they look SOOOO much better, thanks Lou - the bad ones are still all my own work...)

This giveaway has now finished.

garden day

I spent this morning printing cards and after reaching 100 I decided that really being outside would be better than being inside.

Sitting outside I am very busy, absorbing all the bright colours and the huge amount of green after all the rain, basking in the warmth from the sun, listening to the buzzing, beetleing and chirping that is going on, watching a tiny spider trying to build a web around my camera cable (is it cruel to let it carry on?) and chomping through a plateful of things from the fridge...this is going to take all afternoon!

Thanks to Folksy too, for putting my A-Z animals teatowel on todays newsletter!  It has been lurking on their 'Gift Ideas under £25' for a week or too now as well, hurrah.

love birds

Something without hearts...
...in my Folksy shop today...


I've also put a few links over there on the left to some of the galleries around the UK who stock my work and I'd be so happy if you went and popped into any that are near you, because they all do such good work promoting artists.  I will try my hardest to find some new galleries to fill in the many gaps around the country too as there is a very Southern balance at the moment - but hey, that's where I am!!

ello design

WEDNESDAY, 17 AUGUST 2011

Folksy Wednesday Wishlist #8

After a week off, the Wednesday Wishlist returns with a veggie theme! My grandparents used to have a lot of vegetables in their garden; tomatoes, potatoes, runner beans etc. so this blog is inspired by them and their love of gardening/vegetables :) enjoy

Melanie Wickham Lino Prints  /  Sixteen Eighteen

Bumbleblue  /  Sunshine and Snowdrops

Great to have my Allotment teatowel featured by Leanne on her blog feature "Folksy Wednesday Wishlist", this week all with a veggie theme.  Yummy items, especially love the peas in a pod, have a look at the whole selection here.

folksy cards

I've added a few hand printed cards to my Folksy shop today if you fancy having a look...

There's been a flurry of printing going on here as this weekend is Bristol Harbour Festival and Nails Gallery have kindly said that they will take along some of my goodies as there will be an Art Market there on Saturday and Sunday at Welsh Back.  Lets hope it will be glorious sunshine, I think we'll be lucky...

Domestic Sluttery

I noticed today that the lovely people at Domestic Sluttery .....

...have run a little feature on my tea towel and given my Folksy shop a plug. You can count me suitably chuffed - it's a really fun blog, and it's great they found me as I've only been Folksying for a little bit... but I'm also chuffed that they thought one of my teatowels was comparable in cuteness to this video!