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....

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.