Romans tea towel for Bristol Museum

I've just delivered a big pile of new tea towels to Bristol Museum and Art Gallery - yipee! (and then they tricked me into having my photo taken in the shop - I don't normally allow that to happen)

They are based on the 'Orpheus' Roman mosaic that was found near Bath when Brunel was busy putting the railway lines in.  The mosaic is on display at the Museum until the new year alongside a touring exhibition from the British Museum  - Roman Empire: Power and People and I've had a great time turning a three colour mosaic into a one colour lino print.

If you want to get your hands on one for a Roman loving friends birthday you will have to go to the Museum shop, but then maybe you should be taking that friend along for a look at the exhibition too!

We can't get enough of the Romans in our house this week as it is Romans dressing up day at school too so I really couldn't have been working on a better project...next up a flock of crows..better get cutting...

Great work workshoppers, here's more printing fun...

Big Print Day

Free printing activities for anyone, young or old, beginner or already printing...

at 1 Dean Street, BS3 on Sunday 29th Sept at 1pm

register here or phone Papervillage on 0117 9639452 if you want to come along - it's all free - mono printing, giant printing, leaf printing, printing with toys, messy printing, clean tidy printing, we'll print it all!

Photo taken by Makers

I also had a lovely time at Makers running a beginners lino printing course at the end of August -such a great group of workshoppers, who all got along really well and all produced great work, as prints and greetings cards.

I'll be back there on 1st of December to Print Christmas - printing cards, gift tags, wrapping paper, bunting, place cards etc using lino and rubber stamps and I'm sure we will have mince pies and mugs of tea (no alcohol whilst lino cutting, safety first, then festivities...) so sign up if you are free, it will be great fun.

little sets of handprinted bits...

I've been selling hand printed cards and labels and stationery for ages in the real world and in galleries and shops on actual streets, but not really online, so I thought I'd list a few things in sets as it really isn't worth anyone paying postage for one luggage label is it!  (Although they are pretty amazing luggage labels and I am very addicted to printing them...)

This little set has two hand printed cards that are 14 cm square, one tiny printed card (with little birds on it), two luggage labels/gift tags, one printed envelope and also a colour and size matched envelope for each card.  Wow.  That really is a set, I know.


You can find it here.  Take a look!

printing multiples

In the last week I have been cutting out a complicated lino block for a commission and in my sad world my way to relax and get away from it all is to do some printing.  I think I may need to broaden my horizons a little!

Maybe next time I could try a spa or even a walk along some stunning coastline or perhaps a little boat trip around the docks...

...but there is real satisfaction to a hoarding squirrel like me in printing a great big stack of labels, envelopes and cards with lots and lots of different images from my stack of lino blocks and seeing some old favourites again, the ones that just 'work' on the scale of luggage labels or little cards.  And even better, because these are not 'art' limited edition prints and the handprinted, rough and ready feel is just right I can print and print and print without worrying about the odd finger print or missed corner.

Lino Printing workshop in Bristol

Do you like to be spur of the moment and be creative at a seconds notice?  Great, then this is for you!

I'm teaching a beginners Lino Printing course tomorrow at Makers in Bristol - yes tomorrow!  Is that short enough notice for you?   There is a space left, so if you are in the area and ready and waiting for a creative challenge follow the link for booking details here.

It's going to be intensive. In just three hours we will have designed, carved and printed pictures and greetings cards but then you will have the rest of your weekend free to recover, whilst gazing with a satisfied air at your editioned prints.  What a great way to end the summer and kick start your creative Autumn...

Romans and holidays

Here's a little test print of a Roman image I'm doing as a commission (which handily is the same size as a greetings card, lets not waste any time here...).  Have you tried cutting fake mosaic in lino recently?  If so let me have your hints and tips please.

This is based on an Orpheus mosaic found near Bath many years ago and the rest of it is filled with great shaped animals, dancing to the wonderful music Orpheus plays, which I'm really looking forward to doing (in a pixelated way).

We've just got back from a great week away too, and I thought that this photo summed up the holiday pretty well - look at the weird mix of footwear that our little group decided on for a summer walk in the UK - we were definitely expecting and getting every type or weather that day!  Can't beat a week living in a field, washing in a bucket though...

allotment day

We're spending a couple of days at the allotment this week, catching up with the hundreds of little jobs that were ignored through the sunshine, because really, no one is supposed to work when it is sunny, are they?

This year has been amazing for flowers, berries and veg on our plot, and we are seeing so many bees at the moment (50% of growing space is covered with self seeded borage which may have something to do with the sheer numbers of bees - that borage gets everywhere) especially early in the morning on a sunny day.

It all looks pretty lovely - which is why I never take my camera...

Today I had a brain wave though, look, I've scanned in some beans to show you instead.  And I've scanned in a courgette too, which slightly messed up the focus.  So now you know what beans look llike, but are still non the wiser as to the look of our vast borage plantation.  Oh, well...