Lets start with a nice cup of tea...
Sketch out some Ideas
Carve those designs into Lino
Ink up the lino!
And make a linocut Print!
Lovely!
If you would like to try a taster linocut workshop click the button below to book your spot!
Trees & Songs in Orange & Gold
It’s been a busy couple of weeks at the studio and I’m excited to announce that a limited edition of 100 EP covers have been printed for Red Deer Sleeping’s EP ‘Autumn’.
Printing Spiral Song Titles
Thanks to the lovely Lisa from Lymebay Press for transferring my design for the inner sleeve onto polymer plates. Although I love to work within the limitations of traditional letterpress, there are times when having more more control over the design is preferred. Mixing analogue and digital enabled me to create spiralling song titles for the inner sleeve. It might have been a bit of a challenge typesetting this by hand!
Inside inner sleeve printed with orange linseed oil based ink
Printing British Oak
I scanned and enlarged this botanical illustration of British Oak by W.H Fitch. The image was transferred to a polymer plate which I then fixed to the chase base enabling me to print the design using the adana 8x 5 printing press.
100 inner Sleeves Printed
Ouside inner sleeve printed with gold linseed oil based ink
Autumn EP Launch
Red Deer Sleeping’s EP ‘Autumn’ will be released on the 16th November at their EP Launch, El Rincon Spanish Bar, Bristol. Click here for more details.
Autumn EP by Red Deer Sleeping
"Listen. .
With faint dry sound,
Like steps of passing ghosts,
The leaves, frost-crisp'd, break from the trees
And fall."
(Adelaide Crapsey - 1878–1914)
This poem features as part of a song on the EP ‘Autumn' by Red Deer Sleeping.
Engravers Type & Oak Leaves in Gold
Printing Engravers Type in Gold Linseed oil based ink.
Linocut from an original botanical illustration by W.H. Fitch (1817 – 1892)
Typesetting Autumn in 10pt New Clarendon
Golden Type
After typesetting the songs for the Autumn EP outer sleeve, I am pleased that Engravers type printed better than expected! So thank you again to Angie Butler who lent me the type and is very happy for me now to keep the type so I can continue to make use of it. I promise not to leave it in hibernation for so long! : ))
Oak Leaves for the Outer sleeve
Original botanical illustration by W.H. Fitch (1817 – 1892)
Linocut printed on the adana 8 x 5 in gold linseed oil based ink.
I found a beautiful botanical illustration of British Oak. by W.H. Fitch which I traced and carved onto lino. The lino was the perfect size to print on the adana 8 x 5.
Autumn EP Launch
A limited edition pressing of 100 EPs will be available at Red Deer Sleeping's ‘Autumn' EP launch at El Rincon on Thursday 16th November 2017.
Type setting Songs for Autumn
Borrowed Type
A few years ago, my lovely friend, book artist and letterpress printer Angie Butler offered me long term loan of some 12pt Engravers lead type. I explored the type with a view to printing an album cover on my press but didn’t have enough characters to complete the song titles. I opted for the polymer plate instead which was a much more efficient use of time and gave me more flexibility designing the album.
I am currently working on an EP “Autumn" for my other project, Red Deer Sleeping. The songs are based on poems by Amy Lowell, Christina Rossetti, Adelaide Crapsey and R.L.Stevenson. There are only five songs on this EP and the Engravers type have been hibernating in their wooden trays for long enough. It's time to wake them up and re-introduce them to the press and have a go at typesetting the song titles.
And your point is...?
3 trays of Engravers type. 3 different sizes cast in 12pt.
Again I didn’t have enough type to complete the songs at the same size so as I ran out of one size I added a different size in it’s place. Any missing type, I replaced with 12pt Times. So the result is a sporadic mix of small, medium and large Engravers 12pt type with a dash of Times! This is something I may have steered clear of if I was making a design on the computer but sometimes limitations can bring surprising and possibly more interesting results. We’ll see!
Thank you Angie for the loan of the type! : ))
Art On The Hill - Pop Up Letterpress & Rubberstamp Printing
Thanks to all of you who came along to the Pop Up Letterpress and Rubberstamp Printing at Art On The Hill. It was lovely to meet so many enthusistic folk and your prints were wonderful! I’ve posted many of them to instagram.
Thanks also to Jo who hosted the Pop Up Printing at her home in Windmill Hill, Bristol. Her beautiful dogs Lollie and Coco seemed to have a lovely time too. See pics below!
Letterpress Typesetting & Printing
Even dogs love letterpress!
Rubberstamp Printing
UWE students - Sebastian, Lottie, Esther, Lucy and Josh. Super stamping! : ))
Rubberstamp printing is for everyone. From 3 years old to to 103 years old! You can print with pre-made stamps or carve your own individual stamp.
Workshops
I am currently running letterpress and rubberstamp printing workshops at Salt Cafe, Bristol. Get in touch if you would like to book your space.