inklore: printmaking

Showing posts with label printmaking. Show all posts

Pattern Thinking

I'm thinking about patterns this morning. Here are a couple I saw this week that caught my eye:

this one is from the magazine Jamie (can't find the link where I saw this)

and this is from the flickr stream of Steffen Tuck. I just love the shadows here. Hope you have a lovely weekend planned. See you on Monday!

Orange-y Tea Towels

I've taken a couple of my favorite prints, kumquat and fresh squeezed and made up some new tea towels. I really love a little hint of orange in my kitchen; it always feels fresh and clean.

These are available in the shop now!

I could not be more excited to bring you Jesse today who has two shops, jezze and jezzeprints. I first found Jesse when I was considering opening my own etsy shop; she has a wonderful tutorial about block printing on fabric on her blog, and was even kind enough to answer a few questions over email for me. I'm forever grateful for her kindness, and am delighted to share her work with you.

hand printed buttons

ceramic brooch - blue leaf

blockprinted cotton tape

1. Why did you decide to open an online shop?

To be able to make something in the morning and have it up for sale (and sometimes even sold) is amazing. It feels like I can spend more time making, and less time physically trudging from shop to shop or working a market stall. Although an online shop still takes time, because there's photographing, listing, emails, I can do all of that in my studio, and it becomes part of the making process. I can be a little bit of a control freak, too, so the more I can do myself, the more I enjoy it.

And as a musician friend once told me: "There might be 20 people who love what you do, but what are the chances of them all living in the same town as you?"

2. Who/what inspires you?

Old appliances that are still working 50 years later. The Pixies. Tintin. Neal Stephenson. Stop-frame animation, it doesn't matter what kind. Undoing the seams on vintage clothes and finding the unfaded colours of the original print. Things I find lying in the street - photos, bits of ceramics, cloth offcuts. Weeds. Junk shops, old and new. Today, a mixed bag of spools of sewing cotton I got for a bargain price, with the unlikeliest pinkish-red right next to a bright blue-green... I'd never have thought that would work.

Thanks so much Jesse!

Little Bits

As everyone who sews knows, there are always little fabric bits left at the end of big projects. I decided last week to take those bits and sew them up:

into pretty lavender sachets with colorful twill tape loops

and flaxseed and lavender eye pillows, meant for relaxing (or chasing away a dreadful headache)

...and: "two little love birds sitting in a tree,

protecting your table from your icy cold tea."

Sorry, it had to be done.

Apple and Chocolate

I've been planning to re-make some of my favorite designs in new colors for Spring/Summer, but it was the rush of creativity that came last week that gave me the push I needed to mix some new colors. Apples and Chocolate don't really taste swell together, but I do love the combination of colors. I've redone my branches and quatrefoil patterns in apple green and chocolate brown; I think the results are quite yummy.

Tea Cosie

Linen Pillow Slips

Linen Bucket

I'll be adding these to my shops today if you need some retail therapy...

Spontaneous Creativity

One of the most exciting parts of getting ready for a craft fair for me was the moments of spontaneous creativity. Because all the prints, inks, and materials were out at the same time, I did quite a lot of experimenting with new ideas. Today I'm sharing my favorite result.

I took my simplicity tote in canvas and used a bit of charcoal ink and some of my favorite prints to create these bags. This is a great bag; it's easy and comfortable to wear and is finished with french seams inside which makes it just a bit nicer than a typical canvas bag.

Do you have any great spontaneous creative moments to share?

Link:lore (Spooner Gregory)

Link:lore....the story behind the links

Welcome to Jon and Sarah, the duo behind Spooner Gregory. Together they create amazing, original, relief prints, wood engravings, letterpress stationary and handmade books. I am, of course, particularly fond of their block prints.

View from Cotehele - Original woodcut print

Vintage TLR Camera - Original woodcut print

St. Winifred's Well - Original wood engraving

1. Why did you decide to open an online store?

We began printmaking together in 2005, but it wasn't until September 2007 that we set up an Etsy shop. Before then, we'd given most of our editions away to friends and family. With their encouragement we decided to start selling our work online. Having an online shop has been such a great way for us to showcase our work to a wide audience, and to make new friends amongst the online printmaking and handmade community.

2. Who/what inspires you?

We are constantly inspired be the English landscape that surrounds our home. We live in Norfolk, in the east of England, which has a diverse landscape ranging from the coast to little fields with high hedgerows around hidden medieval churches. We try and get out for a long walk in the country every weekend, armed with sketchbooks and a thermos flask of tea.

Everyday objects, patterns and coulours also often feature in our work - simple things like teacups, the shapes of a vintage camera, or faded painted signs on the sides of houses often catch our eye and end up as a print.

Thanks Sarah and Jon!

Yarrow Tea Towel

Earlier this week I printed a custom yarrow pillow on white linen. I loved the look of the print so much on white that I decided to print up a few tea towels with the design.

Hope your weekend has been sunny!

Table Dressing

I decided to make a new tablecloth today as I was working with this lovely new mixed natural linen. It was time; seems a bit silly that with all the linen I have around I was still using a white sheet on my table most of the time.

I sat down with a cup of coffee and my toast catalog to enjoy my handiwork and found inspiration...

love these hand block printed pieces

small designs repeated on a large scale

and the block printed piece lying under a sheer ...

Now my table is dressed as it should be and my notebook has some new ideas. What has inspired you lately?

A Tree for All Seasons

We are blessed to live in a home that is surrounded by trees, and the longer I live here, the more I appreciate the changing seasons, not only in the weather, but in the way we live.

I was looking through my notebook yesterday, and months ago I had scribbled an idea for tree prints that represent the four seasons. And because I seem to be quickly heading into the next season, at least in my mind, I was inspired to create these prints today.

You have to use your imagination a bit since I do not have all the colors I need to make these just perfect. So imagine that the trunks are brown, the flowers on the spring tree are pink, and the summer tree swing is black. If you can do that, you will see what I see.

What is your favorite tree season?

Tools of the Trade

I spent some time today playing with my new toy, I mean tool. I've never been able to justify buying a grommet maker until I really needed one, and today was that day. It's so ridiculous really that this little toy has made me so happy.

Here's a little sneak peek of the project I'm working on that called for grommets. I hope to have this one finished and in the shop this week.

Here then is my favorite tool of all, the humble toothpick. I pull these little guys out all the time when I'm working on small projects. It's perfect for cleaning up little spaces on a block before printing and untold numbers of other things. Do you have a favorite tool that you turn to?

Pulled Along

Pulled Poppy
Originally uploaded by inklore

Hello there. I hope you're having a wonderful weekend. I've been a bit drowsy today, but I have managed to work on pulling some prints. There are so many color combinations, I'm tempted to do all my art prints in black and white...but I'll press on.

The texture of hand pulled block prints is really lovely up close. I'd love to know what you think...

Just A Peek

I hope you've had a lovely day. I have been in the office with my new friend, the label maker, organizing all day. No, not so fun. I do have a little sneek peek for you of a new project I'm working on though.

This one is a collaboration between my husband and I. Ooooh, what is it? You have to come back to find out. :)

Un-Red Roses

I'm busy here behind the scenes this week printing, sewing, working on packaging, and figuring out shipping for my new shop. I had just enough time, though, to work on one new design. A while ago this button came home with me.

I love the geometry of this button and the great color. It called for a print that is geometric, yet feminine, so I worked on something reminiscent of art deco roses that I have seen. It may still need a few leaves around the edges, but I love its un-red color.

I hope you're having a lovely week.

Home Again

Aaaahh. Back home after a lovely trip to the SF Bay Area. Feeling inspired by the city, nature, and all of the fantastic handmade things we saw in the many shops we visited in between good food and really good coffee.

Here's the final design for the orange print I was working on a while back. This kitchen towel feels so very right for summer.