flora in triptych 2

Flora in Triptych 2 is now finally listed.

I printed this small edition of etchings in April before I went to NY and love the deep richness of those dirty reds. It's a tiny edition of 5 only as with all the messing around involved in inking up and laying three 10x10cm plates exactly on the printing bed, not to mention getting a good print (which means me not bumping that paper before I run it through the press) I would need to be printing for an aeon to have any more. I have a few others from this run that are quite quirky (plates positioned differently) and may list those separately at some point.

What have you been printing?

blood red

There's been some printing going on around here! This time I've made up a rich blood red ink and printed my banksia pod design with it. I quite like the way it came up against the warmth of the linen.

I use 2 types of Russian linen - a warmer colour called 'flax' and a slightly cooler one called 'oatmeal'.

pic 1: flax
pic 2: oatmeal
pic 3: oatmeal
pic 4: flax

The thing I LOVE about printing on 100% linen is the way these towels wear over time to a gorgeous softness with use in the kitchen. And linen is such a beautiful natural product. Remember this video I posted last year about how it's made?

Oh, and they're in the shop. Of course. Xmas pressies perhaps???

the honey makers

So this one had a hard birth. The design came quick enough but then I wasn't happy with it as just a single colour print. The bees were meant to be just the one (not the 5 here) and it (the bee) was going to be in black too originally. And that all changed as I started printing which meant the bees got added one by one in that bright punchy yellow. I do mostly like a monochrome palette but occasionally I can let myself add a splash of colour to lighten the energy in a print.

So 'the honey makers' is here in gorgeous 100% linen + ready for use.

Some thoughts on process this week....I've been spending time with quite a few creative folk of late due to the 'big story' I'm writing (a PhD - some background on my other world here) and it's been a glorious thing. I've had a number of similar conversations about process birthing ideas for future projects/work. That is, you start working on something and while you're in there with your creative juices flowing it generates ideas for all kinds of other work. It's like you have to be immersed in the creative process to help this other generative process happen. Well in printing over this weekend I felt that happen. My head has been gurgling with all kinds of ideas for future designs and illustrations. Mostly I think it's a result of trialing designs, manipulating them, problem solving on the hop and then eventually resolving the design issues. Something happens in my creative head space when all of that other stuff is working away. Does that happen to you?

creating 'snow gum'

Guess what? More screen printing!

These are a few pics of a new design, 'snow gum', in progress. I was inspired by the beautiful shapes of eucalyptus snow gum tree leaves. They're so soft and round and very different to other eucalyptus leaf shapes which are often much longer and more pointed. I also wanted the print to have the appearance of floating on the linen.

I ended up making it a 2 colour print on the flax coloured linen even though I like the single colour (turquoise) on the linen also. I was keen to experiment with some overprinting which is how the 2 colour print (in turquoise and white) came about.

The last pic is of the design in progress with a layer of drafter's film over the top. This is what I've been using to create stencils because it's reusable even though it's harder to cut than paper. I really like it as a material for creating stencils.

Snow Gum in the 2 colour format is now available in the shop. Happy dish drying!

giant succulent blossom

Last weekend it was a hive of activity around here. A friend of mine swears people are possessed with a wave of creative energy as the moon is waxing (building to a full moon). Anyone who was out and about on Wednesday night this week would have witnessed that big, beautiful, luminous moon hanging low in the eastern sky. It was full or close to it. As I was cycling home (north) I found it near impossible not to look to my right (east) and stare at the moon. It was so, so, so lovely!

I think my friend was right about that creative burst. I was drawing and designing, cutting stencils and printing like a fiend all weekend. And it was so much fun!

So here's another product of that rush of activity. Giant Succulent Blossom, Black in 100% linen (this one is oatmeal). Those of you who've visited this blog before know how much I'm obsessed with succulents and succulent flowers. Here's more proof of that!

Along with the new banksia pod designs, these tea towels are also now in the shop.

What have you been making lately?

banksia pod red

My banksia pod tea towel is now available in a deep, dirty red after a morning spent screen printing. These are 100% linen and I've printed on both the warmer 'flax' type (pictured) and a slightly cooler 'oat'. So you can take your pick. I'll be listing the oat one in the shop later today. If you haven't tried these towels before then you're in for a treat. The quality in Russian linen is exquisite and will soften over time as it's used and washed and loved.

block print your own wallpaper

We're getting things in motion in preparation for the block print your own wallpaper class with Harvest Workroom in June. Would you like to join us? All levels of printing ability are welcome including beginners. Let us step you through how to design and block print your own wallpaper. It will be so much fun! More info here.

Also, follow this link on Design Sponge for some Lynne Testoni wallpaper goodness if you need a little inspiration.

blue

And then there was blue.....
But screen printed this time. Once again on 100% flax coloured linen tea towels. I cut a stencil by hand and modified the design just a little so it could be screen printed. I've decided to call this design banksia pod because it was inspired by some ink paintings of pods I did last year. M just told me these work really well with our kitchen colours. But I am letting them go: if you fancy them they're in the shop now.

texture

I love the course texture of 100% linen. But it's not the easiest fabric in the world to block print on. This is a test run on an oatmeal linen tea towel. I'm still perfecting it but think I like the dirty red colour against the warmth of the oatmeal.

UPDATE: I've worked out all the kinks and so now have some of these in my shop.

on paper

Before it got too warm this morning I printed two test runs of my new banksia pod inspired wallpaper design. I made a repeat for this one and used a large lino block. As you can see I tested two colours: a pale green and a pale grey. Both colours look a tiny bit different in real life but you can get the idea anyway. I deliberately carved quite lightly so that some of the texture of the block came through. This was a lot of fun and the added bonus of block printing is the clean-up is minimal including the amount of water used. More pics here.

If you're interested in learning more about how to block print your own wallpaper why not sign up for a class I'm teaching with the gorgeous women from Harvest Textiles? Come play in their lovely new studio in East Brunswick and design and print your own block printed wallpaper. You'll find all the info here.

hand printed wallpaper

Rainy days can be surprisingly productive.

Block printed wallpaper test strips: succulent blossom in silvery grey and red. Two different blocks were used for each one because the red one has the motif in lines and the grey is more randomly distributed across the paper. The grey one looks even better than the photos make out. I can see how this print would work in a bedroom; really soft and delicate.

I had Jen Cloher and then The Waifs playing in the background to help me get into the groove.