Category Archives: Other animals

Crazy Bittern

  I’d never seen a bittern before and didn’t even know they existed until I came across this crazy-looking one the other day. He’s stuffed, unfortunately, which may be why he looks a bit mad. I spent a day drawing with a group of artists at Swansea Museum, organised by Swansea Print Workshop and theContinue reading “Crazy Bittern”

Skylarks

  I spent a great day at Swansea Museum with a group of fellow artists and Edinburgh-based printmaker Kelly Stewart. We drew stuffed birds – lots of them – all very old and fragile. They had been in the museum stores and this was the first time some of them had seen light of dayContinue reading “Skylarks”

Turning Over A New Page….

I do quite a bit of teaching, to adults, and many have a big problem with drawing, they feel that they can’t draw and that when they try, they get very demoralised because “it isn’t perfect”. So many people have unrealistic expectations about drawing and don’t realise that, like any skill, it takes commitment, practiceContinue reading “Turning Over A New Page….”

Head Of Cod

I did some drawing this evening down at the Zoology Museum in Swansea University. It’s a small place but jam packed full of fascinating specimens. I did a reduction drawing of the skull of a large fish. There was some debate about whether it was a whiting, like the label said, or a cod.  Continue reading “Head Of Cod”

Something Fishy In Boise

A few years back I did an artist residency at Wingtip Press in Boise, Idaho, USA. It was a wonderful experience and I keep an eye out on what’s happening in printmaking in Boise. The irrepressible Amy Nack, founder of Wingtip Press sent me some information about “Print Boise River”. It’s a project celebrating theContinue reading “Something Fishy In Boise”

Drawing Black

  Drawing black is hard. So is drawing animals, well for me anyway. I’m pretty good at drawing cats now as I’ve had decades of practice and they tend to keep still. I haven’t quite got dogs though. Husb and I are puppy-sitting for a week, a little black Pomerpoo (Pomeranian Poodle cross). She hasContinue reading “Drawing Black”

Registration

Yeah I know, really boring but so vital for printmakers. I’ve been printing up a simple one-colour linocut with chine collé as a small edition  so the registration is fairly simple.     After you’ve cut your printmaking paper to size for your edition, use one of the sheets as a guide to draw itContinue reading “Registration”

Chine Collé

I have just printed an edition of my little Mari Lwyd linocuts with chine collé to add flashes of colour. I use hand-made paper made from recycled silk saris, a lovely range of colours and lots of fibres.     From left to right: ripping up the paper for cine collé, putting it onto anContinue reading “Chine Collé”

Little Lino Leftovers

I had a busy afternoon printing up my little “Mari Lwyd” lino block for the annual “Leftovers” print exchange organised by Wingtip Press in Boise, Idaho, USA. Wingtip’s founder, Amy Nack, describes it’s beginnings, “After cleaning out the flat files and finding dozens of little scraps of printmaking papers jamming up the file drawers, theContinue reading “Little Lino Leftovers”