Got The Blues…

I tried out some cyanotype prints the other day, when the sun was really strong. I’m not happy with the result, it’s too blue, there’s no white, no contrast. I gave the prints 5 minutes in the sunshine and I think I might have over-exposed them. The instructions on the packet of chemicals were vagueContinue reading “Got The Blues…”

Gallivanting!

My beloved Nana and family and friends of her generation often said “gallivanting”, usually in a slightly critical way, “Are you off gallivanting AGAIN?” It’s a word that I don’t hear so much anymore, so I’m going to use it more often. I was off gallivanting at a gig (no surprises there) the other weekContinue reading “Gallivanting!”

Book Binding And Jam

A few months ago, artist members of Swansea Print Workshop got together to make a book featuring 25 original prints to celebrate our 25th anniversary this year. Twenty three artists took part and we’ve been working in groups to assemble the concertina books. I did mine today. I’m thrilled to bits! I love it. MyContinue reading “Book Binding And Jam”

Printing In The Sunshine

I coated some Bockingford papers with cyanotype chemicals last week and today, after a week of up-and-down weather, I took advantage of the brilliant sunshine to make some sunprints, using transparencies that I’ve had for ages. I originally used them for screenprints so it’s nice to reuse them with a different technique. Here’s the coatedContinue reading “Printing In The Sunshine”

Too Many Superstitions!

Husb and I came back this evening from a nice day out in Newcastle Emlyn to find this young jackdaw in the house. It had flown down a chimney and settled in our back bedroom. It wasn’t hurt, despite having two cats in the house at the time; so much for apex predators! We thinkContinue reading “Too Many Superstitions!”

Birds And Rubbish

I’ve been sorting out my files and I came across some birds I painted in acrylic paint onto clear acetate for a screenprint project a while back, and also a scan of some old fruit netting that I was going to throw away in the rubbish. I’m thinking about how to use them in someContinue reading “Birds And Rubbish”

Sketchbook Archives: 33

I went through a digital phase starting about 12 years ago, drawing with my Samsung Galaxy Note 8, using a free Markers app. It lasted a while, it was very convenient to carry around and I didn’t get my hands and sketchbook dirty with charcoal and graphite. I remember those leggings well, I wore themContinue reading “Sketchbook Archives: 33”

#Caturday Silhouette 18: Mari Lwyd Again.

It’s #Caturday Saturday again and this week I have put the positive silhouette of Our Bill (the rescue cat) onto a rough proof print of my latest Mari Lwyd linocut. I find that with traditional grey lino, it can take one or two attempts to get a good print from a newly cut block, soContinue reading “#Caturday Silhouette 18: Mari Lwyd Again.”

Trawling For Inspiration.

I’ve been trawling through my sketchbooks and photo archives for images to inspire me to develop a large-scale woodcut or painting of the annual Mari Lwyd celebrations locally. These are showing some promise. The fire spinner is the amazing Ddraig Williams and he’ll be a central figure if the composition works out as I want.

#Caturday Silhouette 17: The Mari Lwyd

It’s #Caturday Saturday again and this week I have put the negative silhouette of Our Bill (the rescue cat) onto a rough proof print of my latest Mari Lwyd linocut. My eyes keep flickering back and forth between the cat and the eye of the Mari. Weird!