Writing The Changes

Now that I have a fresh supply of new grey lino – smells gorgeous – I can carry on with cutting little blocks of text. I have been writing down a list of words and phrases since the pandemic started, well since lockdown I suppose, and it’s been interesting how the spirit and feeling ofContinue reading “Writing The Changes”

A Tough Decision

I did something yesterday that’s made a lot of people angry. I knew it would and I knew the risks but I decided to go ahead and do it and also do my best to minimise the risks to others. I went to the #BlackLivesMatter protest in Swansea. It wasn’t a hasty decision and IContinue reading “A Tough Decision”

The First Cut

I made a start on carving my two latest lino blocks. The first cut is made with my smallest cutting tool to carefully carve the outlines. It’s the fiddliest bit of the process, I think and it takes time and concentration. It rained today for the first time in ages and Sparta Puss commandeered myContinue reading “The First Cut”

Lino, Love Hearts And Leftovers Pie

More little grey lino blocks cut and lettered, in reverse, ready for carving and …. I had a delivery from Handprinted Co, a tube of Speedball fabric block printing ink. These little blocks will be printed onto home made face masks. The first one I did a couple of weeks back was printed in CaligoContinue reading “Lino, Love Hearts And Leftovers Pie”

Rough Cuts

I spent a lot of time bent over a bench hook today, carving away at some more little lino blocks. I’d started some on brown lino yesterday but it wasn’t working out, the lino is very hard and not suited to my design. So I switched to the grey lino, that I’d used for myContinue reading “Rough Cuts”

Technical Issues

I’ve been cutting away at tiny lino blocks to print words onto fabric and I’ve been using up offcuts as lino is expensive. The grey has been fine but I started on a brown lino block earlier and it’s much harder than the grey and quite slippery too. It’s not really suitable for the roundedContinue reading “Technical Issues”

Zoom, Lino Cuts And Digital Exclusion

Today was a mixed bag with Zoom meetings (how quickly have we taken to Zoom?), an allotment visit, finished cutting a small lino block and marked up two more, made soup and biscuits and then had an hysterical family ‘pub’ quiz on Zoom. It’s been so good to be able to keep in touch throughContinue reading “Zoom, Lino Cuts And Digital Exclusion”

Isolation

I chose another word to carve into a small lino block today. I’d been playing around with lots of words and phrases that have become associated with the pandemic lockdown. But it isn’t just about choosing random text, but words that have some meaning and resonance for me. The first word I cut and printedContinue reading “Isolation”

A Day And Night On #PlanetLockdown

Lockdown carries on. Cooler today but still sunny so I spent some time in the garden sketching some ideas. Then I marked up a block of grey lino – I should get three small prints from it. I’ve been playing with words; words that keep cropping up throughout the pandemic; some good; some negative. I’llContinue reading “A Day And Night On #PlanetLockdown”

I printed my little lino block “isolate” onto fabric to make a mask but I also printed some on paper as well, as I’m thinking of taking it into different materials and formats. I did a couple onto white Hosho paper and then tried them out on different coloured papers made from recycled saris. HusbContinue reading