Tramping!

I’m back to tramping the countryside again, drawing en plein air with prehistorian Dewi Bowen and filmmaker Melvyn Williams, studying megaliths in South Wales. We’re focusing on The Gower Peninsula at the moment and our first stop was Cefn Bryn, not to look at the magnificent Arthur’s Stone / Maen Ceti, which we did aContinue reading “Tramping!”

Oh I Wish!

When I tell people that I go out regularly drawing en plein air, a common reaction is, “Oh how lovely! Tripping about the countryside in the sunshine doing some nice little drawings“. OH! I! WISH! Here’s the reality. A photo of the minimum kit I need for my forays into the wild places of South WalesContinue reading “Oh I Wish!”

The Final Proof – For Now

Here are the last cuts I made on my new vinyl block that I carved during my gallery-sitting session at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir last weekend. I spent the day designing, cutting and proof printing and took it up to this, the fourth cut and print and for now, the final proof. I printedContinue reading “The Final Proof – For Now”

The Third Cut

Another bit of cutting and here’s my third proof of the linocut I’m developing, based on original drawings of ancient monuments in South Wales. It’s getting there, but I think I need to cut away more of the sky, so that’ll be the next stage.   I have put my series of drawings en pleinContinue reading “The Third Cut”

Proof Printing

I made the first cuts on my new vinyl block (while I was gallery-sitting at The Workers Gallery last weekend) and took a proof print. The first print off a new block always seems to be a bit ropey (it’s the one at the bottom right of the photo), so I took a second proofContinue reading “Proof Printing”

The First Cuts

Yesterday I posted about setting up to develop a linocut print while I was gallery-sitting at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. After I did an interim sketch from my original sketchbook drawing of a Neolithic standing stone, I transferred it (in reverse) to a piece of vinyl with a white conté crayon. I’m using vinylContinue reading “The First Cuts”

Starting From Scratch.

I spent last Saturday at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir, a fabulous artist-led artspace in the Rhondda Valley. The two artists who run the gallery, Chris and Gayle, are taking a well-deserved holiday and a rota of gallery artists are taking turns to keep the gallery open. I took a load of drawing and printmakingContinue reading “Starting From Scratch.”

The End Of The Experiment

So here’s the last stage of my experimenting with home-made printing ink based on Nori (seaweed) paste. Above is a block cut into vinyl, inked with a roller (brayer) and the print taken with a traditional Japanese bamboo baren. I used a Daler Rowney cartridge / drawing paper, 95gsm and had better results with theContinue reading “The End Of The Experiment”

Process, Process, Process.

Making art involves lots of processes, especially with something like printmaking. I made my own printing ink with Nori (seaweed) paste, ground mineral pigment, water and gin. But successful printmaking depends on so many different factors – the ink must be compatible with the printing block or plate and also with the paper. What makeContinue reading “Process, Process, Process.”

Seaweed And Gin

I have been experimenting with making a water-based printing ink, using a recipe from printmaker Shannon Yost published by Natural Earth Paint. There’s a comprehensive list of ingredients including Nori (seaweed) paste, powdered minerals and gin. The gin is for preserving the ink. Honest. 😀 Stage One completed. Tomorrow I’ll look at trying out differentContinue reading “Seaweed And Gin”