'Intro to Screen Printing' in the Bluecoat Liverpool

Here's a bit of info for anyone thinking of booking a place on the course...
Course sessions: Thursday evenings 7th - 28th November, 6-9pm 

You don’t need to bring any materials to the sessions as paint (water based acrylic), paper, screens, aprons and cleaning materials are all provided, it’s just bring yourself.

If you have done a bit of printing in the past but feel a bit rusty then this could be a good refresher. If you've never stepped inside a print room it's ok too! It’s a really friendly atmosphere and I’ll be covering all the basics with technical advice throughout each evening.

If you have anything in particular you would like to print or ideas you would like to discuss then we can chat about that on the first session – it’s as much about what you’d like to learn too! You can be as creative and experimental as you wish… and ask any questions along the way.



One of the aims is to enable you to feel confident enough to book the studio to use on your own after the completion of the course.

For course prices and to book a place then please call the Bluecoat ticket and Information line on: 0151 702 5324

Thanks!

CAT Doorstops

Bought some organic cotton from the 'Organic Textile company' based in Machynlleth - so much fabric to choose from!  http://www.organiccotton.biz/store   

Really fantastic company with great news letters too!
Decided to make CAT, a charming  Doorstop...mmmmeee.
Measures: W: 9.5 inches  x  H: 8.5 inches, Weight: 3lb / 1.3kg approx 
They are now sitting in my SHOP

Really useful to prop open doors, put on the end of book shelves or indeed to just put on the shelf to look at.  I have screen printed my design onto heavy weight organic cotton using  blue fabric ink which has been heat fixed. 

 Cat has been hand stitched to finish.

On the back of the CAT is a handy handle to move it around.

CAT Doorstop is filled with pre bought childrens play sand (wrapped in tiny fabric packs)  and polyester toy filling.  

 
The lighter blue fabric is really soft and is  ' Organic fair trade cotton handloom'

The orange fabric on the back of this CAT is from my cotton fabric stash, lovely as it is -  it's not organic and not my print

Cloud Tree - 3 Colour Screen Print

Cloud Tree is a three colour original hand pulled screen print designed and printed in my local printmaking studio. 

It's printed using vibrant red, blue and light blue ink. Each layer has been squeegee pulled using my muscles!

- Prints are titled and signed
- Listing is for one print only, mount not included
- Open edition

Cloud Tree

Print size: w 172mm x h 235mm / Paper size: A4
Paper: Light weight cartridge paper / Ink: water based acrylic

Cloud Tree - Detail

Cloud Tree

Kite Flyer - screen print

Here it is!  The Kite Flyer my four colour screen print.  

 I designed this a long time ago and it's been hanging in mid air for a while as a lithograph.  After a bit of a break from printing in general this is the image I decided to start with.

Kite Flyer - Screen Print

My first session in the studio for ages and it was a nightmare. One where I came out with nothing at all - not a single thing!  After lots of messing with emulsion, drying, washing, exposing again in a crazy cycle for four hours I managed to squeegee nothing at all. This happens sometimes and you forget that it does, so when it does happen and the print gremlins are at work it's easiest to go with it...then go home scratching your head.

I returned for another session which couldn't have been more different - very productive...it' s the way the ink blows apparently and the pictures below are the proof.

Kite Flyer - Screen Print

Kite Flyer - First layer...

Print size: w 145mm x h 188mm / Paper size: A4
Paper: Heavy weight cartridge paper / Ink: water based acrylic

Kite Flyer - Three layers: green, blue, white

In case anyone is wondering it is available in my shop 

Kite Flyer - Four layers: green, blue, white and dark blue

The Forest - 2 colour screen print, green and black

The Forest is my new Screen Print available in my Folksy shop!  

Inspired by the parks where I live the lesser known spiral tree and a love of the birds - they've finally starting sounding in the mornings after the cold spell.

The Forest - Screen Print

 Print size: w: 250mm x h: 193mm (paper size: w: 375mm x h: 285mm)

- Prints are titled and signed with the edition number on the front.
- Paper: Heavy weight cartridge paper / - Ink: Water based acrylic 

The Forest - Screen Print

The Forest - Screen Print (detail)

The Forest - Screen Print (First layer)

Fiddle and Button Accordion

Recently made a Fiddle and a Button Accordion...

Both were designed and laser cut by me in my local makers studio -  bit chuffed with these especially as it was a bit of an experiment.  

Absolutely loved making them and thinking of making some more for friends or perhaps music shops.

I have an accordion which I have been learning to play for the last couple of years so that was the point of reference for me.  These really are beautiful instruments...

Took these photos of the instruments before I gave them to a musician friend of mine for his birthday.... Think he was pleased with the prezzie.

They are actually quite small and can be held in the palm of your hand

They measure: 
Button box:  width:7cm /  height: 7.5cm / depth 4cm.  (approx)
Fiddle:  Height 10cm  / width 5cm (approx)

Button Accordion

Button Accordion - screen printed bellows...

The accordion was made by cutting out four pieces of wood and then joining them together to make two oblong shapes.  

The bass buttons on the left were glued on (with individual buttons) and the keyboard buttons are cut out by the laser.

Button Accordion

Button Accordion and Fiddle

Button Accordion

The strings and the shoulder rest on the fiddle use the engrave setting on the laser cutter - the bridge was cut out separately...

Button Accordion and Fiddle with Bow

 The Bow was threaded with nylon thread - got a bit carried away.  The photos don't really show them, but they are there!

Fiddle with Bow

Fiddle with Bow

Currently modifying the designs a little to make them better...nothing too drastic as I think they are pretty sweet as they are.

It's mainly the straps on the side of the accordion and the ones which you put over your shoulder that I didn't get round to incorporating.  My brain was a bit tired, but I'm on it now!

Fish in the Waves - Screen print, blue and dark purple

New in my shop, though printed a while ago...Fish in the Waves - Screen print.

Blue / Green and a purple ink printed onto white paper.

Fish in the Waves - Screen print

Fish in the Waves - Screen print

- Prints are titled, signed with the edition number

Fish in the Waves - Screen print

Fish in the Waves - Screen print

- Print size: w: 182mm x H:180 ::::::: Paper size: A4
- Paper: medium weight cartridge paper / Ink: acrylic, water based

Fish in the Waves - Screen print

Prepping material for smocking

Starting this year with not screen prints but a little go at using a smocking machine to gather material...

This is what happens when there's no internet connection and I'm at home with my mother - She was making some dresses for a new baby girl in the family...so thought I'd have a go...

The gathering machine  Lots of needles to thread..(turning cog on the right)

Getting reading to thread the machine the strange wooden spool holding the cotton reels at the ready, can get a bit messy and tangle - this is a methodical and slow sort of thing.

Below is the machine threaded up. It's takes a while so steady...no sharp movements!

machine threaded - hooray!!

Ready to go...but first the material is soaped. This apparently helps the cloth run through the machine smoother and is less likely to break the needles, which would be a complete pain!

The material is wound on a thinnish stick and the starting edge of the material is inserted in the cog.  There's a winding sort of key on the left of the picture (view first photo) which you turn with one hand whilst keeping an eye on turning the wooden stick with the material on.

 

 Here's the start of the material coming out of the machine...love this ha ha!

 And here it is at the end!

Yes it's a different piece of cloth...but see how it works!  It would take hours to do this by hand and would not be half as neat. now for the actual stitching part...in the next blog I reckon, cheers.