Making something....

As it has been a very busy Christmas and I havent had time to post much on my blog I thought it would be easier to show what has kept me busy over the last few days of my Christmas break (also known as creative time in my home - I dont have time the rest of the year to focus on designing or creating new ranges)

Before I do I wanted to show you some beautiful Hokusai prints I got for Christmas which had been reproduced by the Victoria and Albert Museam.

 And then the making bit...a very exciting move into combining leather into my work in a new direction.
Over the next few days Ill post the progression at each stage.

A big box of leather

The leather came in four colours, rich tanned thick leather which smelt so beautiful.

Then I started to sew some template fabric I had designed.

Then to cut my leather

can you see what its turning out to be?

Tester print

And the test print:

Having printed a small run on oatmeal and ecru linen I like the initial impression but will carve more definition around the swallows scallop feather pattern and add more definition to the blossom surrounding it (bearing in mind I use a sponge roller instead of  rubber with my water based ink I lose a certain degree of detail each time I ink up so deep simplistic cuts are best) .
Some more colour variations in the next print run will also be interesting.The final result you will be able to see in the new year in my online shop as zippered pouches.

A plethora of Birds

The carving of my lino swallow has made good progress.

Inky fingers

I managed to finish the pattern over the last couple of evenings. I must admit to not being very happy with the quality of my newly acquired lino tools. The set contained the basic v shaped cutters without the curved heads I normally use so I had to adapt my cuts somewhat. Realistically I will need to buy a new better quality lino cutting set similar to the tools I used to have.

 Tomorrow morning I will test print this pattern onto some linen to test the print and see if it requires more definition - I may decide to carve more of the wing area out.

And whilst Im on bird patterns (birds and exotic flora excite me no end) I wanted to show you some new tjap acquisitions: Two small single birds tjaps and one larger rotating repeat bird pattern tjap. They came yesterday all wrapped snug and sound in an excitingly heavy box.
Another big thank you Susan :)

This afternoon I cleared my kitchen table and laid the three blocks out ready to test print them on some paper with black water based ink.
My daughter however had other plans and quickly muscled me out of the picture, promptly positioning herself in the midst of ink and tjaps (my heart was sinking ever so gently at this point as the prospect of ink being daubed wildly in the air loomed rapidly)
Lo and behold, she expertly sponged the ink on and proceeded to block print a few random prints....it must run in her blood.

A linocut Swallow

This is the time of year when I create new lino patterns. Usually when the slightly manic Christmas period has started to settle down.
This year I decided to make a start on a pattern that I have been eager to create for months, a lush and exotic medley of flora and fauna. I wanted strong foliage and sweet bees....with the focal point being a swooping swallow.
I usually make larger scale lino patterns 16 inches tall or more. This time I decided to make it smaller in size as I want to print some zippered clutches and pouches with this pattern.

Eager to start I rummaged through my studio drawers, only to find that I had lost the box that contained my lino sheets and cutting tools. Somewhat disgruntled I went online to my favourite art shop and bought a new set of tools. However the larger sized lino sheets I normally purchase were'nt in stock so I decided to try another supplier.

Lo and behold when the lino arrived it was nothing like the stuff I have always used which is the hard and somewhat brittle non pliable sheets with a hessian backing. This new sheet was almost like rubber - incredibly pliable.
 This might well be a bonus as my old sheets have areas of crumble and wear on the edges.
It also proved very hard to draw on (I draw directly onto my lino with pencil before I start carving) So I used an ink pen.....and halfway through my initial sketch found I had inadvertently wiped the previously drawn areas clean off the surface with my wrist as I leant against the sheet.
Somewhat annoyed I got a sharpie and started again - by the end of the evening I had completed the basic outline and will start carving once my tools arrive in the post. As I used a fairly blunt tipped sharpie the lines are thick and somewhat crude, however I will compensate for this when I carve ensuring I cut delicate lines.

Half finished....

As the year draws to an end I focus on completing the last little stack of half sewn pods I always seem to have in the "to do" pile.

Once this batch is done I will finally be able to shut up studio for the year and simply focus on packaging and shipping incoming orders before finally taking a much longed for break.

And cast a critical eye over the areas that require improvement on my online site: photography is a key one. The dismal lighting during the overcast  winter months means many of my pictures which would otherwise have been fine need attention and re-working.

But most of all Im looking forward to a new business focus with the introduction of wallpaper and upholstery fabrics that I will be adding to my range and a new stand alone website.