When I first started experimenting with printing again it felt like I was stumbling around in the dark, eyes closed and arms outstretched with absolutely no idea what I was doing. When I studied printmaking at college the materials I used were woodblocks, screens, lino and plates for etching. 20 years later when I decided to revisit printmaking, it was like starting all over again; what do I need, where do I get it from and what the bloody hell do I do with everything?
I wasn’t ready to jump straight back in producing big pieces of work, I wanted to have fun, experiment and start small. After a bit of research I decided I would have a go at stamping; I purchased a book, “Making an Impression: Designing & Creating Artful Stamps” and completely fell in love with the process. To start off with I bought some carving tools and a few rubbers. Yep, just some standard, run of the mill erasers; Gennine even suggests using them for some of the smaller projects. But after becoming completely smitten by the whole process and being the impulsive person I am, I found myself purchasing my first block of professional rubber along with a whole host of other supplies. I was a little shocked at how expensive it seemed, especially as still being a newbie I could easily ruin the whole block in one fell swoop! But I quickly realised what a difference using rubber specifically for stamping made and I’ve never looked back. To start off with I used this rubber from YPS, but I soon discovered Speedball, and that’s what I use now for all of my wrapping papers.
When I was at college, I remember the lino I used being really hard and I had to soften it up by placing it on top of a radiator. For Christmas 2014, Ian bought me this lino cutting set by Essdee; it included softcut lino and some standard lino block. This time I around I just couldn’t get the hang of the lino block, yet found I was able to work really well with the softcut lino. I love this product and this is what I now use for all of my hand-printed cards.
Over the coming months, I’d like to expand my product range and I’ve already got a bunch of ideas and designs buzzing around my head; you know, the kind of things that keep you awake at night! I’d really love to get back into screen printing, so that’s my next task – find a course so I can brush up on my skills and figure out what equipment I need. If there are any screen printers out there who can offer me advice for a home set up or recommend a course, I would really appreciate it!