Having collected a few bits and bobs before the summer ended I have a few dried leaves to test out on my printmaking journey.

These are handpressed cutouts with textures added and using different coloured inks including the lovely gold!  As I do not have a press these have been put together in photoshop taking up their correct positions in the universe.   It would probably be a good idea for me to make some more Christmassy prints for next year right now as my Christmas creativity never gets started in time for the current year.

So excited that my pebble tower turned out so well on a printing press at the New Brewery Arts centre; the others are a bit haphazard.  I just so love the plates themselves, but printing by rubbing on the back of the paper even with a proper brayer does not have the sway and consistency of a printing press itself.

My original inspiration for trying Collagraphy was coming across an image on a greetings card by Northumberland artist Carol Nunan and wondering how she produced such evocative work.

After a lot of research and several youtube videos later this image is one of my first ever collagraphs produced by hand.  Needless to say this is not the only one as it takes several if not many goes to get a consistent and successful result.  The beginning of a new creative journey!

This is one of my series of “Dancer” prints of a red crested crane. The image on the right is the plate that it was printed from.  I love the plates almost more than the prints themselves.  They are a piece of artwork in their own right with textures, carved lines and spaces and items stuck on, finished with a layer of shellac which produces the ochre coloured finish.

One problem I have encountered with printmaking unlike painting is reproducing it digitally here.  Both scanning and photographs do not quite make the grade and (although I say it myself!) the images are much better in the flesh.

The wings are created by using a paper case used for cooking muffins.