Techniques
Stone lithography
Lithography is based on the principle that oil and water do not mix. In stone lithography, an image is created by drawing on the surface of a limestone using greasy pigments and inks, with most litho stones originating from especially fine limestone deposits in Bavaria. The greasy marks are chemically processed to fix them into the stone, allowing multiple prints to be pulled from the same stone. During the printing process, the stone is kept damp and oil-based inks that accumulate only over the drawn oily grease marks are used to print the image. The final image is built up by printing multiple layers over each other, with each colour being the result of a single printed layer. To create the next colour layer, the previous image must be physically ground to remove it from the limestone surface. This means that I cannot go back to alter or reprint the final image, and my lithographs are therefore all printed as small, limited editions.
One of the joys of stone lithography is that each limestone is unique, bearing veins and inconsistencies as well as chips and scratches introduced while handling the stone. Bringing out the unique and changing nature of the stone is an integral part of my creative process. Find out more about how lithographs are made at the Metropolitan Museum of Art website. Explore my stone lithographs.
Mokuhanga
Mokuhanga is a form of relief printing originating in China and often also referred to as Japanese woodblock printmaking, as it was popularised in its most widely recognisable form in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). To make a mokuhanga print, I use specialist knives and woodcarving tools to carve and shape a block of wood (usually solid magnolia or Shina/linden plywood). Much like a potato print, the uncarved area of the wood left behind will print the coloured areas of the final image. Mokuhanga uses water-based pigments to print the final image, and I most commonly work with watercolour paints and natural plant and earth pigments that I purchase, grow or forage myself.
The final image is built up by printing multiple layers over each other, with each colour being the result of a single printed layer. Most often, I work using multiblock printmaking in which each colour layer derives from its own individual carved block. This means that I am able to go back and reprint the same image once I sell all the prints in an edition. Do get in touch if a print you’re interested in is sold out and I will consider printing more. I sometimes also choose to produce strictly limited mokuhanga editions that will not be reprinted once the edition is sold. I will always make clear whether a particular print is part of a limited edition. Find out more about the mokuhanga process at artist Adrian Holmes’ website. Explore my mokuhanga prints.
Woodcut
Woodcut printmaking is a form of relief printing, in which I use specialist knives and woodcarving tools to carve and shape a block of wood (usually solid magnolia or Shina/linden plywood). Much like a potato print, the uncarved area of the wood left behind will print the coloured areas of the final image. I print my woodcut prints using oil-based inks made from condensed linseed oil and natural plant and earth pigments that I purchase, grow or forage myself, as well as a limited number of low toxicity modern pigments when I cannot source suitable alternatives.
The final image is built up by printing multiple layers over each other, with each colour being the result of a single printed layer. Most often, I work in reduction woodcut, which means that once I print a layer, I carve the next layer of the image directly into the same wooden surface. This means that I cannot go back to alter or reprint the final image, and my woodcut prints are therefore all printed as small, limited editions. I often combine my woodcut prints with mokulito (wood-based lithography) and collage. Find out more about the woodcut printmaking process at the Metropolitan Museum of Art website. Explore my woodcut prints.
Mokulito
Mokulito is a lithographic process developed by Ozaku Seishi in 1970’s Japan, using a wooden surface instead of stone. Lithography is based on the principle that oil and water do not mix. In mokulito, an image is created by drawing on a plywood surface using greasy pigments and inks. The greasy marks are fixed to the surface of the wood using natural gum arabic, allowing multiple prints to be pulled from the same plywood surface. During the printing process, the plywood is kept damp and oil-based inks that accumulate only over the drawn oily grease marks are used to print the image. I love mokulito for the wood texture it brings to the fore, for its non-toxic nature and because it can be easily combined with relief printing if I carve directly into the same woodblock. The drawn mokulito image is quite unstable and degrades rapidly, and my mokulito prints are therefore all printed as small, limited editions. I often combine mokulito with woodcut and collage. Explore my mokulito prints.
