Uppercase Magazine Feature

I was so pleased to have 2 Landscape Collage Illustrations featured in Uppercase Magazine’s April/May/June issue 61, this is a magazine which I have been subscribing to for years, and it’s one which I really love reading. There is nothing like flipping through actual pages, it beats browsing on-line any day!!

This issue was all about Landscapes and what they mean to us, and I submitted some Illustrations based on a trip to the Trossachs national park in Scotland. It’s somewhere which we used to go on our annual summer day trip as a kid, through to my teenage years - which my parents like to remind me, I wasn’t always in the best mood. I still remember how these trips would lift my mood, even if I was extremely resistant to it. Now in my adult life I realise how important it is to spend time outside in green spaces.

My Trossachs collection was created with my hand painted textured papers, in gouache, ink and watercolour. I carefully cut elements to reflect the feeling of space and the calmness that comes from spending time outdoors.

My original artworks are carefully scanned using a high resolution scanner, which preserves the 3D quality of the collages. I print with a local printer to me, Raw Canvas to ensure the highest quality Giclee Prints.

I can also print these artworks in sizes A5-A1, please get in touch if you would like to create a custom order.

Liberty London - Print Exhibition

It feels lovely to know that spring is on the way here in London! Last week I got out to see the latest print collection at Liberty London. I have always loved Liberty Prints and the Fabric Department is always inspiring to look around. Sharing some pictures from the exhibition and new print collection by Dutch Designer Karel Martens. If you’re in London and interested in printed textiles I would recommend a visit.

Thoughtful Gifting

Introducing my Paper Collage Kits, which I think would make an excellent gift for anyone who loves Crafting and D.I.Y.

Maybe someone who is seeking to escape from the Digital World for a while - it’s A5 sized, so small enough to be taken away for a weekends escape, and contains lots of beautiful hand painted textured papers and a lovely set of 4 recycled Cards, which are a really nice quality and have a beautiful fleck running through them.

Did you know that the act of focusing on creating something can promote relaxation and give you a sense of accomplishment. Creative activities can trigger the release of endorphins, the feel-good chemicals in your brain, leading to a boost in mood and overall well being.

I can also carefully gift wrap these in recycled Kraft paper, and tie with bakers twine, ready to gift!

Sketchbooks

Do you enjoy filling a sketchbook? I find it really satisfying to keep sketchbooks - this is one which shows my Paper Collage Illustrations. Working as a freelance illustrator and designer, I think that keeping sketchbooks is so important to my personal wellbeing.

Lino Printing Bread Bags

I thought I’d share with you this week my Lino Printing Process. I made these Lino Blocks from Essdee Mastercut, which I a really nice soft material to work with. I cut out some abstract shapes which were taken from my Paper Collage’s and then mounted them on Ply Wood for easy handling.

Test printing the blocks

I print with Permaset Aqua Textile Ink, which is water based and 100% solvent free. I generally mix my own colours. I then use an Esdee Fabric Roller to apply the ink. I roll the ink out on a piece of perspex, like one you might get from a picture frame. I print onto my kitchen table, so it’s important to pad out the surface so that the blocks make better contact with your printing surface. I use some old towels and fleece blankets, but also a thin piece of upholstery foam would work well. The most important thing is to print onto a smooth surface as the blocks will pick up any texture from the surface below.

Some more test prints

I re-ink the blocks after each print, applying an even pressure with my hands. Once the prints are dry, it’s important to iron them carefully to heat set the ink. Here’s a video of the process too. Hope you enjoyed reading about how I print my Natural Cotton Bread Bags!

Screen Printing my nature inspired Tea Towels

I just wanted to share with you the process of Screen Printing my Nature Inspired Tea Towels at home. I love being able to print these myself - it means I get to mix up colours, and also have control over how much stock I have. This flexibility is crucial to my small business.

I designed this Wild Foraging Tea Towel quite a few years ago - it was inspired by my love of the outdoors, and childhoods spent bramble picking or blackberry picking with my Mum and Dad. I still love doing this now, although living in London the Bramble season is much earlier in the year!!

It’s also really important to me that I produce these sustainably, so I choose to print on natural Un-Bleached Cotton, and I source my blank Tea Towels from a small supplier in Lancashire. I love the quality of Un-Bleached Cotton and I use these for drying up myself, so I know that they are nice to dry with.

I use 100% Solvent Free Water Based Screen Printing Ink to print with, and as I mentioned I’m able to mix the colours myself which is such an enjoyable part of the process.

Once the print’s are dry, I then heat set them with a hot iron, so they can be machine washed at 30 degrees.

Hand screen printed tea towel made from unbleached natural cotton, featuring an illustration of wild foraged plants.

PAPER COLLAGE WORKSHOPS

I just wanted to let you know about the Paper Collage Workshops I have been hosting in my local area, Walthamstow, East London.

It was so nice to get a lovely small group of people together for this creative workshop. Over the past few years I’ve been increasingly drawn to starting my illustrations as paper collage elements. I begin by taping watercolour paper to my table, and mixing up gouache paint. I gather lots of brushes, sponges - or anything I think will make an interesting mark. Some of my kids art supplies are great for this!! I also use Windsor and newton inks. I usually start with wet paper - layering up the colour and letting the paints blend together.

Once the papers are dry, I will flatten them under some heavy books.

I’m now getting into the habit of scanning in the papers before I start cutting. These might come in useful when working on other artworks - you can never have enough textures.

In the workshop, I bring lots of my hand painted paper textures along - divided up into groups of cool and warm.

I find working with paper collage is such a good way of avoiding the fear of the blank page. It’s also an excellent way of playing without judging drawing ability. It’s about finding new combinations of colours and shapes - which I’ve found really liberating to not be trying to replicate something precisely. I think the results from this are much more fun.

Please get in touch if you would like to host your own workshop group, or to find out when my next workshop will be.

Siobhan x

Top Drawer London - Design Trends SS23

I went to Top Drawer on Monday, which is always a great show to see some lovely brands exhibiting all sorts of products, Homewear, Cards, Stationary, Art Prints and Illustration.

The trend area was curated by The Better Trends Co highlighting two main trends for SS23, Rhythmic Form & Modern Psychedelic.

In Rhythmic Form simple shapes work together with texture and repetition, muted earthy tones give this trend a meditative feel. This trend highlighted the works of Anne Davidson Studio.

This trend contrasts with Modern Psychedelic, which is very much about embracing bright colours, bold pattern to create an optimistic antidote to current times.

I also caught up with a friend and former studio mate, the very talented Brie Harrison, who was exhibiting her beautifully curated range of illustrated cards and art prints.

There was an amazing amount of inspiration at Top Drawer this year, some other brands that caught my eye: Sophie Home, Fine Little Day, and Heraldblack.