Last week, Dot asked me if I had been on workshop to learn to print. Here was my answer:

It is slightly complicated as there is more than one thing going on and I am not sure which process will win, if either! So:

The prints I took to a  CQ West meeting are the result of a dreadful course at Trowbridge College (13 weeks – I wimped out at the end as the instructor was most unhelpful). But I did during the course do lots of research and found that I wanted to do monotypes. I found an artist online whose work I really like – Sandra Kelch. So I went to a printmaker in Trowbridge, Maxine Foster, for two days on my own – her brief was to teach me how to get the effects of Sandra’s work. She was good and taught me a lot of the techniques I should have learnt on the college course.  At home, I have a frame makers press which seems to work fine for the type of printing I am doing. I am using Caligio inks as they are washable. I make card templates and coat them with pva to preserve them. I need to source a slightly thicker card – it works better. The templates are inked up and then I print them one at a time, layering them. This is how I am getting the prints below:

The last Facebook images are the result of a course with Simon Sonsino, http://www.simonsonsino.com/. Stephanie showed me his book last year and two weeks ago I did a course with him. He is a calligrapher gone native!  This was my final piece on paper.

Simon has enabled me to add text to my cloth and just scribble and stamp using balsa wood sticks. I am using FW Acrylics and gesso (for the white). Also adding text using Sharpies and POSCA pens. Below is a detail picture of the fun I am having.

It is a much more liberated way of working. Now to start stitching.