Screen Printing Workshops for Textiles - 2016 retrospective

It's been a busy year for us in the studio. We've run some fantastic screen-printing workshops here and met many lovely people! We also had an exciting invitation to teach our Photoshop course at West Dean college in November.

The course in November is already now full, however we have been asked to run a second in July 2017 and time permitting, also further Photoshop courses for Textile design in our studio next year.

Here are some great images from the 2016 Screen-printing workshops to give a flavour of what to expect and what is possible to achieve (in reverse order)...

September's Photoshop to Screen Workshop with Jane, Amy and Jayne...

In September we ran our first 3 day Photoshop to Screen-printing workshop, combining the digital with the handmade! It was a very intensive long weekend and as you can see here, wonderful fabrics were printed!

Amy has a fine art background and her free drawing style resulted in these vibrant prints...

Daffodils and words together in this striking floral repeat patterns designed by Jane...

Jayne's elegant foil prints are to be further embroidered as cushion centrepieces...

I really enjoyed the three days - always a lot of fun and inspiring all round!

May's Screen-Printing Workshop with Lesley, Sheila and Andrew...

I'm often asked if you need previous experience or an art background?
Not everyone comes to the workshops with a clear idea of what they want to achieve and inevitably some have needed more help developing ideas into print than others. Some have had a background in art and design, a few have been teachers, but many with no art training or experience at all. The exceptionally small group size means everyone learns a huge amount and achieves a lot. I never impose my design style onto the students, but rather help them to achieve or develop their own...

Colour mixing - an overview of the dye bench...

Sheila's print was dramatic and showed how much can be achieved with mid-century inspired imagery and simple stripe...

Strong geometric designs by Andrew. Inspiration came initially from flag imagery and then looking at Mondrian's work during the design stage, simple, well registered and very effective...

Shimmering copper foil outline on rough brushed dragonflies! Leslie printed these to embroider later at home...

The first of the year...February's busy workshop with Annuka, Jan and Pearl...

It was Annukka's second time coming on one of my workshops! Again her floral designs with their inspired Finnish influence, cheered the whole studio!

Jan is a talented print maker, who came with a specific project to print fabric to make this fabulous kitchen blind... 

This was a stunning geometric design influenced by the medieval Tudor style architecture where Pearl lives...    

Last day, late in the day - February sunshine...

I'm looking forward to our next workshops - which start in February 2017!

Screen Printing Workshops for Textiles - November, September and July retrospective

Finally, I have a moment to share some of the great work and highlights from the last three screen-printing workshops of 2015! They have all been absolutely full on, immensely enjoyable and fun too. In between I've been working hard on many of my own projects, printing a new scarf collection as well as an Autumn and Spring screen-printed cushion range for the National Trust's Artisan and Craft collection (here).

November's workshop with Liz, Caroline and Liz.

Registration...

Starting to Print...

A 1950's inspired print using simple plant forms and geometry...

This beautifully drawn Hare and his golden halo, is destined to become one of an exceptional  pair of cushions...

A simple plant sketch that underwent a dramatic transformation...

September's (sunny) workshop with Ruth, Sarah and Fran.


sample printing preparation...

Some people arrive with very specific projects, we translated these quirky illustrative designs into a repeat pattern to use on quilts...

A simple, elegant floral block repeat...

A perfectly registered zen inspired wall hanging with seahorses...

July workshop with Eleanor, Lucy and Tonia.


Stunning graphic prints and a breath of bonny Scotland in the studio...

Lampshades in the making...

Silver on leather, placement printing for handbags...

and finally a lovely overview of the print studio where the sun is almost always shining..!

This intensive introduction to screen-printing workshops (for 3 people) runs approx every two months. If you would like to be on the mailing list to be notified about future workshop dates in 2016, please contact us directly through our booking site.

May workshop images

A few of the textiles printed during May's sunny screen-printing weekend workshop...

Annuka is from Finland, her prints were Marimekko inspired, and brightened up the whole studio..!

These prints were inspired by the Cornish coastline and part of an Interior design project...

Tidal designs and Cornish colours...

Cushion covers in the making! these prints are inspired by the Canadian Rockies...

Colour sampling and photography...

Screen print Inspiration - Henry Moore Textile Design for Asher

During the 1940's Henry Moore worked closely with Zika and Lida Asher to produce a great number of textile designs for scarves and fabrics.

In Anita Feldman's inspirational book 'Henry Moore Textiles' (Lund Humphreys, 2008), are two images of his design 'Fruit and Flowers' which show not only the original design from 1943, but also its subsequent translation into a screen print by Asher in 1946.

Henry Moore worked closely with Asher to translate his designs into screen-printed fabrics, while many of these fabric prints retain far more of Moore's original texture, in the design 'Fruit and Flowers' much of the detail of the original drawing has been simplified and the colour flattened which although very stylised in comparison to the original, is interesting and vibrant.

Here's the photo of the drawing and subsequent fabric in my copy of the book, more detailed images here and  information here, plus many more designs on the Henry Moore Foundation site at www.henry-moore.org

The only sample of the original fabric known to still exist is only 24 cms square! However when researching this design, I happily discovered a limited edition silk scarf, which has been digitally printed version of Moore's original design at Pallant House Gallery Bookshop here!