I've spent this last weekend teaching a very enjoyable linocut workshop at Alan Birchs' studio over in Rossendale.

I thought that in two days it should be possible for everyone to complete a two or three colour print. That was the plan when I started on saturday morning. However, why change the habits of a lifetime, after half an hour the plan went out of the window and from doing straight forward two and three colour prints we got a bit more ambitious.

We tried blending colours.

 Guess who the one is with nothing to show after two days work!!

We printed with both a baren using the registration jig

and used a press.

Printed a five colour reduction print

and a six colour one,

tried some complicated cutting

and more abstract stylised designs.

This is really impressive work from a group of students making their first reduction linocuts and I would like to thank all who took part with so much enthusiasam for making it such an enjoyable experience. Thanks also to Loraine and Chris for the photos.

Sprotborough Flash ; Colours 3 and 4

After the yellow and grey, colour 3 is the first green. Followed by a blue to fill in the sky and for the lake in the middle ground.

The next colour should be a pale orange, just dark enough to cover the foreground green. There is quite a bit of cutting to do before we get to the printing stage though.

Looking Back to Summer

Its snowing outside, so the new print I have started looks back to warmer weather from last summer and forward to hopefully warmer weather to come. Not much to see yet just a warm yellow printed over the whole area of the image with a few cloud shapes cut out.

The second colour, a pale warm grey adds a little more definition to the image, although most of this colour is going to be hidden under the next few printings.