Printsy Interview - Lisa Stubbs

Blog - lilsonnysky.blogspot.com
Flickr - www.flickr.com/photos/lilsonnysky
Etsy - www.lisastubbs.etsy.com

Bio
I'm a freelance illustrator, artist and creator. I'm also lucky Mum to 3 great kids, Lil, Sonny & Sky, happy wife to Chris and really bad domestic goddess! I've studied Graphic design for 6 years, worked in a greetings card design studio for 4 years and been freelance for 14 years. I now juggle work and family life in sunny Yorkshire, England.

How did you get started in printmaking?
I started screen printing March this year. I love experimenting with my designs and I wanted to find a different medium other than painting. I also wanted to create more than just one piece at a time. I saw a screen printing course advertised at a local print workshop (www.wypw.org) and decided to give it a go.... and I was hooked! I became a member so I have access to the studio and all the equipment.


Describe where you work.
The West Yorkshire Print Workshop is a light airy space with 2 screen printing beds, a textile bed, dark room, wash room and drying cupboard. There are also other artists private studios an exhibition space and other print rooms with facilities for Etching, wood cut and other print making methods.


What's your favourite print making process?
So far I only know how to screen print. I plan to try lino cutting before Christmas and next year I would like to do a course on Etching.

What's your creative process?
My ideas start in my sketch book which also has photo's, cuttings, post cards and any other inspirations I've collected along the way. Then I work my sketches up by hand into a trace pad until I am happy with them and it's ready to make an acetate to convert into a screen.


What do you enjoy most about print making?
I love the fact that every print is slightly different because registering each colour is done by eye with a true-grain guide, also the odd thumb print, spat of ink, which emphasizes the 'hand pulled' process and adds to the charm of the print. I also love putting my ideas into a little production line and the excitement of lifting the screen up to see my design grow.

What's your least favourite part of the process?
I can be quite impatient and the process can be quite lengthy the more colours you do!


What are your inspirations?
I'm inspired by so many different things and people and it changes as I discover and learn more. My children are a constant inspiration and I love and collect children's picture books old and new which are a constant source of inspiration to me. Also music and films while I work can inspire little ideas. There are also so many fantastic artists too, I love Anita Klein who is a fabulous print maker and her prints of domestic and family bliss are just perfect!, I love lots of Children's illustrators too, Quentin Blake, Christopher Corr, Beatrice Alemagna, Miroslav Sasek, Mary Blair, David McKee just to name but a few! I also love Rob Ryan, his screen prints are very inspirational.


How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
I'm still at the learning and experimenting stage so I don't feel I have a big enough body of screen printing work to see how it's changed. I'm always experimenting with back ground tints, brush pens, china graph pencils, and the use of inks and print medium, when I have mastered a technique to suit me, then my work will start to evolve.

How do you get past creative slumps?
My scrap books and sketch books get me through my creative slumps, they always spark off new ideas...or taking a brake!... a jaffa cake and a cup of tea and then looking at things with a refreshed eye!


How do you promote your work?
I have a blog, Lil Sonny Sky, and a flickr page and an Etsy shop. I've also exhibited in local art exhibitions and have some work in a local gallery.

Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand pulled prints?
GO FOR IT! Get stuck in, experiment and enjoy the process, make lots of mistakes as this will make you a better printer!