Printsy Interview - Charolotte Cooke

Website: www.charlottecookeillustration.com
Blog: www.charlottecookeillustration.blogspot.com
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/charlottecooke

Brief Bio
I got married at 21, decided I wanted to go back to university 2 years after that and that I should do it then or it'd be too late and I'd have kids running everywhere. Currently living in Bristol, UK with my wonderful husband of 5 years in August.

I love making things, cards, pictures, prints, drawing, chocolate brownies...and I sing. Preferably while involving all of those things.

How did you get started in printmaking?
I fell in love with printing at university - I went as a slightly mature student (at 23!) and almost immediately was attracted to silkscreen, although I enjoyed learning a bit of litho. However, being ever so logical in my thinking, litho confused me, so I fell into a cozy home in screenprinting.


Describe where you work:
I finished my degree at the university of the west of England in Bristol in June, so I was lucky to be able to use the facilities there. However I am about to make the leap into owning my own screenprinting equipment, which makes me very very excited!
So once I have it all, I'll be in my garage with the spiders!

What's your favourite printmaking process?
Well I do really love lithography, but as I said, I just didn't have the head for it, and all those chemicals too. I love love love silkscreen printing. It soothes me and it is so therapeutic. Others may disagree, but I think it helps my brain to function properly...

What's your creative process for any given print? (eg. sketch first? Pre-planned or free-form?)
I always make my prints from sketches, I can't really just draw onto the mark resist (transparency), I need to know what marks I'm going to make first. Then, depending on what I am printing, it will either become block shapes on my stencils or hand drawn lines - depending on the outcome. I always end up with at least 5 layers! The cupcake limited edition print I finished recently contained 24 hand pulled colours... that was a lot of layers! I often use adobe illustrator in planning out work too.

What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
I just love the process of it. It's logical and instant and there is so much potential. I quite like cleaning too so it's a great satisfaction in that respect!


What's your least favorite part of the process?
it can be a lengthy process if the piece has many layers to it. If a job is a longer term project it can be frustrating to wait for it all to come together. You never really know until the end how it will look and that can frustrate me (maybe I'm far too uptight!). Also I mainly use layers of stencils and using block colours as opposed to colour separations. I just like a slightly mis-registered look, but this can be tricky too!

Also, backache from pulling the screen around... I suppose it works out the arms though!

What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
My artistic inspirations aren't necessary reflected in my work. I love Quentin Blake's work, Sara Fanelli and Oliver Jeffers is my illustrative hero... as far as printmakers, I have a book of french illustrator Blex Bolex, which is absolutely gorgeous - he overlaps colours in exactly the right way to create another, without muddy horrid tones coming through. Love it.

My imagination is pretty good, and I love colour. Colour makes me happy.


How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
I think as you keep doing something, you get better at it consistently. I feel the same way about my work. Often in my sketchbook work I will do something and like it, but then a few hours later, will hate it. I actually think it's a good thing because it means I am constantly questioning my work. I have a high level of criticism for it, almost to the point I am too protective over it - until a friend comes over and comments on it, and I think, 'yeah, it's okay that!'... I like end results too. A nicely tied up outcome is all I need. Preferably in pastel shades.

How do you get past creative slumps?
Argh! The dreaded question. I guess like anyone else. You just have to accept it, keep on pushing through and hope you'll come out the other side with better ideas! I've just come out of a slump actually, about a year's worth of it! I still worked through, and it's paid off now. It's always good to have more than one thing on the go - that way your brain is always working on something. Then if you get stuck on one thing, you can try the other for a while, and see if that helps.


How do you promote your work?
I rely heavily on my blog and word of mouth at the moment. I have set up my etsy shop, and only just recently put on items to sell. I also have a website which I refer people to. I have business cards and give them out where I can, put them in cafes (where you're allowed to) and that sort of thing. I hope to be represented by an agent at some point, so that will help... My main aim is to graduate and then strike!! I also have a great network of creative friends who aren't afraid to recommend me to people - which is handy!

Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
It's so rewarding, but there is definitely a knack to it. You'll never know if you don't try... a lot of universities or art centers run courses for introduction in screen printing or the like, if you like logic, processes and the quality of a proper hand made artwork, then printing is for you.

Printsy Interview - Mark Long

Etsy: marklong.etsy.com
Website: marklongillustration.co.uk

Brief Bio
I live/work in London where I was born. I graduated with a BA illustration 2005, then I did a PGCE and worked as a secondary school Art teacher for 3 years. I left full time teaching to do a part time MA at Camberwell College of Art while pursuing a career as a freelance illustrator. I still do occasional workshop teaching.

How did you get started in printmaking?
I started an MA a couple of years ago, I wanted to learn some skills as I felt I hadn't learned any tangible skills at all in my 3 years at university first time around. I'm really just a beginner at printmaking.


Describe where you work.
At home in my bedroom; it has its pros and cons. Sometimes it's lovely to work at home, it's a nice room, gets lots of light you have all your comforts with you.

I'd like to move out to a studio though, as occasionally I realise that I haven't left the house for two days and I've gone a bit mental.

What's your favourite printmaking process?
I guess screen printing, but it depends. I think lino/woodcuts are more impressive when done well.


What's your creative process for any given print? (eg. sketch first? Pre-planned or free-form?)
Always sketch first, I have it planned, but not 100% as I like to be surprised by the outcome. A lot of my lino prints are made to get a certain effect, and I scan the layers in separately, then I can tweak the colours and clean up any mistakes.

I've only just come around to the idea of selling my prints. Before I just did them for fun.

I wish I could go back in time and take more care, and do them on nice paper etc.

What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
Being surprised by the outcome, the colours are bolder and brighter than digital printing.


What's your least favorite part of the process?
Obviously they can be very time consuming and sometimes, at the end of it, they look crap. And you think "I've spent all day doing that".

That's why I tend not to make images that take longer than a day, I've got very little patience.

What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
In terms of printmakers: Edward Bawden, David Gentleman, Keith Haring, Christopher Brown, the German Expressionists, Yann Brien.

How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
I've only been seriously printmaking for a couple of years, so perhaps just a bit neater and tidier, and a little bit better all round.

How do you get past creative slumps?
Getting briefs/projects from other people. I'm an illustrator so I rely often on other people for inspiration. I also look at illustrators/artists that I admire.


How do you promote your work?
Website, mail outs. I hate promoting myself, I feel uncomfortable blowing my own trumpet, but you have to get over that if you want to get work/sell anything.

Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
I make my lino and screenprints at home in my bedroom. You can still get very professional results on a super low budget, it's just much harder. Have lots of clean rags to wipe your hands on!

Printsy Interview - Shawna Munro

Etsy: etsy.com/shop/dinexdashed
Website: www.dinendashed.com
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/dinexdashed

Brief Bio
I recently graduated from the University of Windsor's Bachelor of Fine Arts program. I've applied to several graduate programs for Fall 2010 and am keeping my fingers crossed that I get in! I enjoy making all kinds of art and don't consider myself stuck in one particular field.

How did you get started in printmaking?
It started with making my own clothes. I always thought of interesting ideas for tshirts and thought "why doesn't anyone make that a shirt?" and since no one ever did, I thought "well, I'll just do it myself!"


I started making/selling stenciled t-shirts/hoodies for people on the internet, friends, etc. Eventually I got my own little silkscreening kit and started using that instead of freezer paper. When I started University, I began taking printmaking classes and learned about lithography, intaglio, embossing, etc.

Describe where you work.
Right now I am a professional note taker. I take my laptop to meetings and type the minutes. Its not very much fun, but it affords me a lot of time to work on my art.


What's your favourite printmaking process?
Definitely silkscreening. I appreciate the intricacies of all the other processes, but something about silkscreening and how clean it comes out is so nice. I think a part of it, for me, is my love of old concert posters. They were all silkscreened (by hand!) and they just remind me of a great history.

What's your creative process for any given print? (eg. sketch first? Pre-planned or free-form?)
Pulling the print of course! Printing is such a laborious process, but its all worth it when you roll out that ink and pull a sweet print.

What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
The process. Its not an easy one, it takes a lot of time and patience. If you're in a bad mood, the ritual of it helps take your mind off things.

What's your least favorite part of the process?
Cleaning up of course! Using kerosene to clean makes me a bit nauseous, so I try to avoid that.


What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
Kelly Mark, Diane Borsato, Van Gogh, Goya, and so many more.

How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
I used to be very cautious, but at some point I kind of got past my nervousness about drawing and being perfect and just went with it. Now I feel the work is more of me and less hesitant.

How do you get past creative slumps?
I read various blogs, look at other people's work, listen to music, take a walk. There are so many things out there that give me little sparks of an idea. I try to put down those ideas as soon as I can so I don't forget and eventually something forms from them.


How do you promote your work?
Very badly, haha. I have an Etsy, a Flickr, and a blog with my Portfolio, but so far I haven't had much luck having my work seen or sold. I probably need to take better pictures of my stuff.

Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
Don't be discouraged if you pull 40 prints with not a single good one in the bunch. Roll out your ink evenly and just keep trying because eventually you'll pull an amazing print and it'll feel AMAZING.

Printsy Interview - Anne Nydam

Website: www.nydamprints.com
Blog:nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/NydamPrints

Brief Bio
I’ve been fooling around with arts and crafts my whole life. I majored in linguistics in college, then taught middle school art for ten years until the birth of my children. Since then I’ve been a stay-at-home mother, artist, writer, and very negligent housekeeper.

How did you get started in printmaking?
I’d made a few linoleum blocks for my family’s Christmas cards when I was in high school, but didn’t really fall in love with block printing until the carving rubber came out. One of the companies sent me a sample (because I was an art teacher) and it was so much more fun to carve than the old hard, dry linoleum I’d done before that it was a revelation. (That free sample was probably their best advertising dollar ever!) Besides, block printing can be done in a small space with relatively inexpensive materials, and in small chunks of time, all factors that were necessary for me if I was going to be able to do any art.

Describe where you work.
I have the luxury of a table dedicated to projects, in a room with lovely sunny windows. When my children were babies I did all my work during naptime and bedtime. Now that they’re older I work while they’re at school.

What's your favourite printmaking process?
Mostly I do rubber block relief prints. I enjoy wood blocks, too, but the rubber is probably my favorite.

What's your creative process for any given print? (eg. sketch first? Pre-planned or free-form?)
I always start by sketching. Often I use photographs for research and reference, while other things come straight from my imagination. With the rubber I can transfer a pencil sketch onto the block, which gives me a lot of flexibility in getting the design the way I want it. (With wood I have to sketch directly on the block, and backwards.) I don’t necessarily draw out every detail, but I’ve developed a sort of shorthand in my sketches so that it’s like making notes for myself about how I want to carve different areas. Then, of course, comes the carving. When I’m nearly finished I use a regular stamp pad to print a rough version so I can see what I need to tweak before the real printing. I have a small press, but most of the time I just use the back of a wooden spoon to press with.

What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
I love that the finished print isn’t the same as what I drew. There’s always suspense and then a surprise when I pull that first one. I also appreciate that I get multiples, so I can give one of everything to my parents, and still sell the others. My favorite part of the process is the carving.

What's your least favorite part of the process?
Printing an entire edition. I never make editions of more than about 15 because I get bored after the first few.

What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
I love plants and animals, industrial sites, fairy tales and nursery rhymes… Actually I’m interested in all kinds of things, so inspiration can come from anywhere. (I enjoy other artists’ work, and often envy it, but it seldom translates into making something of my own.)

How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
I’ve been a bit more willing to experiment; I’ve done both much simpler designs and much more detailed designs. My sketches have gotten less detailed. But in many ways I’m still coming back over and over to a lot of the same ideas and inspirations I’ve been interested in all along.

How do you get past creative slumps?
Sometimes I just wait them out – I’m also a writer, so I can immerse myself in that for a while. Other times I set myself an assignment. For example, I’ve just finished an animal for every letter of the alphabet, which got me making all sorts of things I never would have come up with otherwise – a yapok, for example.

How do you promote your work?
Not very well. Every year I do about two Open Studio shows and try to have at least one show in a local venue such as a library. These are a lot of fun and I see tons of people, but the rest of the time I don’t do much of anything. I really do not have the right personality for self-promotion.

Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
You can start by carving a plain white rubber art eraser and printing with a stamp pad. If you cut yourself a square to work with, then you can carve almost anything - no matter how random or “messed up” - and if you print in a sort of tile pattern it’s guaranteed to look cool. It’s so easy to get started, what have you got to lose? Just sit down and give it a try!

Printsy Interview - Dormain Geyer

Etsy: greenballoon.etsy.com
Blog: dormaingeyer.blogspot.com

Brief Bio:
I was born in San Francisco and grew up in the East Bay. After graduating UCLA, I moved back up to SF and have been there ever since. I work long hours at a boutique investment bank, so I'm happy to be able to do any printmaking at all!


How did you get started in printmaking?
I was fortunate enough to go to a high school that had a press and we had to do a unit on printmaking (monoprint, linocut and etching/aquatint) each year of AP Art. I didn't have access to a press in college, but as soon as I was settled in SF, I signed up for classes at City College.

Describe where you work:
I take classes through City College at Fort Mason, which has had printmaking facilities and classes for over 30 years. The Saturday class has a lot of working professionals like myself, so there's a lot of camaraderie.

What's your favourite printmaking process?
Lately, I've been really embracing linocut work, especially multiple-plate linocuts.


What's your creative process for any given print? (eg. sketch first? Pre-planned or free-form?)
I usually work from photos, tracing out the key shapes and allowing for some abstraction.

What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
I love the iterative process and being allowed to experiment as I "perfect" a piece.

What's your least favorite part of the process?
Needing access to a press will always be a limitation, but at the same time, being forced to go out and find common resources leads to joining a community. Also, taking classes forces me to stay consistent - I've never been productive at home!


What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
I started getting into printing small books, which led me to take some classes in letterpress and bookbinding at the San Francisco Center for the Book. A project I really want to take on is creating a graphic novel- type book.

How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
I used to move from technique to technique and there wasn't a cohesive style and I'm focusing more on developing that signature look. I also used to do more portraits and I'm doing more buildings and scenes now.

How do you get past creative slumps?
If I'm not sure what to create, I focus on how to create. Spending a little time focusing on technique can often jump-start my imagination for a new project.


How do you promote your work?
Most of my sales are at the annual Holiday sale put on by the Fort Mason studios. I'm beginning to list some of my work on Etsy, but I've really only just started that. Almost a year ago, I started a blog to document some of my projects, but I do very limited promoting right now.

Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
Take a broad-based class and try a bunch of the techniques.

Printsy Interview - Beside Herself

Name: Beside Herself, a collaboration between Toronto printmakers Alda Escareño and Carolyn Self


Website: www.besideherself.ca
Etsy: www.besideherself.etsy.com
Blog: www.beside-herself.blogspot.com
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/beside-herself


Brief Bio
While we’ve both had artsy inclinations from a very young age, Beside Herself is really only a few months old. We met each other in university when we were studying fine art with a focus on print media. In that time we became familiar with each other’s work and working habits. We started working in collaboration once we graduated. Beside Herself wasn’t something that we really planned, but rather something that slowly evolved on it’s own.


How did you get started in printmaking?
Carolyn: I have three brothers and grew up in a small town, which means I had to entertain myself while growing up. Most of the time this meant working with my hands to make paper dolls and games to play with. I spent a lot of time on my own filling sketchbooks and sewing clothes. In high school I taught myself to screen-print so that I could print my own fabrics, and became obsessed with my new potential for making multiples of all kinds.
Alda: I was born in Mexico and I feel that a lot of my draw towards art and crafts comes from being surrounded by traditional Mexican crafts when I was young. I discovered printmaking for the first time when I discovered the Mexican-revolution time woodcuts of José Guadalupe Posada. Inspired by his day of the dead prints, I taught myself relief printing in high school. I haven’t stopped printing since.



Describe where you work.
We work out of a tiny studio apartment that has been manipulated to meet our needs. Almost everything is done in this space including screen-printing. We store light sensitive screens in a linen closet, expose them with a hooded lamp under a worktable and wash them out with a garden hose in the bathtub. When we need a press we rely on public studios. We don’t have a lot at the moment, but we manage with what we have. While we do dream of the perfect studio set-up we are also motivated by the challenge to create large editions from limited means.


What's your favourite printmaking process?
It’s hard to pick a favourite… we’re working a lot with screen printing lately, but this has more to do with the set-up that we have in our studio and the flexibility it gives us for the work we want to make. We would really like to be able to do more relief and are working to get a press. For now, screen-printing definitely satisfys our creative impulses. We love that it lends itself to printing on nearly any surface: wood, fabric, paper, 3-d or 2-d. Screen-printing enables us to create almost any image or object. Everything can be printed.



What's your creative process for any given print? (eg. sketch first? Pre-planned or free-form?)

Our creative process begins with an idea. One of us will come up with something and throw it out for discussion. If the idea passes this test, we scribble it on a big white board on one of our studio walls and continue talking about it until we have time to begin a new project. Through discussions, the initial idea is molded into something mutual. Once we have a clear understanding of what our idea is, we move into an exploration of materials and the more practical brainstorming of logistics. From here things can go in different directions.


Both of us are capable to doing all aspects of the work we make so pieces develop intuitively. People always ask us what each of us contribute to a given work. I think it is safe to say that we feel like equal parents to all of our pieces even when one person's hands have touched it more than the other's.


What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
The multiples. There’s something incredibly satisfying about having a finished stack of prints you’ve been working on for a while. We usually find ourselves literally surrounded when we are waiting for a big edition to dry. It’s pretty magical.


What's your least favorite part of the process?
Printmaking has its challenges, but even those seem to stand in harmony with the overall process. As we’ve moved towards creating larger editions more frequently, however, we feel a little set back without the right equipment. Printmaking requires a lot of big expensive equipment.



What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
We’re inspired by a lot of things… here’s a few.
Paper, printed ephemera, handcrafting traditions, fashion, interior and industrial design, packaging and merchandising, dancing, mass production, innovative installation, material potential, simulacra, diy, music, mortality, humor and more.


How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
We haven’t been at if for that long, but we feel that as we spend more time on Beside Herself we tend to incorporate a thoughtful consideration of how we hope to sell the work we make (where? To whom? etc.). We would love to be able to do this for a living and this requires some business considerations. This is all new to us.


How do you get past creative slumps?
It helps to be working with someone else to avoid any real slumps. We bounce ideas off each other constantly. Even if the ideas start off really bad, they do eventually become something good just through talking about them and exploring them.


How do you promote your work?
At the moment, we’re using the powers of the internet (website, etsy, blogspot, facebook etc.) and our own networking. It’s not much, but we haven’t gotten to the point where we can think about advertizing or anything like that.



Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
So often we have to explain what printmaking is, that we actually get giddy with excitement when we talk to someone who knows what it is and is interested in trying it out. If someone out there is curious about printmaking, they should look-up a local workshop which will provide all the basics in a given technique. When it comes time to setting up at home, look around the internet for guides on home studios or ask a print artist who is farther along.

Printsy Interview - Mary Brooks

Etsy: marybrooksart.etsy.com

Brief Bio
I grew up in a small town in central Illinois. I have always been drawn to art, imagination and creativity. I decided to major in art education so I could impress my passion and enthusiasm for art on my students. I love all art forms and mediums, but I have done more silkscreening than anything else. I enjoy being able to use silkscreen to incorporate drawing, painting, and graphic arts into one cohesive piece. Art is a tool I use to express my self, relax, send a message, and bring a little beauty into this world.

How did you get started in printmaking?
I took a design class and my professor also taught silkscreen. I loved her design class so much that I took silkscreen as well. After that, I just never stopped taking silkscreen courses.


What's your favourite printmaking process?
Silkscreen.

What's your creative process for any given print?
I start with a basic sketch and color scheme. However, I never have ideas that are set in stone. Plans change with each layer that I apply, and I don’t like the confinement of having to follow a pre-planned idea. Layers, texture and color are also very important in my work. I use these “tools” to create depth and interest.

What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
The ability to be loose and free yet but also tight and precise if I wish. I like the fact that I can have as many editions of my work as I want. Most of all, I like the versatility of silkscreen and the ability to incorporate other mediums into this print making process.


What's your least favorite part of the process?
Cleaning up afterwards!

What are your inspirations?
Shepard Fairey and Print Mafia for their amazing uses of depth and texture. Burlesque Design for their great designs. The natural world around me is very important and inspirational. Every time I see art, whether at a museum, gallery or show, I leave inspired and wanting to create art.

How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
I have become more confident and bold in my design and color choices. I have figured out what parts of the printmaking process work best for me. I also feel like I have a direction, finally.

How do you get past creative slumps?
Look at art! It is important to constantly me looking at art.


How do you promote your work?
Etsy, local shows, through friends.

Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
Always try new things and realize that being frustrated is an important part of the process because it makes you more motivated.

Printsy Interview - Kirsten Francis

Website: www.kirstenfrancis.com
Etsy: kirstenfrancis.etsy.com
Blog: kirstenfrancisart.blogspot.com

Brief Bio
I spent my childhood in New England, Mexico City and Toronto, as well as many summers in Denmark with my mother’s family. After graduating from college with a non-art related degree, I discovered printmaking at my local community college in San Diego. I was so taken with the process that I returned to school to get a degree in printmaking.


Since then, I have been making and selling my artwork full-time (or trying to, now that I've got kids). That struggle to balance artmaking and one's 'wild side' with keeping house and home together is the driving theme behind my work. That is combined with images from my childhood, the garden outside my door and myths and fairy tales (I read way too many of those as a kid) to create narrative and fabulist artwork that's really just about my everyday life.

How did you get started in printmaking?
The art class I was signed up for had a terrible instructor. In desperation, I crashed a printmaking class held at the same time. I didn't even know what printmaking was.

Describe where you work.
I work in my home studio, which I am constantly rearranging to make it more efficient. I've got an etching press, a workbench, a dry table for paper and mat cutting and a desk where I draw and sketch.


What's your favourite printmaking process?
Reductive woodblock.

What's your creative process for any given print? (eg. sketch first? Pre-planned or free-form?)
I think, I drink coffee, procrastinate, clean the house, think and then sit down to sketch. It never works out how I envisioned it would. There is much erasing and redrawing. When I feel like I've got a decent drawing, I cut a piece of plywood to match the dimensions of the drawing. I redraw using a grid with pencil onto the plywood and then I seal it using a light coat of spray varnish. Then I carve and print, carve and print, carve and print (repeat about 8 times).


What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
That it's so hard, and long and fairly torturous. I feel like I've really earned a good result. Then there is the 'kiss of the press'. Lovely.

What's your least favorite part of the process?
That I have to explain the process over and over again. I appreciate people's curiosity but sometimes I feel that it's only the technique that justifies the artwork in their eyes. Do painters get asked about their technique so often?

What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
Fairy tales, mythology, literature, poems, gardening, quiltmaking, my kids, animals, Aztec imagery, Kollwitz, Kahlo, Hockney, Domino magazine and other ephemera (not necessarily in that order).


How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
Technically I've improved, my color have gotten brighter and I've got more of a sense of humor about my work.

How do you get past creative slumps?
Oh geez, I'll let you know after I get through this one.

How do you promote your work?
I used to do art festivals and send out postcards and do email blasts. Now I am transitioning to the web with Etsy and a blog. I'm trying to get the hang of it.


Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
If you don't have access to a printmaking studio, relief printmaking is the way to go. Start small (i.e. do a card sized piece) and you'll be surprised at how quickly it goes. It can be a lot of fun (obviously, if I'm still doing it myself)!

Printsy Interview - Mary Louise Sullivan

Etsy: www.tomboy.etsy.com
tomboyink.blogspot.com
Tumblr: tomboyink.tumblr.com

Brief Bio
I’m one of the few native Nashvillians left standing and it’s the perfect sized city for me. As my etsy site indicates, I’m a proud tomboy; always have been and always will be. Growing up as the middle child of 2 siblings and also as an older twin I seem to have developed a competitive nature. Just ask any older twin and she’ll tell you exactly how much older she is than the other (I’m six minutes older than my brother). It’s not an obsession, just a twin thing. While I’m physically competitive with other people, artistically my greatest competition comes from attempting to make my imagination a reality. When it comes to learning something new, I usually have little training. If I see something that intrigues me, I do a little research, pick up the tools, and get to work learning as I go. I completed my undergraduate degree in Fine Arts at Maryville College in 2006 and have since been working in my hometown of Nashville, TN as a letterpress printer/designer and I love every minute of it. It’s a stressful job, but it’s cathartic, offer a lot of creative freedom and it’s the kind of job that I’ll regret ever having to leave once I plunge back into graduate school and beyond.

How did you get started in printmaking?
In high school I quit playing flute in the band and instead started taking survey art courses. In my art classes we explored a variety of media and even did a little printmaking. For reference images in these studio courses I often used old photographs of my younger twin brother. When we explored linoleum prints I used an old photograph of my brother loading his little Tonka truck with Christmas ornaments at the base of our Christmas tree when we were 2. In college I dabbled with printmaking in a few studio classes learning a little in etching, intaglio, linoleum, silkscreen, and woodcut. Now I letterpress for a living.


Describe where you work.
I work at a 131 year old letterpress poster shop in Nashville, TN called Hatch Show Print. I’ve worked there since the fall of ’06 and typeset, print, and listen to music all day every day. It’s not an easy job by any means. We’ve got a strict and fast moving deadline with well over 600 jobs to get out every year. What makes this job work despite our demanding workload is my relationship with my coworkers. We all love what we do and we get along with each other. We feed on each other’s strengths and we pick up where the other has left off if need be without having to be asked. We are one well-oiled machine. It’s a great family. You could say that we’re a living breathing Vandercook.

What's your favourite printmaking process?
I like letterpress because it’s available to me now. Letterpress to me is also just a means of printing, whereas many people view it as a medium in and of itself. Linoleum, woodcuts, alternative printing, transfers, offset, monoprints, typography, all of it can be done with letterpress. My challenge is not only honing my skills as a carver but also pushing the boundary of what a letterpress print can be, how it can be created, and how to obtain a desired effect without knowing how to get there until my hands are dirty and I’m immersed in the process.


What's your creative process for any given print?
Whether by nature, my familiarity, or my poor skills as an illustrator, I tend to work photographically. Much of my undergrad work was in photography, working with black and white images in a wet darkroom. I almost enjoyed printing in the darkroom more than I did capturing that image. I care very much about the process of creativity, sometimes more than the result of it. I work very meticulously, attempting to create the best possible likeness of an image that I can muster considering the limitations of the media that I choose. For one of my last shows I used one image and broke it down into layers, shapes, colors, and abstract forms in order to explore various methods of printmaking. One of my pieces was created using a typewriter, essentially yielding a one of a kind monoprint.

What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
At the moment I am obsessed with the idea of the multiple. Whether I like it or not, I work in the multiple everyday. At the moment it’s just what I’m used to. Multiples make sense to me, it’s what allows more people to enjoy art, to have it and experience it. To me the essence of a print is its ability to be distributed to many people instead of having one precious item. My ultimate challenge, however, would be to make just one print or a closed edition. I still have yet to attempt a reduction print or a closed edition. I understand the value of it, but to me it’s just so finite. It’s something that I’ll have to decide and commit to before I start a series.


What's your least favorite part of the process?
For me the physical process of printing is easy. I’ve had a lot of experience, I print every day and I have a good knowledge of our machines and how to throubleshoot problems while making a run of prints. Carving is a challenge, but to me is still a physical aspect of the process, and active parts of the process drive me. It’s the getting started, the making real of the intangible conceptual aspects of creativity that are difficult for me. I think, and think, and think of what I'd like to do and how I want to do it, but it’s a challenge for me to just dive off the cliff and get started. Once I do finally get going on an idea and I’m actively working, I’m in heaven.

What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
I find inspiration not only for my work, but in my life from things that I see everyday. Dirty alleyways. Rusted signs. Cigarette butts on the sidewalk. I appreciate artists who work with a medium that takes years to perfect. I am drawn to the traditional craftsmanship of finely made functional items. Jim Croft’s books inspire me to explore the history of binding and make me daydream as to what was contained in the books of the past. Printmakers and painters like Chuck Close, Durer, and French engravers who thrive on perfection and precision inspire me to do the same or at least get close. Andy Goldsworthy’s art and documentation challenges my comfort in the idea of art’s longevity.


How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
Since I first began to print, I’ve become very skilled at creating multiple items of a consistent nature. The carving is more of a side note to my current profession and custom carvings are a rarity. I collect many things. For a while I collected clipart books with old engraving illustrations. That inspired my small series of linoleum engraving style hand prints. I also collect cameras. My latest series, which is ongoing, challenges me to interpret a three dimensional, primarily black and white object, with the use of another three dimensional medium that prints in 2 dimensions. I find that I get more precise at carving the more I do. I also tend to develop tricks along the way that help me to interpret line and texture in order to get the most possible detail out of linoleum before it crumbles.



How do you get past creative slumps?
I think about what I want to create before I start. It sounds simple, but I often have many ideas on how to start a project before I decide on how to start working. Most of my series show my thinking process in action from piece to piece as I work. Sometimes I just pick up materials and start working to drown out my brain. It helps to just have my hands busy.

How do you promote your work?
I have a great group of printers with whom I work. We have a group called Popsicle Sticks and Rhinestones and are comprised primarily of printmakers who show together and encourage each other to work. I also promote my Etsy shop via my blog, facebook, twitter sometimes, although just for promotion and not for the 2 second update. I’ve heard it works. We’ll see.


Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
I would recommend that you surround yourself with at least one other person who is excited about the same thing if you can. Even if by the Internet you can talk with someone and learn what steps, materials, techniques, and resources are out there. On the whole artists tend to be a lot more open to helping people who are interested in learning. I’ve also found that people who enjoy what they do also enjoy sharing. Start small and use readily available materials. For a beginner, potatoes are just as good as linoleum and a wooden spoon as much as a barren. Don’t go out and buy a press at the beginning. Most of the presses out there are priced way too high, believe me I’ve looked. There are things that can be learned from doing it by hand that can be lost on a machine. That being said, multiple color pieces and longer runs can benefit from the precision and consistency of a press. Also, from personal experience, never carve towards any finger or other body part. I sliced through 3 fingers at one time while I was carving once. Never again! Invest in a few pieces of wood and a few screws and make a simple block holder to put on your table.

Printsy Interview - Mark Hill

Etsy: markbhillblockprints.etsy.com
Blog: markbhill.blogspot.com
Website: markbryanhill.com
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/paperravenart

Brief Bio

Originally from southern Illinois and now residing in Middleton WI with my fiancée Valerie. I am a self-taught printmaker and book artist. I have been drawing since I could remember.


How did you get started in printmaking?
I started out as a book artist and was constantly looking for new ways to decorate the books I made. After carving a few blocks I thought, hey I like this. I eventually changed my focus to printmaking.

Describe where you work.
I have a small studio space in the 2nd bedroom of our apartment. I dream someday of having a full size studio!

What's your favourite printmaking process?
Linoleum block prints, which are hand-pulled and hand-colored with watercolor.

What's your creative process for any given print? (eg. sketch first? Pre-planned or free-form?)
I usually sketch out the idea first, working on the composition and such. I usually decide what size it’s going to be first, so I trace a line around the block I’m going to use. Then I trace it with soft pencil on tracing paper, then burnish the design onto the block. I go back over the design with a fine point marker just so I don’t rub off the design.

What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
Carving the blocks. Although I love the actually printing, too.

What's your least favorite part of the process?
Cleaning up after printing. Oil-based inks are a necessary evil.

What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
My late brother, Marvin was also a print artist and has always been an amazing inspiration. I also like the work of Lyn Ward and Barry Moser. Of course, my fiancée Valerie is a constant inspiration.

How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
My earlier prints were pretty basic and not very detailed. I’m getting more and more obsessive with detail as I go on.


How do you get past creative slumps?
Read a lot and doodle in my sketchbook.

How do you promote your work?
I have a blog (markbhill.blogspot.com). I also have my work on Etsy and I have a fan page on Facebook.
Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
Be patient and learn from other artists as much as you can.