Get cozy, it's storytime...
Towards the end of 2023, I was working away on a new print and now it’s time to tell you the story of how it came to life.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that I am sea obsessed so it’ll come as no surprise to you that it’s a water themed print.
Tumbling is a celebration of the wild waves of the North Sea. A few months ago, I went to stay with family in Beadnell and we were greeted with Storm Babet. Some people may see this as a time to hide away and stay cosy but I’m not one of those people. Instead I went for a run, then collected my sketchbook and watercolours and headed out to explore. I sat on the rocks (at a safe distance) and watched the storm whipping up the sea into a frenzy of waves crashing their way towards the shore.
Beadnell Links during Storm Babet
I always find these views completely absorbing and enjoy the way they make me feel like such a small part of a huge and powerful world.
After a trip like this, I can’t help but get excited with all the creative juices flowing so it wasn’t long before the small sketches turned into big plans, carved lino and gorgeous inks being mixed.
The print was created using the linocut reduction method, which means that I used one block that I carved more away from after each layer. Owing to the nature of this, the print can never be reprinted and that makes it extra special. It also means that any mistakes (i.e. carving too much) runs the whole thing so you have to be confident and careful with the process.
With this print, I wanted to inject additional colour. I love the blues, teals and silvers that I usually use but I wanted to enhance them by setting them off against complimentary backgrounds. If you look carefully at the final print, you’ll also see some lemon yellow in the sea splash, hinting at the leftover sunlight from the sunset behind.
Finally, after 6 layers and a lot of luscious inks, the prints are dry and signed - soon to be on sale.
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If you have any questions about my process, pop them below in the comments and I’ll get back to you soon.