Monday 19 April 2010

♒℉ishy business♒

Don't take to the smelling salts just because I am back within the week. I meant it you know. I'm a woman of my word. Which works against me sometimes but that's another looooooonnngggggg story.
It's been a productive week, lots of coming and going, toing and froing, huffing and puffing.
A quick peek-a-boo at some of my moments...
I gathered all my rubber stamps together and made this as a promotional piece. It's all the rubber stamps I have carved recently for various projects. Using my quite ridiculously large collection of inks. (it's one of my cheaper habits)
When I was a porous, diligent art student at The London College of Printing or the LCC as it is known by these days and I extended my printmaking skills, I felt as though I had come home. The thoughtful, meditative quality that comes with printmaking was a great soother to me in those (when I look back on it) quite troubled times. But printmaking is a process requiring equipment and it means making a mess and although I can quite easily manage both of those; the simplicity and ease with which I can quickly carve a stamp is increasingly seductive.
A block of rubber, my trusty lino cutting tools and a selection of ink pads and almost instant results. I teach the basic techniques of this at The Make Lounge.  Everybody can do it once they know how. A few points in the right direction from an experienced maker saves so much time and wasted materials ;-) And we achieve quietness and concentration in class there. Printmaking weaves a spell of contemplation. A yogic focus. If I had a bit more time on my hands I would take a few of the other classes there myself. They all look amazing. 


Here's a few cards I made earlier with some offcuts from book projects, painted watercolour circles and fish and seaweed stamps. I haven't got around to folding them yet, will come back and pop them in the press later when they are dry. It's coming up to lots of birthdays and I love sending cards, HATE buying them.
And in my quieter moments I wander field and woods trying to walk off excess rhubarb cake and keeping the dog happy. It's Spring you know! 





8 comments:

Bex Stonehill said...

Oooh, can I have a lesson sometime to learn how to make lino stamps?? If you can teach me this, you can teach anyone - there's a challenge for you!
What are those flowers in the woods by the way? They're beautiful.
xoxox
ps - recognised something you'd put into your promotional piece ;)

Lizzie said...

Such a lovely post, Lou Lou... with a calm, quiet photo to end it.
I have often thought of carving my own stamps - I even have some rubber chunks I bought, as well as my lino-cutting tools.. maybe I will start on my next free day. It's a good idea - thanks for sharing!

The collage is great, by the way - so colourful and fun!

chocolategirl64 said...

wOw for riotous colourful fishy printness:
me too on the card making:
even better to receive a handmade!
yours remind me of the 2 gorgeous postcards that hang in my bathroom:
they tell tales of sardine suppers on a Spanish sailing adventure:
^_*

Sara Bowen said...

Love the fish and thanks for the link to The Make Lounge.. by the way, do you have anywhere in particular you recommend for buying ink pads? Sara x

Louise said...

Thanks Sara
I'm not sure where you would buy them in Australia but if you need brand recommendations...if you are lucky enough to find somewhere that stocks 'colorbox' pigment stamp pads then they are the absolute best ones! IMHO of course.
{*}
p.s I'll be well jell if you can get them as I have to get mine from USA and pay all the horrid duties.

BonnyBadger said...

Hi Louise,

Just popped on to say how much i enjoyed the stamp-making class at the Make Lounge on Thursday. Was so exciting - am going to experiment more this weekend.... glad I have found your blog - love the promotional piece you have done!! Will certainly be attending more classes at the Make Lounge - please keep harassing them to run the bookmaking class - Sarah and I would definitely sign up!

the travelling bookbinder said...

If in London - Blade Rubber on Bury Street, v closer to the British Museum...don't they stock Colorbox ink pads?

Love spotting sun-drenched Lou in alumni news x x x

Louise said...

Travelling BB
Alas, no. They have stopped stocking the Colorbox range. It is quite tragic.
Love spotting you here on ma blog xxx