Purple Steampunk Elephants!

Steampunk Elephant Collagraph Print

 
Today I decided to have a look at some of my older collagraph printing plates and do a bit of experimentation with them in different colourways. I really like my Steampunk Elephant printing plate with its cogs etc as it was great fun to design and make. I only ever printed it in a gunmetal grey so wondered what it would look like in my favourite printing ink purple!
 
Here is the printing plate just starting to be covered in a lovely rich purple ink!
 

 

The printing plate all covered in purpleness and being wiped to uncover the elephant beneath!
 

 
 On the etching press ready for the exciting part the printing!

 
Hot off the press - a Purple Steampunk Elephant!
 

 
Here is a sneaky peak at what is going on in the background when I am printing! My printing press is on the dining room table and even when Morpheus the cat is no where to be seen as soon as I start printing he appears to supervise and today to make a nest in my tissue paper!

 I think he liked the print although he was a bit upset I wasn't immortalising him in print like I usually do!

The finished Steampunk Elephant collagraph print looking good in purple!

 

 

Clare xx

 

Printing a Steampunk Cat

Steampunk Cat Tote Bags

My Steampunk Cat tote bags have proved to be one of my most popular designs ever and I'd almost sold out of them so I thought I'd better get busy printing a few more this weekend! I took a few photos of the process too so that you can see how and where they are printed, the model himself was too tired to pose for any photos though and was fast asleep in his radiator bed!

This is the printing plate made from a piece of lino so that anything carved away will stay white and anything left will print black or in this case raw umber.

My ink rolled out and ready to go! I use the Caligo safewash inks as they are very good on fabric and really easy to clean away with soap and water.

My first mini tote bag hot off the printing press! The linocut printing plate is placed on the press on some waste paper and the bag is placed on top of this. The blanket covers everything and I roll the whole lot through the etching press on a light setting so that nothing moves.

A turquoise blue bag coming off the press.

And a red one!

Here's a comparison of the printing plate with the finished print on the bag. Note the image is always reversed.

This is one of the larger tote bags coming off the press. These are slightly more difficult to print as they are bigger than the actual printing press so have to folded very carefully so they don't get trapped under the rollers!

And this is where all the magic happens - the corner of my dining room table! Complete with Dalek cookie jar, bottles of wine etc!

A few of the finished tote bags all drying on my improvised drying rack otherwise known as my spare room bed!

 

A very fun afternoon of printing a Steampunk Cat!

Clare xx