Ran's Daughters - Blóðughadda first steps and experiments

 

Colour inspiration - ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Daughter no.1 Blóðughadda ;

Mixing ink and applying with a palette knife   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

I began with mixing my inks using quite a bit of extender to aid transparency. To apply the ink to the lino block I used a palette knife varying the thickness of ink and intuitively laying down the colour. Whilst the initial image is starting as a lino print my intention is to layer different materials and techniques to result in a mixed media series. The print process will achieve a variation in textures that will enhance further layers.

The first six prints showing variations in ink application ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

 

You can see from the first six prints the variations in colour and tone. There is also good variations in texture between very fine flat ink and thicker raised areas and bare paper, this will make interesting surfaces to work with other materials.

I printed a few more variations, my intention is to make some art books (a page for each daughter) and it feels right that there will be nine - maybe with Ran linking each page, or possibly to present each of the daughters mounted as one image. I am sure I will disappear down a few rabbit holes along the way. It feels good to be working on a big long term project. 

I have started using one print and drew into it with coloured pencils, pencils and ink. I am still feeling my way a bit. A minutes sunshine drew some lovely shadows across the page.

Colour inspiration - ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Experiment I - Ran's Daughters - Blóðughadda   mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Happy Fibonacci Day! - I can't resist a spiral

Jurassic lino print varied open edition  A4ish   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

 

Another spiral - another ammonite - I can't resist! Available at Etsy and Folksy.

From drawing to carving the plate - for new print Jurassic - ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Jurassic   lino print on naturel lokta paper   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Silence & snow - the series continues...

 

Silence & Snow  original lino print varied open edition ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Oh the irony....I am having a very silent time with an ear infection. Much nicer to imagine the silence of snow which they appear to be having further north -  drizzly rain for us in the south.

My prints have finally dried and they are available in my Etsy and Folksy stores. 

Silence & Snow  original lino print varied open edition ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Silence & Snow  original lino print varied open edition ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

A new print edition in the making...Silence & Snow

 

I have had an image whirling around in my minds eye, a seed that has started to grow for a while. There is a very early version, more of a sketch at the time from some years back that I have always had on my list to explore further. Recently I have decided to just get on with it - enough with the procrastination.

Starting to carve Silence & Snow....©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Below is the scribbly sketch of the idea.... you can see the folds in the paper that gave me guidelines for the composition using the rule of thirds. I am very much inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, the style and minimalism, and although that doesn't show at all in the sketch I think it will be obvious in the prints.

Thumbnail for Silence & Snow

Before printing the carved block I printed an uncarved block to give a base colour using very thin ink. For the initial prints I don't want to show any of the white paper - I'm sure this will change as I explore further and experiment with different colours and tones. My thinking is to create different versions using colour, extra elements and possibly adding tissue paper chine colle at some point. I would like to evoke the magical gloaming as night falls, hazy, misty and frosty nights, possibly a few prints inspired by the recent Northern Lights displays, then maybe warmer winter sunshine. Can I do all of these with one image? I want to experiment to find out, I haven't done this using this technique before nor on this scale which is somewhat larger that I have done before in print.

printing a base layer ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

This is one of the first prints with the second layer added. I felt like something was missing and out of balance - I wasn't getting the depth that I could see in my mind...

Second layer of Silence & Snow ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Testing a third block addition ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Using a small piece of the soft carve lino I cut a third mini block of tree silhouettes to add to the right of the composition. This gave much more depth and balance, now to experiment.

Variations of Silence & Snow drying ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

This is one of the first prints that I felt happy with. I like the looming distant trees and the frosty haze that is lighting up the sky as it descends. I have printed on my usual bright white paper but it didn't feel right with the warmer blues so I have ripped the edges of the prints up to the image margins and mounted them on a warmer off white paper for the warmer blues and a softer white for the cooler ones. I think if I continue to do this it will give some continuity to all the prints in the series despite some big variations in colour and other additions. It will also add some opportunity to contrast a different texture with the backing paper that will show when it is framed.

Silence & Snow  open varied edition lino print  image 20x29cm approx   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Silence & Snow  open varied edition lino print  image 20x25cm approx   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Cropping changes the composition and feel of the image, I might go back into the square versions and add additional tree silhouettes in between.

Silence & Snow  open varied edition lino print  image 20x20cm approx   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

I have just a few prints that I am happy with so far and will add to both my Folksy and Etsy stores. In addition I will put a version on RedBubble as I think it will work well as a holiday card.

Any way this has very much kept me out of mischief, what do you think?

Spoonflower store now open

 

Part of the reason for my absence in July was due to the work I was doing behind the scenes setting up a Spoonflower Store. It has been a steep learning curve to adjust and extend my patterns into collections but oh so enjoyable. I'm sure I will tweak and add to the work I have already done and have some new pieces that I am working on as well as plans for the future. For now I have three collections available and one that I am adding to currently. 

If you haven't come across Spoonflower before it is a print on demand website where you can buy a range of different fabric and fabric products in designs by independent artists and designers around the world. There is a vast range of subjects and styles - a real smorgasbord of repeat pattern gorgeousness!

Beach Vibes Collection available in my Spoonflower store - link in the sidebar   ©2023LiusaLeQuelenec

Rockpool lino series continued & my 600th post

 

Rockpool   lino print on paper   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

I thought I would share a little more of this rockpool series. I have been printing slightly larger compositions on A4 paper and adding in some more different motifs. I love the delicacy of the seaweed, I think they are a good contrast to the more solid shapes of the pebbles and limpets. Other shells are starting to appear in this little ecosystem. I might be slightly in love with little yellow winkles ;o) they are appearing in all of these larger compositions.

I might try out some spicy hot colours next - yellows, rusty oranges and coral. I dabbled with this combination in the A5 ones but might try upscaling that palette again. I struggle with the hotter end of the spectrum so it will be a challenge. Notice how I said coral and not red - red may be a step to far! Red makes me feel out of control and a bit shouty. Do you have a colour that you avoid in your work? 

Can you believe this is my   600th   post!!! I certainly can't. What a bloggerversary! I feel like I have made so many friends online - we might not get to meet in real life but I feel no less richer for that. Thank you for reading along and to the people who take the time, I appreciate all your comments. To all those who don't I appreciate you too! Thank you.

Carving and inking the plates for the Rockpool Series  ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Rockpool   lino print on paper   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

All four A4ish prints in the Rockpool series as well as the smaller prints are all available in my Folksy store.  Best wishes.

Rockpool series - lino monoprints

 

Rockpool Series   approximately 14x20cm lino monoprints   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

I have sadly neglected my blog this last few weeks due to a number of things - just life keeping me out of mischief rather than paint or ink - but I haven't been completely idle. A new series of work is underway which is really quite different to the gulls I had been painting. With the arrival of longer Spring days and a little more sunshine I have been feeling the season. Of course I am still roaming the coast but I have been turning more attention to rockpools and the memories of the ones we explored in Jersey on my last trip....back to limpets and limpet rings, summery colours and the joyous feeling of long Summer days. Fresh breezy colours and simplified shapes are dominating at the moment with a little green creeping in at the edges.

Rockpool Series   13x17.5cm   lino monoprint   ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Rockpool Series   approximately 14x20cm lino monoprints with added drawing  ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Added drawing and mark making and then with the promise of some hot sun to come....golden yellow. All the images here are available to purchase from my  Folksy Store. I am enjoying this series immensely and can see lots of ways for it to develop so I will get back to my sketchbook and try a few more experiments, I wonder which path I will take next.

Rockpool Series   approximately 14x20cm lino monoprints with added drawing  ©2023LisaLeQuelenec

Lines in the Water II & III - linoprints

 

Lines in the Water II   linoprint 15x15cm   ©2022LisaLeQuelenec

Two more in the series, once again varied, open editions. I will have fun exploring and experimenting with different inking techniques and colourways. 

Prints available in my Folksy Store.

Lines in the Water III   linoprint 15x15cm   ©2022LisaLeQuelenec

A big thank you to the lovely anonymous buyer of journals, RedBubble doesn't tell me who you are but I think I know....thank you Kentucky I hope you  love them ;o)

Lines in the water - doodles and linoprinting

 

Telephone doodles   ©2022LisaLeQuelenec

I've had reason to be waiting on hold with telephone music to keep me company lately. Totally mind numbing. However with my mind numbed and without thinking my hand set to work doodling, it had quite a bit of time fortunately/unfortunately. Once said call had ended and my brain slowly worked its way out of the fog I looked at what my hand had done. I'm not sure if it is something or nothing but thought I would spend a little bit of time exploring the drawings, redrawing, pondering - I like the flow and movement of the lines and the variations of weight and depth. 

The lines are making me think of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham's drawings and some Victor Pasmore paintings. What do you think?

Linoprinting has always been a challenge and was something I actively avoided in my college days (many, many years ago). However these line doodles feel like they might work best in this medium so I am having myself an experiment. Now lino has come along since I last had a go and there are much easier materials to carve these days. No more the tough as nails brown, heavy stuff that I used to lay over a hot water bottle in the vain attempt to help soften it, no now there is this marvellous blue Japanese vinyl. With a reasonably sharp tool it cuts like butter, which is a good job as my hands would definitely not be up to carving the old style lino.

So after refining one of my Phone doodles I traced the drawing onto the vinyl and carved away. Time was not on my side so instead of getting out the printing ink and because I was far to impatient to wait for another day I tried out an ink stamp pad to try making a quick proof print from.

Playing with lino ©2022LisaLeQuelenec

There is quite a bit of 'noise' - bits of lino that I haven't quite carved enough away and have printed where they shouldn't. I'm not sure whether to leave some or not as I think it will help the image not look quite so graphic and maybe a bit more like water. Also in my impatient proofing I did crumple the paper which left a couple of creases oops! I will ponder some more before getting the printing ink out another day and playing with different combinations of inking. It feels rather exciting to be trying something completely different again and I am wondering how this will feed into my other work it normally does at some stage without me realising it at the time.

Winter Woods adventures in linoprinting part 2

Winter Woods II   linoprint and coloured pencil 14x15cm   ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

Two further experiments with the lino prints from the weekend adding in some colour with coloured pencil. Two different moods I think but still quite wintery. 

Winter Woods III   linoprint and coloured pencil 14x15cm   ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

For some really IMPRESSIVE blog posts about linoprinting please visit Sherrie York's blog and read these posts;

link 1     link 2    link 3

This series is a real nailbiter of suspense. I can picture this fearless printmaker with nerves of steel zipping around her studio with a superhero cape flowing behind her.

Winter woods - adventures in linoprinting part 1

Sketchbook page ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

This weekend I thought I would try my hand at a linoprint, something I haven't done for a long time. I thought I would start small and simple and the birch trees seemed to me to be an ideal subject to give it a go. After doing a couple of quick pencil sketches to decide on the main shapes I got started.

I had a piece of lino but it was so old I wasn't sure if it would be too hard and crumbly to carve. Luckily it didn't seem to bad and I spent an hour or so happily cutting away. I was very excited when it came to proofing the block and mixed up a rich dark sepia colour from my prussian blue and burnt sienna. I printed a couple of copies and sat back to look.

1st proof

As giraffes

The image looked quite busy for it's small scale, I had over done it with the trees and needed to reduce the number. In passing His Nibbs commented that the trunks looked rather like giraffe necks. As you can see, whilst it was so busy, he had a point ;o)

Out came the cutting tools and I removed a few of the trunks to make a bit more space. The second proof was much more my intention. I think the extra space gives the eye a bit more room to find a path through the forest.

2nd proof

I started playing around with the ink colours mixing them and making graduated colours. I loved this soft smokey colour and settled on that printing up a small batch to experiment with further. The image feels wintery and rather topical whilst we shiver here in the UK. We have had a little snow in Dorset and it feels like we may be in with a chance for some more.

Winter woods linoprint 14x15cm ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

Just a quick mention, this is the last week to see the exhibition 'Light Space Time' at the Red House Museum in Christchurch. The last day is Saturday. Due to the snowy weather, please do check with the museum for any changes to their opening times and please stay safe whilst traveling. To see the Red House Museum website and opening hours please click here .