A gentle tide - monoprint

 

A Gentle Tide   monoprint 9.5x9.5cm   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Ohhhh I do love monoprinting! It is such an immediate and responsive way to work and generate ideas. I love the diffused tones that can be achieved....drawing with ink .....the suggestive marks...the messiness of it all (at least when I do it).

This is one of my favourite ones from a recent monoprinting session. It has the movement of the tide that I was aiming for. It is available here in my Folksy store.

New Coastal Monoprints

 

Winter Moon   monoprint 12.5x12.5cm   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

More monoprints from recent printing sessions....

 Moonshine   monoprint 12.5x12.5cm   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

A collection are available in my Folksy store.

Night Tide - collagraph variations

 

Night Tide    varied edition collagraphs    ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

One plate, an edition of 4 all, varied in the inking of the collagraph plate measuring 12.5x12.5cm.

One memory, a hot and humid evening watching summer storm clouds gathering across the bay. Metallic tasting air, an expectant silence.... then a sultry breeze and a rush back to the car before the storm broke and the rain fell in torrents. It is funny how a storm can stay with you for years, nestled away in your memory ready to be brought out and relived.

It feels quite apt to be posting about them now given the recent bit of weather the UK has been experiencing.

Night Tide - prints available at Folksy ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

The prints are available in my Folksy store.

Night Tide Artist Proof with mixed media ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

I tested the collagraph plate with these two proof prints and made a couple of adjustments before printing this small edition of four in blue black indigo ink. The six images together feel like they tell the story of that summer evening - each one a snap shot in time.

Night Tide Artist Proof with mixed media ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Dusk Deepened - collagraph and mixed media

 

Dusk Deepened I - IV   Mixed media and Collagraph  12.5x12.5cm ©2025

Using the same printing plate I have made four images, each different, by working further with acrylic and printing ink. Much like a view changing with progressing light, in each image I have tried to capture a progressing moment - like a burst shot by a camera. I am fascinated by the way the same view from the same position is never the same because of the changing light through weather and season, a kind of homage to Monet's Rouen Cathedral, haystacks and lily ponds in a way. I have been looking and appreciating their multiple variations lately. The first in the set of four is available in my Folksy Store.

Dusk Deepened I   collagraph and mixed media 12.5x12.5cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Smuggler's Moon - print and mixed media

 

Smuggler's Moon  print and mixed media 12.5x12.5cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec 

One of the prints made and rejected from the previous post was too dark and over inked so I used the print as the plate and ran it through the press with paper over (like tonking an oil painting in a way). This resulted in a reversed image with some pleasing subtleties of texture. I worked into it whilst still wet which gave a much softer and hazier finish. Once dried I could add a moon for a feeling of the winter nights to come. 

Available in my Folksy Store.

Gathering I - III collagraph and mixed media

 

Gathering I - III   collagraph and mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Small changes in the inking of one collagraph plate, a progression of light in one view with mixed media. I am enjoying working without colour for a while....I feel that I don't need the distraction but I wonder if that will change....

These are available at Folksy

Briny Blue - Ran's many moods

 

Three Stages of Briny Blue I  mixed media ©2025LisaLeQuelenec 

WIPs in one post don't give any idea of the time lapse in the making of them but here we are. So many ideas and pieces are flowing at the moment and I feel like I am running to catching up with myself. Both of these started as prints, then added watercolour and into acrylic. Lots of small layers and adjustments, tweeks here and there, backwards and forwardsing. 

Both pieces are available in my Folksy store.  There will be more to come...

Briny Blue I   mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Three Stages of Briny Blue II   mixed media ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

  Briny Blue II  mixed media ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

mixed media ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Below the Brine - Ran's many moods

Below the Brine I   print and mixed media 20x21cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The ambiguity of the Ran myth intrigues me still. I am attracted to the relatable human quality of her moods...calm, playful, stern, raging... not many female characters are able to be more than one thing in mythology that I have read about - women are either good or evil, victims or villains, virgins or seducers - Ran could be any or all of these. I wonder if the oral tradition of these myths were still alive if her character would be more black and white or just as ambiguous. My hope would be the ambiguous - like the ocean able to change in a heartbeat - how much more interesting and realistic.

Three calmer and possibly more playful moods in Below the Brine but the net is still there glinting and dazzling, waiting, biding its time or with the potential to change?... 

Below the Brine II in three stages   print and mixed media 20x21cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Below the Brine III   print and mixed media 20x21cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Deeply Darkly I & II - Ran's many moods

 

Deeply Darkly   print and mixed media 20x21cm    ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Further explorations into Ran's many moods. I am enjoying the linear elements in the compositions which I think give an added chaotic energy and tension. What do you think?

These pieces are available at Folksy and Etsy.

Deeply Darkly II   print and mixed media 20x21cm    ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Ran, nets and print experiements...

I have been having much fun experimenting with different types of netting and getting very inky whilst printing them....

Example no.1 fruit bag netting from the supermarket ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

First up, example no.1 fruit netting from the supermarket - very fine nylon, easy to rip and manipulate although does sometimes spring back unless very stretched out first. In some examples the ink collects at the join and prints spots of ink within the diamond shapes. This type of net gives very uniform shapes.

Example no.3 net from the haberdashery shop used for dance skirt petticoats   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Example no.2 is the type of netting that I think would be used to make the big petticoats in some dance costumes - we have a big dance school in the area so I think this is a safe guess. The sparkle glitter bit did break off whilst ripping and manipulating the material but didn't really effect the result in the ink. As you can see it has a much bolder line to the main body and I really like the edges where I have ripped and stretched it. With a bit more experimenting I think more subtle effects could be have by controlling the amount of ink added.

Example No. 3 a thick weave hessian ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Example no.3 Hessian made even bolder marks and the bonus of this material is where you can pull threads out completely from the weave. I like the effect where it starts to completely fall apart and is literally holding itself together by a thread or two. This one was the 'thirstiest' material and held a lot of ink. More subtle marks were made by not re-inking between prints which is something for me to remember.

Example no.4 Scrim ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Example no.4 Scrim is another fabric that can be manipulated easily, have thread ripped out from the weave and generally stands up to a lot of abuse. The weave is much tighter and the resulting print can be much more subtle and dense. I think it needs a lot of threads pulling for a net like structure but I like the resulting print.

Whilst running example through the press on top of misprints and practise prints I used copier paper to protect the press blankets. This has given me lots of sheets with reverse prints that I can use as sketch paper for drawing into. I might make a sketchbook from them at a later date.

 

Sketchbook Experiment Stage 1 collagraph and mixed media ©2025

Sketchbook Experiment Stage 2 collagraph and mixed media overprinted with hessian netting ©2025

Sketchbook Experiment Stage 3 collagraph and mixed media overprinted with netting and further added mixed media©2025

Lots more experimenting to do, ideas are starting to form about where these experiments can take me in my Ran project.

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?

Shades of Autumn II - Oak drypoint prints

 

Oak variable edition drypoint print 8x7.5cm available individually ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

I made a sister print to last weeks Acorns and have popped a couple of variations into both my Etsy and Folksy stores. I rather like working in this way and having colour variations. 

The one below is in Folksy.

Oak no.5 variable edition drypoint print 8x7.5cm available individually ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

I am still working on some larger drypoints of stormy skies and seas but having been rather enjoying the dry spells of sunny weather between the storms so progress has been slower. We have had lots of reference weather to help things along though....my gosh the rain! Obviously nothing compared to the weather some American friends seem to be enduring at the moment though, I do hope they manage to stay safe.

Headland and a Sudden Shower - etching and drypoint prints

 

Headland    etching 6x6cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

It certainly is starting to feel autumnal now with noticeably darker mornings and evenings. Occasionally more dramatic skies and rain showers and a mellowness in the air. I have been reprinting and restocking some of my older plates which are now available in my Etsy Store with prints from these edition at Folksy too.

I have been inspired to work on some new larger prints. I am still in the platemaking and testing stage but hope to have something to show soon. Below are the initial sketchbook thumbnails - these are tiny inch square sketches/ideas - I am working out how to translate them into larger images, how far I can push the boundaries of the plate size before the image is lost. 

Sketchbook thumbnails for the Heavy Weather Series ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

A Sudden Shower   10.5x5.5xm  drypoint etching   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec