Gulls, surf and monoprints - a process

 

Process for some new monoprints   surf and gulls   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Using the sketches from my circular sketchbook as a jumping point I spent a rather fun day making some monoprints. Not everything worked - and that is good as it means lessons are being learnt - but some did. So not only do I have some new prints for the Folksy store but I also have a pile of 'not quite there yet' prints to work into in mixed media which I am just as excited about. I am particularly excited about the prints made in the second pass with the circular mask removed. The resulting subtlety of the circular motif is something I think I can manipulate further.

Below are some of the pairs of initial prints with their second pass partners - I really like the second pass for the different sketchy marks and where there wasn't enough ink to transfer as I think it suits the subject in this case. I have lots more ideas to play with that will keep me busy.

 

Process for some new monoprints   surf and gulls   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Process for some new monoprints   surf and gulls   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Some of my gull series are available at RedBubble in their different reproduction print formats. As framed prints which style of framing do you prefer?

Surf Spray Gull series   available at RedBubble  ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

A circular sketchbook - mixed media storms, waves & gulls

 

I started a new pocket sketchbook at the beginning of the year. I have prepped the pages with tissue some marked with ink by drying prints others with watercolour marks. Each page will have a composition made within a circle. I am hoping that I will learn things about composition from a change in format. I am allowing myself to spill outside of the circle as the mood takes me. I will probably stick to grey, indigo and white to take away the decision fatigue of choosing palettes. I like the consistency in these small sketchbooks when reviewing sketches over a longer period of time. 

I used to work within circles quite often in watercolour so it feels, at least to begin with, like I am revisiting old ground with new eyes. Of course the sea, as always is present and so too are the gulls that circle and swoop within my work. At least that is how it is starting although that isn't necessarily how the sketchbook will finish. It does rather fell like the start of a voyage in a way...

Circle sketchbook page   watercolour and mixed media   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Circle sketchbook page   watercolour and mixed media   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Circle sketchbook page   watercolour and mixed media   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Green Glass - mixed media

 

Green Glass   mixed media 18x12.5cm on canvas board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

For now the final piece in my wave watching, I know I will return soon to them soon and maybe I will go a little larger...

This piece is available in my Folksy Store in the Mixed Media Collection.

On a Teal Tide - mixed media

 

Above the inspiration for this set of paintings....one evening when the teal sea complimented the reflections of the setting sun. The warm colours vivid in my memory and in opposition to the brisk chill of the evening. It was nose bitingly cold and stunningly beautiful.

Below the sequence of how they were painted, in which I hope I have shown the movement of the tide.

On a Teal Tide I - IV   mixed media on canvas boards 15x15cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

On a Teal Tide I   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

On a Teal Tide II   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

On a Teal Tide III   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

On a Teal Tide IV   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

All four pieces are available individually in my Folksy Store, they can be found in the Mixed Media Collection. 

https://folksy.com/find/shop/seasidestudiosuk

On a Teal Tide I-IV   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Surf Studies - mixed media on canvas boards

 

Surf Study I-IV   mixed media 10x10cm   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

A series of surf studies in mixed media. My attempt to capture the energy and sequential movement of the waves as they make their way to the shore. ...trying not to overpaint and overstate... to keep the sketchiness of a glimpse.

 

mixed media monoprint sketches ©2025LisaLeQuelenec 

These mixed media monoprint sketches from the Ran's Net project have been lingering in my mind and provided the starting point.

Surf Studies I - IV stage 1 ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

I started by scaring myself, going straight in with the darkest tones. The froth of the waves are made by preparing the board with scrim fabric, the texture of which lends itself to the shapes I wanted to capture. I wanted to keep some of the warmth of bare linen in these 'sketches' and knew I would find it hard to not overpaint.

Surf Studies I - IV stage 2 ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Stage 2, building up the colour and tones and deciding that I needed a little sky for the sea spray to fly against.

Surf Studies I - IV stage 3 ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Stage 3, tightening up the tones, working their push and pull, layer upon layer. Painting can be quite similar to watching the tide in some ways - advancing, retreating, pushing forward, knocking back.

All four pieces are available in my Folksy store.

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.

Spindrift & Spume I - IV

 

Spindrift & Spume I   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Spindrift & Spume II   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

So far a mini series but there may be more coming. They have been surprisingly difficult to get the balance between too much and not enough. I always find it hard not to fiddle. All four are available in my Folksy Store.

Spindrift & Spume III   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Spindrift & Spume IV   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Spindrift & Spume I -  IV   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The Nine Daughters of Ran - first edition complete

 

Nine Daughters of Ran   print and mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The first set of Ran's daughters completed, each daughter mounted onto A4 paper with handprinted and painted net that binds them and suggests the presence of their mother Ran.

My intention had been to bind the daughters into a book format, a concertina so that they could be viewed in a linear format as below in this mock up.

Nine Daughters of Ran   print and mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

I thought that this would be a good way of displaying the progression from calm to stormy waters, shallows to the deep. To be able to do this I think they need to be on a smaller scale and I should have thought through the practicalities at the beginning as needing to join sheets to make a long enough concertina became clumsy and distracting. If I were to exhibit and present this set I think they might actually work better framed individually so maybe this isn't as much of a set back as I made it in my  head.

I intend to do nine editions of the nine images using the same base lino blocks, each with different inking and different hand finishing - same sea but different tides - as each set of nine will be made over a long period of time I expect each to develop in different ways with different outcomes and I am thinking different ways of being presented. The idea of binding in a book isn't completely abandoned just yet and is probably something that I will return to, time will tell.

This first set is one that I will keep, a keystone for how the project will develop which may take some years. I am releasing them as prints on RedBubble  individually, in threes and as a print of all nine together in the formats below, they are also available as greeting cards.

Ran's Daughters Blóðughadda, Himinglæva & Kólga   prints available at RedBubble   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Ran's Daughters Hrönn, Bara & Unnor   prints available at RedBubble   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Ran's Daughters  Dufa, Bylgia & Hefring   prints available at RedBubble   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Nine Daughters of Ran   prints available at RedBubble   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

As a February side quest for the darkest month this project has grown considerably, I had no idea at the start I would be completing just a first round in May. I am hoping that I will discover more about the mythology surrounding these ladies and also parallels with other myths from around the world their commonality and differences; the sirens, selkies and mermaids come to mind and I am sure there are many others as I cast nets in waters outside of Europe. I am sure that these stories passed along trade routes with a bit from here and a bit from there added and missed along the way but with a core of similarities. Maybe you have suggestions that I could research I would love to hear.

Ran's Daughters - Bara, Unnor & Dufa

Bara - first experiment   mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The tempo is quickening....the breeze grows in strength....something is brewing.

Unnor  first experiment    mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Dufa   first experiment    mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

A stronger current, colder, deeper waters, a more insistent tug to the depths.

textures and colour mixing on my ink palette   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Ran's Daughters - Himinglæva, Kólga & Hrönn

 

Himinglæva - colour inspiration and first experiement    mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Colour inspiration for mixing ink   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Kólga - first experiment   mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Colour inspiration   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Ink mix and Hrönn first experiment   mixed media ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

So far these ladies have been a little playful but I think we are about to see a sea change....

Abstracted Wave I - IV & Wave Water Sand Spray I & II mixed media on canvas boards

 

So I have been a little bit busy....

Abstracted Wave I - IV   mixed media on canvas boards 15x15cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Abstracted Wave I   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

A new mini series of pieces using acrylic and collaged textures, mostly from fabric and textured papers. My love of line expressed through the loose threads and frayed edges which I think works well with the movement in the water that I am trying to suggest.

Abstracted Wave II   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

The rough edges feel important to me to the pieces and so I have left a margin of the white canvas board showing which frame the image. It has been suggested to me that it acts like a kind of frame and given their size they would suit standing propped on a shelf as well as framed. What do you think?

Abstracted Wave III   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

All four pieces are available in my Folksy Store.

Abstracted Wave IV   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Wave water sand spray I & II   mixed media on canvas boards 20x20cm  ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Slightly larger at 20x20cm here are two more in the series. Both pieces are available in my Folksy Store.

Wave water sand spray I   mixed media on canvas boards 20x20cm  ©2024LisaLeQuelenec 

Wave water sand spray II   mixed media on canvas boards 20x20cm  ©2024LisaLeQuelenec 

Wave Water Sand & Spray series   mixed media on canvas board   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Abstracted Wave I   mixed media on canvas board 15x15cm   ©2024LisaLeQuelenec

Below some of the inspiration.

Southbourne Splashes ©2024LisaLeQuelenec