Process

There are times when I have been asked how I go about developing my prints, and whilst anyone would be worried about revealing their secrets, I'd also find it very difficult to pin down my exact process. People can often be pedantic about the design process but everyone has their own way of working. To be honest, sometimes I like to use as little of my brain as possible and just rely on instinct! Each design has its own journey and it always feels as if the final result had just been a happy accident, every time I complete something that I am proud of, I think to myself 'I'll never be able to pull that off again' and yet somehow I do. I am almost certain there are other people that feel this way about their own work.

I only have a few rules that I like to set myself which I believe is important for anyone to do; rules and limitations allow us to be more creative because true design is about problem solving. For me, screen-printing allows for these limitations and I like to consider print processes even at the initial drawing stage. I think about how my drawings can be translated into print design sometimes before I put pen, pencil or brush to paper. I use black Indian ink as my primary medium, not only because I love the freedom and primitiveness of using brush and ink, but because it means that I can often transfer my designs straight onto tracing paper to form the negatives for my screens. I try not to be too precious about this process, keeping my drawings as loose as possible allowing for a more organic aesthetic where little 'mistakes' only add to the appeal of the design.

image source: digitalt museum

Inspiration for my designs comes equally from illustration and printmaking as it does from textiles or surface pattern, and so I find the initial drawing stage to be the most exciting part of a project and at any point of the design development I may return to drawing to keep ideas fresh and to reengage with my project in new ways.