CMYK screen printing is a great way of bringing both your photographic and coloured art images to life through colour separation. This is achieved by layering four colours (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) on top of each other using only 4 screens.  To start, you will need to digitally create your artwork by completing the colour separation process (see our previous blog). Once you have generated your artwork, you will be ready to print your films and expose your screen.  If you’re unable to do this yourself, we can do it for you through our custom screen exposure service. When your screen is exposed and dry, tape around the underside of the screen to cover any open areas of mesh using parcel tape or blue block out tape. Now is also a good time to prepare your printing area making sure that everything you need is to hand, especially a bucket of cold water and soft sponge for cleaning. Before you start, you will need to prepare your inks. To do this you want to mix System3 Acrylic Medium with System3 Acrylic Paint in a 50:50 ratio. You will need to use the process cyan, process magenta, process yellow and black acrylic paints for this. Here we have mixed 100g of acrylic medium with 100g of acrylic paint. You want to make sure that your inks are completely combined before use so make sure to give them a good mix. To test the colour, swatch onto a scrap piece of paper. The inks will be vibrant but slightly transparent. This will allow them to overlap when printed and produce the final CMYK result.   For this project we have exposed our artwork on two A2 90T screens. We’re using a hinge board to hold our screen in place and ensure that it always goes down in the same place. Accurate registration is essential for this process. If like us you have exposed two layers on one screen you will need to cover one of them to protect it whilst you print. We’re starting with our cyan layer, so we want to cover our magenta layer. Using magazine sheets or a scrap piece of acetate, cover the design that you are not currently printing.   Apply a thick bead of ink to the top of your design and lightly flood your screen with ink. Make sure to hold your squeegee at a 45 degree angle. Place your squeegee back at the top of your design making sure you have no excess ink. Pull the squeegee back over the design using a nice firm, even pressure to print onto your registration film below. Before lifting your screen make sure to flood your design with ink. Halftone screens combined with a higher mesh count are prone to blockages so this step is essential.   Using your registration film as a guide position your paper.   Apply masking tape around the bottom corners of your paper to use as a registration guide. Once you're happy with the position of your paper, lower your screen and take your first print. This print will be your guide for the subsequent layers.   Pop a new piece of paper in position and cover your registration marks with parcel tape.   You can now print the first layer of your edition.   When you are ready to move on to the next layer, remove any excess ink from your squeegee and screen and clean down using your soft sponge and cold water. You can then dry your screen using an old tea towel or a hairdryer on the coldest setting. When the screen is completely dry you can move on to your next layer.   Repeating the steps above cover the design you no longer need and print your next layer onto your registration film. Use your first print - the one with registration marks - to align your next layer. When you're happy with your paper placement, reapply your masking tape guides. You can then do a test print on top of your first print to make sure that your registration marks align.   Cover your registration marks and print the next layer of your edition. Remembering to flood your screen between each print. Repeat the cleaning steps and move on to the next layer.   Repeat the process for the yellow layer. Be aware that this one can be a little trickier to register as it is lighter in colour.   You will now see the image coming to life!   Repeat the previous steps and finish by printing your black layer. The finished print!   For this project you will need: Aluminium screens with your artwork exposed. Squeegee Hinge Board (registration board and hinge clamps) Registration Film System3 Acrylic Medium System3 Acrylic Paint Paper to print onto - Snowdon Spatula Parcel Tape or Blue Block Out Tape Scissors Bucket with cold water and a soft sponge Tea towel

I'm Kathryn Desforges, a Devon-born, Yorkshire-based artist with a passion for printmaking, process, and material experimentation. I specialise in etching, lithography and woodcut, and alongside my studio practice, my career as a printmaking technician and tutor intertwines with and informs my work. I love working intuitively with materials - embracing and exploiting incidental marks and chance happenings. Moving between representational and non-representational, the interaction and influence of elemental forces and structures is a recurring theme in my work. I aim to make pieces which feel balanced, grounded and calming, with a quiet simplicity that draws the viewer in, inviting reflection and moments of stillness in an otherwise busy world. Describe your printmaking process. I don't have a fixed way of working, and for me print is not necessarily something I do to create a finished piece. I use it quite experimentally, often I'll make monoprints as a way of starting a piece or generating ideas. Sometimes these then get cut up and collaged together to create new forms and compositions. I use a range of different techniques in my work, mainly mokuhanga, (Japanese-style woodblock printing), mokulito, (lithography on wood), and etching. I don't usually have a fixed idea of what I'm going to make, a piece usually comes about through a kind-of conversation with the materials I'm using, letting them guide and nudge me in a particular direction. I get excited when I find a new way of doing something which gives me a result I've not seen before. I love it when I can see traces of the materials I've used in the finished work - allowing them to come through and be part of the process. How and where did you learn to print? I learned etching from a brilliant technician on my Fine Art degree at Kingston University, and have been in love with printmaking ever since! I graduated in 2005, and went on to do an artist residency at Intaglio Printmaker in London - a hugely valuable year where I honed my etching skills and taught myself photo-etching. Shortly afterwards I moved to Yorkshire, and I've carried on learning since then. Being a print technician means I have to know a lot about a wide variety of print processes. I've undertaken various artist residencies during my career. I studied lithography at Leicester Print Workshop for a year, and back in 2018 I went to Japan for five weeks to study Japanese woodblock printing, which has been hugely influential in my work since. Why printmaking? I love the physicality of printmaking - its almost sculptural nature. You are physically interacting with the materials - carving, scratching, gouging, sanding. The particular qualities of the marks you get from each print process are totally unique - the random, incidental marks that you get when you're making an etching for example - the areas of 'foul bite' where it etches through in unexpected places - that's what I love. The unpredictability of the materials means it's always exciting and always leads me to make images which are surprising. I have a tendency to think too much, and making a print helps to get me out of my head and into my body, relying on my knowledge of the materials I'm using to make decisions - how stiff the ink is, how smooth the wood is, how damp the paper is. It's an all-consuming, sensory activity and I love it!   Where do you work? I have a little studio at home, which I have managed to squeeze an etching press into. It's a great little space and I cherish the time I get to spend in it. Sometimes I'm joined by my two furry feline studio helpers too. I also work part-time as a print technician at West Yorkshire Print Workshop - a fantastic, Arts Council-funded print studio with impressive facilities and an immensely supportive community of artists and printmakers. Recently I've been running the Print Fellowship programme - a year-long opportunity for a young person to learn the skills to become a print technician. It's massively rewarding to pass on skills and see someone flourishing! Describe a typical day in your studio. An average day in my studio starts off with a cup of strong Yorkshire tea. I'll plan what I need to do and try to pin down my priorities for the day, which is often getting ready for a course I'm teaching - sorting materials, writing handouts, etc. On days where I'm able to focus on my own practice, I can often be found experimenting with some print technique that I've been thinking about for ages! When I'm excited about something I can often hyperfocus for hours and completely lose track of time. Recently I've been trying out painterly monoprinting, using a wood block as a matrix. These experiments will often work their way into pieces later down the line. How long have you been printmaking? I've been doing this ever since I graduated. That was back in 2005, so almost 20 years! What inspires you? I get inspiration from a really wide variety of things - walking, nature, books, art. But a lot of the time it's the beauty in very mundane, everyday things which captures my attention - something as simple as light streaming in through a window and hitting the wall in an interesting shape or pattern. Often it is the movement and flow of natural elements which preoccupies me. Robert McFarlane's book 'Underland' has been a big inspiration recently, as have a couple of exhibitions I've seen in the last few years - Helen Frankenthaler 'Radical Beauty' at Dulwich Picture Gallery was one. Her abstract, painterly prints were a revelation! I recently saw an exhibition of Andrew Cranston's paintings at The Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield. The way he applied the paint to the canvas was beautiful, and it made me want to use print in a more painterly way.  What is your favourite printmaking product? I've always been a big fan of Charbonnel etching inks, particularly black 55985 which is a beautifully, smooth, rich, intense black. I also love Awagami Japanese papers. They are brilliant for woodblock printing, lithography and lots of different print processes. What have you made that you are most proud of? I made a piece in 2020 called 'Support Structures', which is still up there as one of my favourites. It was one of those pieces where everything seemed to come together and just work, even though it was technically quite challenging to make. It was featured in Living Etc magazine, and the whole edition sold out. I had a lot of feedback from people saying they connected with it as an image, which felt pretty good! One of the best things about being an artist is when people connect with your work, and if they connect with it enough to buy it to have on their wall and live with it every day, that's a huge thing.  Where can we see your work? Where do you sell? You can see more of my work on my website. I'm updating my online shop there at the moment with some newer pieces, but you can subscribe to my mailing list and I'll keep you up-to-date. What will we be seeing from you next? At the moment I'm revisiting a series called 'Fragments' which I started a few years ago. They're playful, one-off pieces on plywood which combine collage, print and drawing. I'm enjoying the freedom of working with abstract shapes and playing with composition. Some of my more recent work has also started to move into three dimensions, coming out from the wall and taking up physical space, to the point where I've recently made my first ever 3-D pieces! So I'm looking forward to making more, and seeing what follows. Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives? Exhibit when you can, get to know other printmakers and make sure that you have a supportive community of other artists around you. It helps when you're in your studio by yourself to know that you have a network of other people that you can ask for help when you're feeling stuck or bounce questions off.  If you'd like to learn more about the techniques Kathryn has mentioned here, why not join her for a workshop in Handprinted Studio? Mokulito with Kathryn Desforges - 2-day course - Sat 15th & Sun 16th Feb 2025 Mokuhanga with Kathryn Desforges - 2-day course - Mon 17th & Tues 18th Feb 2025 To see more of Kathryn follow her on Instagram.

Hi! I'm Julia Triay, I'm an illustrator and printmaker from Mallorca, Spain based in Norwich. I moved to Norwich 8 years ago to study illustration. I fell in love with this fine city and made it my home. I recently quit my job to become a full time illustrator, which has been a very exciting step in my career.  Describe your printmaking process.  My main medium is linocut. I quite enjoy planning my blocks before carving them, therefore I always start by drawing my designs in my sketchbook, and then transfering them with tracing paper on to my block. However, I do enjoy adding most of the details while carving, as I love the unexpected shapes you can achieve.  How & where did you learn to print?  I learnt to print about 9 years ago. I took part in a workshop back home in Mallorca hosted by a very talented printmaker called Pablo Salvaje. Later on while studying at Norwich University of the Arts, I reconnected with linocut and started using this as my main medium. Where do you work?  I recently started renting my first ever studio. Until now I had always worked from home, but having a dedicated space to create has made a massive difference in my life. I feel so much more productive when I'm in my studio and it has very quickly become my happy place. My studio is in Norwich city centre and I share it with Gemma Rose who is a very cool and colourful knitwear artist. Describe a typical day in your studio. A typical day in my studio, I will arrive at 11am and put on the coffee machine straight away. I start by checking my emails and my orders and making a plan/ to do list for the day. Once all the less fun admin work is out of the way, I will start printing orders. If I am all up to date with orders, I would work on creating new designs and products. I am quite the night owl, so I feel I am my most productive and creative in the evening. I like to get all my life admin done in the morning so I can just focus on being creative throughout the rest of the day. I will often stay in my studio until 8pm or 9pm. How long have you been printmaking? I've been printmaking on and off for the past 6 years, but I feel like I have actually dedicated to it fully in the past 4 years. What inspires you? I am mostly inspired by nature. I love capturing the essence of different seasons through plants and produce. Things that  bring me joy, such as food and interesting facts about animals. On a deeper level, I find so much inspiration in all the creative people in my life, such as my mum. Seeing their love for their craft makes me feel so lucky to also have a passion that can bring others joy and to be able to share it.  What is your favourite printmaking product? I am the biggest fan of Cranfield oil based relief printing inks. I use them both to print on paper and on fabric and I just love their colour range.   What have you made that you are most proud of? I created a series of prints that focused around bettering my relationship with myself, titled 'My body deserves my love'. I've had a few people reach out about the print, saying how much it meant to them and how it was a positive affirmation in the form of art to have in their bathroom as a reminder to be kind to themselves. It made me really proud that I was able to help and connect with people through my art.  Where can we see your work? Where do you sell? You can find my work on Instagram and on my online shop What will we be seeing from you next? I am currently preparing and making stock for Christmas markets, so you can expect limited edition prints, Christmas cards, advent calendars and a selection of handprinted textile goodies such as tees and cozy jumpers and socks. Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives? Embrace how long the linocutting process is. I personally enjoy working on a large lino block for many hours or even days. It forces me to slow down from the hectic day to day life. It's almost a form of meditation for me, and it allows me to clear my head by just focusing on 1 thing. Instead of looking at carving as something that takes a long time and requires patience, I like to look at it as a chance to have some quality alone time. To see more from Julia follow her on Instagram

Are you looking to start the year by learning a new skill or starting a fresh project? Perhaps you just need a boost of inspiration? We've put together some projects to get you going for the year ahead. Introduction to Linocut Did you get some new tools for Christmas and you'd like help getting started with linocut? Our Introduction to Linocut video can help kick-start your first project! Reduction Linocut If you're enjoying relief printing but want to up your game, reduction printing might be the perfect direction! Watch our simple video instructions to help transform your prints into multi-colour, complex designs, still using only a single sheet of lino. Mono Screen Printing If you'd like something fresh to do with your screens, mono screen printing is fast and produces beautifully matte textured painterly prints.   Repeat Pattern Stamping Carving and printing a stamp is a fast and fun way to tap into your creativity. This project uses a small block to print a huge variety of patterns.  Fabric Painting Bring the spring blooms in early with this simple fabric painting project. We have loads of tutorials, videos and of course printmaking products at handprinted.co.uk if you need more!

What a busy year in the studio! Thank you to everyone who has joined us for a workshop, event or open access studio session. Let's take a look at what's being going on in the Handprinted Studio in 2024: WORKSHOPS 2024 has been packed with workshops, taught by our team as well as lots of amazing guest tutors.  We were thrilled to be joined by Gemma Berenguer for two free workshops! Gemma's extensive screen printing knowledge was shared generously with two eager groups and everyone went home with their own to-layer screen print on fabric. Gemma will be joining us in 2025 for an amazing 5 day Screen Printing Workshop! We love our Fab Friday Workshops - social, relaxed sessions for beginners, improvers or simply those with a creative streak waiting to be unleashed. Some amazing work has come out of our Fab Fridays this year. Next year's Fab Fridays are looking good already - get on a waiting list now! Our Six Weeks of Screen Printing workshops have been a wonderful way to deep-dive into all the wonderful screen printing techniques.  Sarah Campbell is guaranteed to bring joy to the studio with her Making Patterns Workshop, (back in February 2025!) Robin MacKenzie worked his magic with wood engraving. The workshop group created a stunning collection of prints. Robin is back with us in May. Paul Catherall came in to give a masterclass in linocut, covering both multi-block and reduction printing. Join him for his next workshop in September 2025. Jonny Hannah has been in the studio, inspiring us with his graphic, dynamic screen printing style. He'll be back in June 2025. Sue Brown's wonderful way with botanicals, paper and fabric resulted in some gorgeous prints and papers. Hiroko Imada joined us to share her extensive knowledge of Japanese Woodblock Printing. Jenny McCabe wowed us with her stunning etchings, and so did the workshop students! We're lucky to have Jenny with us in 2025 to teach both a collagraph and etching workshop.  Ian Burke's combination of wood and linocuts created an amazing body of work from the workshop students! The studio was buzzing with activity when Angela Hall joined us to share her screen printing skills. Angela will be back in October 2025. During Tricia Johnson's Monoprint Life Drawing Workshop (back in May 2025), students produced vibrant and energetic responses to our model.   Karen Carter delivered a selection of wonderful Gel Plate Workshops, and will be back in 2025 with White Line Woodblock and Experimental Monoprint Workshops.  Kathryn Green joined us for six weeks to teach Screen Printing with Procion Dyes, creating amazing textiles filled with pattern and colour.   HANDPRINTED ON TOUR You may have spotted some of the Handprinted team out and about this year! We loved meeting some of you at our stands at Winchester Print Fair and Printfest Ulverston, saw some wonderful printmakers at Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, and checked out the amazing work at York Print Makers Fair. Bridget and Shirley also made it all the way to Creativeworld in Frankfurt, and Shirley visited some of our favourite printmaking spots in Barcelona!  SOLAR POWER We're so thrilled to be celebrating 1 year of solar power at the Handprinted Shop and Studio!  2020 PRINT EXCHANGE The 2020 Print Exchange is one of our favourite events of the year because it enables us to flex our own printmaking muscles, and allows us to see a huge selection of incredible work!    We're looking forward to seeing lots of you for more events and workshops in 2025. Thank you to everyone who has helped to make our year.