From September 2019 to 2020 I took one of Spike Island's portfolio courses - Printmaking for Textiles, run by Justyna from Addicted to Patterns. It's been a hugely rewarding experience, where I have gained new skills and developed as an artist and print designer. A lot of my previous work had been digital, so I wanted to take the course to be able to incorporate more hand-made quality into what I do. From using stencils, lino cut, screen printing and transfer techniques, I discovered a new way of working which now incorporates a more artisanal effect into the prints and patterns that I make.
My final collection
I played with a tropical theme throughout the course, so I stuck with this for my final project, fusing it with simple shapes and forms. I wanted to be able to create a collection of products that could be sold as a product range once the course was over.
Covid:
Unfortunately the final few months of this course were during the coronavirus pandemic. However the course was adjusted well, and we were able to do a lot of online learning, and a final month in the studio in September to complete our final project with the rest of the group.
What's next
Now that I'm done, I'm excited about working on commissions again, incorporating the new techniques I learnt. Though I am also looking forward to making a product range similar to what I created on the course, which will hopefully be the first of many.
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