New Prints!

My last post was all about drawing so I thought you might like to see the screen prints I made from my drawings. Brace yourself, they are quite bright!

I had lots of worries about the tree overlapping York Minster, (whether it took away from the image) but I am really pleased about how it has turned out. I used a photograph I took on my birthday to draw from. It was a cold but really bright winters day and I wanted to print the Minster in these sunny colours to reflect that.

I was hoping to create a gradient pattern with the colour on this print, I haven’t used this technique before but I like the painterly quality. I really love this view and I have painted it many times, so it has been nice to make something that makes a little bridge from drawing to painting.

This is Square Chapel in Halifax. Halifax was my neighbouring town when I was growing up in Brighouse. It was much visited, particularly in my teenage years! I had recently read about the kestrels nesting in the spire next to the building, so they get to have a fly  around in this picture.

It is really exciting to watch the developments to Square Chapel and the Piece Hall going on at the moment.To put a spot light on these fantastic buildings and spaces is a wonderful thing.

These prints are the first steps to creating a collection called “A Nothern Sky” and will feature all the places I love in Yorkshire. These prints are listed in my shop if you like them.

Any feedback on the colours or places you would like me to draw would be much appreciated!

 

Open Studios…Preview

This is a view of Stoodley Pike from Heptonstall. I took a photograph of it one summer evening last year. I loved the view so much I painted it. The original is sold but I have a giclée print of it available at Open Studios. The colours are lovely and rich (I had it printed locally at Knights Graphics) and I am really pleased with how close it is to the original.

I hope you can come and visit the Open Studios this weekend. I look forward to meeting you!

 

Preview…Open Studios

Plenty of postcards made for my open studios…particularly this one featuring my cat Billy!

And the real thing.

Open Studios…Preview

S is for Sunday, Seconds and Screen prints.This fella will be making an appearance at my Open Studios, as well as lots of seconds on sale..and that’s a lot of S’s.

Lovely Kingfishers

I still have an obsession with drawing Kingfishers. I love their shapes and colours. I decided to make a new print range using blues like before but also hotter colours like yellows and oranges, to echo their plumage.Being able to use colour like this is what always draws me back to screen printing. It is a real chance to develop my pen drawings. I hope you like them…

They are in my shop too!

New cards in my shop!

I finished printing these greetings cards on Monday… I thought I would share them with you! They are screen printed on recycled card.They are also now in my shop. Huzzah!

Giclée prints!

All of these lovelies are available at Heart Gallery and in my shop !

Leeds Craft Centre and Design Gallery

Last Saturday I was at Leeds Craft Centre and Design Gallery as part of a Meet the Maker day. I had a drawing space set up…

Where I sketched and showed my notebooks, drawings and screens that I use to make my prints.

I chatted to visitors about the exhibition. It was a great opportunity to explain the process behind the artwork.

I am so pleased with how the prints are displayed.

The exhibition also includes Jane Ormes and her prints look stunning;

It was great to see my art work was on the gallery banner!

“All Welcome” is just the perfect statement for this gallery as the team are so lovely and made me feel at home. So not only do they have an excellent range of prints, beautiful jewellery, ceramics etc but they also create the best atmosphere. Do visit this little haven in Leeds City centre! The exhibition is on until the 29th of October.

Sketch to screenprint; brave bear

I spotted this bear when drawing at Leeds City Museum. I had gone to draw birds really but found I couldn’t leave without paying him some attention. So here is he is from sketching to a screen print…

I made him for my upcoming exhibition at Leeds Craft Centre and Design Gallery with Jane Ormes. You can also buy him in my shop.

 

Hummingbird prints and colour

Lately I have been working on some brand new prints for an exhibition at Leeds Craft Centre and Design Gallery . As well as my artwork there will be the talented Jane Ormes showing her lovely prints.

It is the first time in a long time I have screen printed anything big and to tell the truth I was a bit nervous about it.I began by drawing at Leeds City Museum as I felt that would be a nice link to the gallery, being literally up the road from it!

I decided I would start with a collection of small hummingbird drawings as there was a little bird that caught my eye in the museum…

I began to realise as I was printing that putting the colours together was the thing that was interesting me most. It got me thinking that a medium like screen printing has a certain look when developed from a pen drawing, a certain quality of line. Possibly then my USP is my love of colour and the palette I choose.

I began to work on the idea of block colours, so I had a contrast between my detailed line drawings and more abstract shapes.I have been a bit preoccupied with circles in my artwork for some time.

It was so nice to create something organically and develop the work in the print room (I usually plan everything beforehand).

Colour detail.

So I just have a little more printing to do and I am less nervous.

The exhibition begins on the 2nd of July. There is also a meet the printmaker day on the 9th of July where you can see me drawing, please do come and say Hi!

I will post more prints soon and some of the preparatory drawings shortly. I hope you like them.

all images copyright Julia Ogden