A visit to Douai Abbey and a failed collagraph print

We were lucky enough to recently stay with a friend for the night in the cottages at Douai Abbey, near Reading Berkshire. A beautiful Abbey that was built in the 1930s and extended with incorporated modern stained glass windows in 1993.

I took inspiration from the windows to produce what I thought in my head would be a wonderful collagraph idea. For the plate I used was an Aldi oat milk carton and once I carved onto it I still had this vision in my head that would work.

I printed 3 copies on the Xcut Xpress and was happy with the results, until I tried to add colour.

This first attempt was watercolour, which really didn't work at all, just too bold and stark.

The next attempt was just pencil, which didn't work either, too wishy washy.

The last print I left uncoloured and have used it as reference in my sketch book that I have designated for collagraphs, so although the idea didn't work, I have still learned from it and actually I much prefer the simplicity of the untouched print.

Maybe I should have used different coloured inks at the printing stage but have yet to build up a collections of inks. I may well give I t another go another time though.

Christmas card test printing

I finished my carving and test printed the design onto newsprint and then card. I'm pretty happy but now need to decide what I want the final print to look like.

I don't know if I want to print onto white or coloured paper but think either way I'd like to have a go at Chine Colle over the bauble. 

Hopefully I'll decide before too long or they might just end end up being next years cards. 

The importance of blood pressure testing

My first result 

My husband took his blood pressure last week on one of those machines they have at sports clubs or gyms. To say the results were worrying is an understatement and it promoted a call to the doctors.

The first thing I did the next morning was buy a blood pressure home kit in order that we can keep an eye on his levels. He has been given a months worth of emergency tablets to bring the pressure down and will be followed up with a doctors call, along with having routine blood checks to give him a proper once over.

As women we get offered regular check ups, to include screenings for cervical and breast cancer, but men don't tend to get invited for regular check ups in the same way. This year alone I have had my cervical screening, got invited to do a home test for bowel cancer and have just received my mammogram results, thankfully all clear. Every few years at my surgery they also perform a general MOT, which includes checks for blood pressure, weight and diabetes etc. But my husband has not been to the doctors or had any contact with them in over 10 years.

High blood pressure is referred to as the 'silent killer' because so many people can have it with no symptoms, but it puts someone at a much greater risk of heart disease, a heart attack or stroke, amongst other things. My husband appears to be fit and healthy from the outside and is a prime example of what can happen with no regular testing or check ups.

Blood pressure guidelines vary, but the new general guidelines are as follows:

• Normal: Less than 120/80
• Elevated: Systolic between 120-129 and diastolic less than 80
• Stage 1: Systolic between 130-139 or diastolic between 80-89
• Stage 2: Systolic at least 140 or diastolic at least 90
• Hypertensive crisis: Systolic over 180 and/or diastolic over 120. A hypertensive crisis is a medical emergency.

My husband under all guidelines was well into a the hypertensive crisis stage, which meant that had he suffered from a headache or blurred vision it would have been an emergency, although we would not have been aware of this. My blood pressure at 130/69 is classed as high normal, although the diastolic at 69 is ideal.

The good thing to come out of this is that we now know where we stand and plan to not only to get it under control but to reverse it through diet and exercise, with the hope that he will be able to reduce and eventually come off any medication he now needs to take. 

It's been a wake up call that if we don't get fit and healthy we may not get to enjoy the retirement we have been planning for or be there to see our grandchildren grow up.

The immediate plan for both of us is to limit salt, drink more water, exercise and lose weight. Additionally  he will need to commit to eating a plant based diet at least 95% of the time and to give up the daily crisps and biscuits, which I also have been eating again since being in the house all day.

Christmas card progress

I'm using traditional Lino for this print, rather than the Japanese Lino that I have been using, to see which I prefer and which is easier.

I follow linocut artists on Instagram and watch YouTube videos to learn different techniques and styles to aid my progression with this form of printing. 

Everyone has different ways of approaching a print but a popular choice is traditional Lino, very lightly sanded and stained beforehand with acrylic paint, making it much easier to see where you have carved and where you haven't and slightly less slipping of the cutting tool achieved from the sanding.

Image reversed and transferred to the stained Lino

Black pen added 

Starting to carve

Although I have lost some of the clarity of the thin lines I was hoping to keep crisp, I'm relatively happy how things are currently going.

A new baby

When Bertie left us she left a huge hole in our hearts and in our lives. We picked up a new baby at the weekend to try and fill some of the gap left at Berties loss. 

Introducing Tuplip Tallulah, our 12 week old, black Miniature Schnauzer puppy. She's named Tulip for me and Tallulah for my husband, but she'll just be called Tulip in general day to day life.

We first met Tulip when she was 6 weeks old..

And then again at 9 weeks..

On pick up day she weighed a hefty 4.4 kilos and was the biggest puppy of the litter.

She's gorgeous but oh boy have I forgotten just how much hard work having a puppy is!

Christmas card designing

For a couple of years I've designed and printed a Christmas card to give to family and friends. 

This year I thought I'd start a bit earlier and have been working through a design. Usually I spend so long thinking of an idea that I just end up going with it, but this year I thought of a design and worked through it, altering it each time to finally end up with something that I'm happy with. It's been a really enjoyable process that I look forward to repeating.

I took inspiration from a number of different resources, taking elements from here and there and I'm now ready to prepare my Lino and start carving and that may be when it all goes wrong.

Design 1 and 2

Design 3

Design 4 and 5

Final design

Ready to go

French teacup collagraph

I took this photograph some years ago whilst visiting my friend in France. Having been inspired by a linocut artist Yassir Malik who I follow on instagram I thought id have a go at producing a collagraph print lovely based on the teacup photo.

French teacups, original photo

Evening carving

Finished plate

Pulled print

There are bits that I realised were not carved into when they should have been and although Ive altered the plate I have yet to have a go at reprinting it. All in all though pretty happy with the outcome. I ended up with a couple of good prints and will have a go at hand colouring one of them at some point.