Art, Paper, Prints and Painting

Artist Trading Cards, or ATCs, are tiny pieces of art with a big creative punch. Measuring just 2.5 x 3.5 inches—about 6 x 9 mm —ATCs are designed to be swapped, collected, and shared with other artists.  What makes them special is their accessibility: anyone can make them, and there are no rules beyond the size. You’ll find ATCs created with paint, collage, printmaking, photography, fabric, or even mixed media. The charm of ATCs lies in the community they foster. Artists often trade cards in person at meetups or online through swaps, which creates a fun, supportive network of creativity. It’s not about selling but about sharing—an exchange of ideas and styles captured on a miniature canvas. For beginners, ATCs are a perfect way to experiment. The small format makes them less intimidating than a large canvas, and because they’re meant to be traded, they encourage playfulness and freedom. Many artists use them as a way to test out techniques or repurpose scraps and leftover material...

I love paper. Ever since I started printing I love the feel and texture of paper. There are so many varieties of paper. Hands made, machine made, papers for different purposes, art, printing, tracing, watercolour etc etc. I love pepper with a texture. So many papers have a texture. Sometimes you won’t realise it until you touch it.   I have a lot of respect for paper. It is a natural material. Mostly made from wood pulp, but also from linen, cotton, grasses and so forth. I don’t like to waste paper. I keep scraps and use them for lists, for collage, just not throw paper away even if it’s   going to be recycled.   I started making boxes and books to go in the boxes. I used to buy beautiful sheets of decorative paper to cover the books and the boxes.   I still make books and I cover them in my own prints.   I also have a stock of screen prints that were not good enough to sell. (No waste please!) So I started cutting the unwanted printed paper up to make books and...

Lithography is one of the most fascinating and historic printmaking techniques. Developed in the late 18th century, it was once the medium of choice for artists like Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, and Käthe Kollwitz. Today, it remains a powerful way to create rich, textured prints with endless creative possibilities. If you’re curious about getting started, here’s what you need to know. What is Lithography? At its core, lithography works on the principle that oil and water don’t mix. Traditionally, artists draw directly onto a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy medium. The surface is then treated chemically so that the drawn areas attract ink while the blank areas repel it. When dampened, the plate or stone can be rolled with ink and pressed to paper, producing beautiful, repeatable images. What You’ll Need to Begin Lithography does require some specialised tools and materials. If you’re new, it’s worth joining a community print studio where the heavy equipment is already available. B...

  Why Try Lithography? Lithography offers a unique combination of freedom and control. You can work with detailed line drawing, painterly washes, or bold, graphic shapes. The textures and layers are unlike anything digital printing can replicate. Plus, it connects you with centuries of printmaking tradition. Tips for Beginners Start by taking a workshop—handling the materials makes everything click. Work at a shared print studio if possible, since presses and stones are heavy and expensive. Don’t be afraid of mistakes; lithography is as much about learning the process as making finished prints. Lithography can feel a little intimidating at first, but once you’ve tried it, the magic of seeing your first image come off the press is unforgettable. Whether you’re an artist, a printmaker, or just someone curious about traditional crafts, lithography is a rewarding way to combine drawing, chemistry, and creativity. Next post will be a beginners guide on how to start the process of lithog...

  One of the things I love most about gel printing is the element of surprise. You roll on some paint, maybe add a stencil or press in a texture, pull the paper off the plate—and suddenly you’ve got something completely unexpected. Sometimes the print is gorgeous on its own, but a lot of the time I end up with papers that feel more like “hmm, interesting.” And that’s where collage comes in. Why They Work So Well Together Gel prints make the best collage material. All those textures, smudges, and layers of color become these beautiful little building blocks. Even the “not-so-pretty” prints take on new life when you rip them up and layer them with others. It’s like every scrap has potential—you just need to find where it fits. Here’s how I usually do it. Grab your print papers – The more variety, the better. Tear or cut – Sometimes I go for rough edges, sometimes clean shapes.  Play around – I move pieces around on my base until it starts to look reight. try to get a balance. I...

AI is making it easier than ever to create unique, eye-catching pictures. With tools like MidJourney , you can type in a simple prompt—“a neon city floating in the clouds” or “a cat dressed as a pirate”—and get back detailed, professional-looking images in seconds. You don’t need drawing skills or expensive software, just your imagination and a few words are enough to spark incredible results.  The fun lies in experimenting, seeing unexpected outcomes, and letting AI help you capture ideas you might never have been able to sketch by hand. But the magic doesn’t have to stop with a still image. MidJourney now lets you animate those creations directly into short video clips. With a single click on the Animate button, your static picture can turn into a living scene—a camera slowly panning through your neon city, or your pirate cat swaying as if caught by the wind. You can keep it subtle with gentle motion or go bold with dramatic shifts, creating clips up to 21 seconds long. In just ...

  In recent years, creative practices have become increasingly recognised for their role in supporting mental health. Among these practices,  g el printing  — a playful and versatile form of mono-printing using a gel plate—has gained popularity not only for its artistic possibilities but also for the therapeutic benefits it offers. Unlike traditional printmaking, Gel printing requires minimal equipment and expertise, making it accessible to beginners and seasoned artists alike. Beyond creating vibrant textures and layers, the process can nurture emotional well-being in powerful ways. The tactile nature of rolling paint, placing stencils, and pulling prints from the gel plate invites us to fully engage in the moment. Much like meditation, Gel printing draws attention away from rumination and into the present. The rhythmic actions—rolling, layering, lifting—can help calm the nervous system and promote a sense of flow, where worries temporarily fade. Unlike traditional art f...

  I am not completely convinced that a web page will be worth the time and effort not to mention the cost! No matter what they say about AI making a web page for you in 20 seconds, it's  just not true.  Yes, it will generate a web page but it's  not actually any good as it still needs you to input your information, your thoughts, your style, influences, techniques and all the photos of your work. That, my dear readers is what takes time, effort and money. Yes, money. As a web page is not at all free. Even if you spend hours & hours creating a page with the help of AI, you still have to buy your domain, pay for hosting, pay for extras, so it is not free at all. After that you have to spend hours posting your work on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, linkedin and any other social media that you can think of.  It doesn't mean you will sell anything either. In fact your ideas and style can easily be copied. And it's  very difficult to control and police your wo...

  Gel Printing for Beginners: Unlocking Creativity with Colour and Texture Gel printing is an exciting, beginner-friendly art technique that blends colour, texture, and creativity into a single process. Using a gel plate—a soft, flexible surface—you can easily create unique prints for cards, scrapbooking, or mixed-media art. Here’s how to get started!   Materials You'll Need  Acrylic paints and alcohol inks are perfect for gel printing. Acrylics offer bold, opaque coverage, while alcohol inks create translucent, vibrant effects. Other essentials include a brayer (roller), paper or fabric to print on, and tools to create texture.   Creative Stencil Ideas Stencils are a must for adding pattern and depth. You don’t need expensive ones—make your own! Cut shapes from card stock, repurpose plastic packaging, or use household items like lace, leaves, or bubble wrap for unique patterns.   How to Gel Print  1. Squeeze a small amount of acrylic paint onto t...

 Gelli Prints - on Gelli plate or silicone plate? If you want any sort of large size print you need to either join several prints together or Get a big gel plate. Now gel plates are expensive. There are lots of recipes for gel plates but I think most are either difficult to make or don't last long. I bought a Gelli plate that measures 20 x 25 cm and I find it excellent. If I clean it properly after use and store it properly then its as good as new for the next time.  However I want to try printing larger than 20 x 25 cm. So I have bought a silicone mat. Its 1.5 cm thick so should have a bit of "give" in it. 

I have been printing lot recently using Gelli plates and acrylic paint. I love the gel plate to print with. It holds the paint nicely and doesn't dry the paint too quickly. Anyhow should the paint dry too fast its not a disaster. Lay a thin coat of transparent medium and you can pull the print. Or a thin layer of white paint - if your paper is white of course.  I have also been thinking of how to use up all those prints. What I like doing is using the prints to cover boxes made from recycled carton. They are quite small but quite rigid at the same time but are also quite inexpensive.  Here is a selection of recent prints. As you can see it was made with leaves that I collected from the garden. Dark colour printed first with the leaves then red then yellow. I often use thick tissue paper to blot the paint which leaves a nice texture which I like.  This was a transfer from a magazine. You need to use high quality glossy photographs from the more expensive magazines like Vog...

 Hey, I'm back! Again?  😁 Ok I have been out of touch for a bit, Ha a bit sez you! More like a bit much.  But hey ho, here I am.  So now I am full of ideas and energy and I have been hard at work. I got really into Gelli printing recently so I will start with that.  First what is Gelli printing. Easy, its printing mono prints on a plate made from a type of glycerine. Wow cool. Yes its fun too. I bought the gel plate from Gelli Arts or on Amazon and you can suss it out here and see if you like the idea. Personally I love it. There is so much you can do, so many different textures and transfers you can make. And you use acrylic paint which means it dries really fast. Although if you want to slow it sown you can with a slow dry medium. But don't worry I'll take you through all the steps and before you know it you will be having great fun and coming up with all sorts of ideas for your own work.  Here is a sample of one of my prints. It's a photo transfer from ...

Etsy, Instagram or Exhibitions? Where Artists Should Sell Their Work in 2026 We are artists trying to make a living from our work. It's not easy and most of the time it's frustrating and downright depressing. But do we give up? No, we continue, we persevere and hope that one day we will find success. Success is different for everyone. For some it's to have a gallery take them on, for others to have an exhibition, for some it's to earn a living from their work, and others to sell enough to cover the cost of their materials. However, we don't give up. We've been told that social media is the way to go. We've read about success stories. Artists making enough from internet sales to give up the day job. But the reality is this. You get likes and the more artists and people you follow, the more likes you get. You write up your blog. You put your photos on Instagram, and FaceBook, you pin on Pinterest, you open a shop on Etsy, you link on Linkin. But tell me, how...

It's September, back to work, full of ideas to improve my blogs, my art, my inspiration. So whats new? Well, I'm planning my November exhibition, getting mailing list updated, planning the venue, planning the private viewing. This I think is important. People LOVE to be invited to a preview and a private view evening is perfect and in fact most sales can be generated from a private view. Then when the expo is open people see the red dots and think "hmm, as so many are sold I'd better buy too!" It's psychological and 9 times out of 10 it works! Win win! Have you any brill ideas for expositions?

You'd like to own some original art but you don't have much money. You don't want posters or cheap prints.  So what do you do?   You go to art school end of year shows, you contact local artists in your area, you go to local exhibitions and there you will meet artists of all ages who work in different styles and in various mediums.   If you like their art, you talk to the artists and you can often negotiate an original work of art for a very reasonable price. Many big collectors of art started like that. By going  to art school shows you meet up and coming artists. Maybe one day they will be a big name and you will have bought their work for a fraction of the price that it would be worth when they are famous.   Ok, so not all students will become famous. However, you should buy art because you like it not because you think it's a good investment.   By meeting the artists at these shows, you get to discuss their inspiration, their motivation, their ideas a...

An original" or "fine art" prints as defined by the Print Council of America as an image drawn or etched or engraved on some surface by the artist, who prints a limited number of the pieces by hand (or personally supervises someone else doing it), then signs and numbers the individual prints and defaces the printing plate or erases the image on the lithographic stone.  So original art is not a reproduction nor a copy.  For example it can be an etching, a lithograph or a screen print produced in a limited edition by the artist if possible or if not it has been supervised by the artist. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist. Often it has the printers stamp on the reverse or bottom corner.  How can you tell if it's an original and not a copy or reproduction? Get a magnifying glass and look carefully at the print. If it is an etching, it is pretty easy. First it will always have a plate mark around the image. This is a sort or relief or indent in...

As you can see, the screenprint comes in different colour ways. I think its fun to experiment, try turning the screen around for example. Of course if you buy one of these prints it wont have the copyright watermark, that goes without saying.  Let me know what you think. Do you like it? If not why not? I'm always interested in feedback or questions.  This is one from the series  " The Woods ".  It was inspired by a photograph taken in Cornwall UK one winter's day.  Paper dimensions: Image dimensions: Price: €60 Postage and packing Europe: €15 Postage and packing rest of world: €25 The © watermark will not be on the purchased print. 

Selling on the net is not easy. So what's the bottom line? How do we sell our work online? How do we sell our work direct to the clients? How do we get in touch with people who are interested in art and wish to buy direct from the artist instead of paying a commission to a gallery? I think there is no easy way. I spend a lot of time at my art work. I also spend a lot of time updating my ads on different seller sites and linking to my shops and web pages. My art might not be to everyone's taste, but I have sold steadily down through the years in exhibitions, so my work does please some people.   Every artist has their own technique, ability and inspiration. Every buyer has their own taste and budget. However for the net, it's different than face to face with a potential buyer. In person, one can size up the other and judge whether they are really interested in the work. Either they like it and want to buy or they don't. If they do it's an easy sell. On th...

Of the thousands of sites out there dedicated to selling artists works (for a fee), the best known is of course http://whttp://www.ebay.com/. They sell anything and everything. I am not convinced a potential client will look for art and crafts on eBay. I've looked at paintings on their lists. Some you would not want on your wall and some are so cheapI wonder how the artist can pay for the materials.  Cost of advertising: they charge an insertion fee and a final value fee. Very few buyers are willing to spend a lot of money for a work of art that they have not seen in reality. Screen colours differ from one computer to another and many people find it hard to imagine sizes and dimensions. I personally would not buy a work of art from the net. Next big site is http://www.etsy.com/. They are hugely successful as they are dedicated to selling only arts and crafts and all things hand made. Some of their best selling items are jewellery and vintage items, as well as art suppli...