I applied to attend the filming as a Wildcard entry in Whitstable, following in the footsteps of my Mum who was a Wildcard at Chartwell in 2020.

The wildcards were positioned in socially distanced lines along the pontoon, looking out across the coast to the West towards Seasalter. It was difficult for me at first, because I am a graphic designer by trade and I like to compartmentalise with lines and block colours. So, after sitting, staring around me for about twenty minutes, I turned myself sideways and decided to focus my attention on the Lifeguard Station. After all, to me this is one of the key elements that makes Whitstable what it is. A family friendly beach town. In fact, during the day the lifeguards were called out 4 times! It was an extremely busy day, the hottest of the year so far and the coastline was covered in people trying to enjoy the sun together.

I’ll be honest – I was a bit too enthusiastic to begin with and realised after half an hour that drawing straight on to my linoleum would have been fine, if I had remembered to draw my landscape reflected! With the fact that I had already wasted an hour of my 4 hour time allowance, I started again. Amusingly, Kathleen Soriano caught me starting my second and we shared a giggle at my expense.

The rest of the day went well. I decided to create a jigsaw block – cutting my Lino in to 3 slices so that I could ink them in separate colours and pop them back in to my jig reassembled. This yielded a clean and vibrant print, which was honest & unquestionably mine. I am glad I made a jig and used my Turnes Burton Pins as this made the process a lot quicker and easier.

Colour choice was easy. It was the hottest day of the year and everyone was uncomfortable, so the combination reflected that. The heat made the ink run away, but I was glad I chose oils as the quick drying of water based inks would have been potentially awful.

Pack down was interesting, as I had so much to clean up. However, using vegetable oil and paper towels meant that I didn’t need access to water, so I just wiped everything clean and popped it in a bin bag to take home and recycle. I collected my Lino shavings in a pot and put everything back in my box.

Linocut outside is definitely hard work. Keeping out of the sun as it changed position was a challenge, but I’m glad I chose to sit on the floor – it was preferable to being hunched over my lap for 4 hours. The crew seemed amused by my little floor area but Kate was happy to sit down with me for two progress interviews.

At the end, the director explained that one Wildcard would be chosen from the 50 artists as the Wildcard winner and that Kate Bryan would reveal who that was. I stood and had a giggle with Dame Joan Bakewell, though I will admit that at the time, I had no idea who she was! It’s fortunate that I was on my best behaviour.

When Kate stopped to speak to me I was completely unprepared and shocked. Having spent the day surrounded by so many capable artists, it seemed surreal to be the chosen one. Watching it back, my face says it all!

7 months later, I am still utterly riding the wave of this experience.

Linocut is a very misunderstood art form and isn’t represented enough. To create a print in just 4 hours is a huge challenge and as the image only arrives at the end of the process, it’s difficult to visualise – especially for those who are new to the concept. It’s not as instant as a painting.

My work has often invited criticism and I definitely felt out of place amongst the oils and watercolours. But I am proud that I was true to myself, I created a print that is honest and having watched the programme back now, I believe that I won simply because I was different. And ultimately, that’s what all of us artists are trying to achieve isn’t it… ?

Why am I going on about this? Well different platforms allow access to different audiences for selling your work. But they also allow you to network with other people who you can share and learn with. This is a huge part of any creative process. You don’t copy or steal other people’s designs as this is just downright rude and lazy. But, it can help to inspire you! You can learn new techniques, see product reviews and much more.

Instagram is wonderful for seeing what other artists are up so as it’s such a visual platform. You can scroll until something catches your eye. Facebook is excellent for finding online communities of like minded people to chat with and TikTok is by far the best for viewing other artists processes. There is also YouTube for more in depth tutorials.

If you are reading this I would assume you have an interest in what I do, so I want to link you with some other printmakers who I am inspired by.

1. Laura Boswell – https://www.lauraboswell.co.uk

I love Laura’s work. It’s different from any other printmaker I have encountered due to her extensively detailed mark making. She uses multiple layers to build up delicate colours, which give her landscapes a real sense of depth. Her illustrative approach has allowed her to stand out from the crowd and create a hardcore following of artists and art collectors alike. I am fortunate enough to own one of Laura’s prints, which won in an Instagram competition!

2. Maarit Hänninen – https://maarithanninen.com

I first discovered Maarit’s work on Instagram as I was browsing for inspiration. I was immediately struck by her bold shapes and ornamental style. Working from her studio in Amsterdam, she believes strongly in sustainability and the wealth of beauty in Nature. This clearly shows through the extensive use of natural forms in her work.

3. Martin Truefitt-Baker – www.truefitt-baker.co.uk

Martin is a member of a Facebook group I am in for printmakers. His work is whimsical but reflects a reality which is relatable and tangible. I absolutely love the way that he layers his prints to obtain a realism, without losing the illustrative overall affect. His colour choices are sympathetic to the subject of the print and really evoke an emotive response.

Take a look at their websites and social media, you won’t be disappointed!

KTx

So what does being a picker have to do with Linocut printing? Well, it’s everything. Cutting your design and stripping layers away from the linolem is SO satisfying! It’s a process that I find infinitely cathartic and would recommend to anyone who needs a quiet, relaxing pastime. It can be a tad dangerous, but if you work carefully and methodically, it’s safe.

Starting out doesn’t need to be expensive. You’ll need some linoleum (there are different types and sizes but I’ll come back to that), a brayer (roller), block printing inks, paper, something to press with (a baren or a spoon) and lino cutting tools. You can get all these things from Hobbycraft, Amazon or possibly your local independent art supplier. I use Handprinted UK for most of my purchases.

For cutting tools, Pfeil are my tools of choice, but if you’re a beginner I highly recommend Abig cutting tools, they’re ergonomic, cheap and very capable.

There are loads of linoleum choices out there. I love using softcut lino, as I have tiny little hands and struggle with traditional hessian backed lino – aka ‘the battleship grey stuff’! You can get far more fine details with battleship lino but I honestly can’t use it. It’s favoured by professionals the world over so don’t write it off until you have tried it. There is also transparent lino which is great for using lots of block to make one picture, but it’s hard to cut. I recommend buying a mixed pack and test them all!

Inks are a tricky thing. I started out with Essdee water based inks, which are cheap and easy to clean up. They dry quickly and give good colours but they don’t give great coverage. There are other water based inks that are superior, but I choose to use oil based inks. The cleaning up can be messy as you need to use vegetable oil, but the pigment and coverage is incredible. I use Caligo Safewash as it suits my needs.

Rollers/Brayers – don’t go by price. Honestly, I paid £25 for a Speedball brayer which deteriorated almost immediately. The Essdee soft brayer (pictured above) was £8 and I’m still using it a year later. What you do need to do is use an appropriate sized roller for your project. Ideally it’ll be the same size as your lino sheet; if it’s too small you could be left with lines in your ink where you have been going back and forth over it.

To press your design you can use a baron, a spoon, a paperweight or a mechanical press. For a long time I used a metal or wooden spoon which yielded excellent results. Also, a baron with ball bearings is highly affective. If you have the space and the budget, look for a press – but it’s absolutely not a necessity for professional quality outcomes. Personally, I use a cold press laminator (pictured below). These are produced for cold lamination of products like photos and posters, but make excellent relief printing presses AND they’re affordable. A CPL will only cost £90 for up to A2 size, when a comparable dedicated printing press would be nearer £3k. You can also look for a book press or a Woodzilla press.

My favourite subject of all is paper! I love paper. As with the rollers, the paper you use will depend on your project, your ink and how you press your design. If you are pressing by hand you need to use paper that is 130gsm or less in order to get a crisp outcome. If you’re using a mechanical press, you can afford to go for something thicker. Always go for acid free archival paper so that it doesn’t yellow, fade, and deteriorate with time. My choice is Zerkal and HoSho for low gsm and Snowdon for higher.

In closing, I think you could start your Linocut journey with a roller, lino, cutters, inks and paper for only £30. But it’s addictive, so be prepared to spend more!

Next time I’ll be giving a tutorial on getting started! KTx