Today’s print is from using bright yellow paper and the cyanotype process to get shades of green.

I was out in the garden picking jasmine leaves first thing to add to the hundreds I already have pressed as I knew as I was going to print a fairly large piece of linen for this lamp when I got in today.

I’m not 100% sure about the design yet. It’s so much busier than I would normally make. I’ve put it out in the shop to see what kind of reaction it gets. I like that it’s made with 100s of individual jasmine leaves and it’s certainly one of a kind! I couldn’t ever recreate this exact print again.

Random objects as a cyanotype design - paperclips

I feel this has potential as a design if I can get the exposure right. This was slightly overexposed and printed on cotton that was coated last week so it’s beginning to oxidise.

It’s busy here at the centre today despite the rail strikes.

Today I had some fabric prepared to make one of my lamps so I thought I’d try these honesty seed pods again but on a larger scale. I like the result but they lose some of the crisp detail when I use linen as it’s quite an open weave. I’ll make the lamp up either tomorrow or Thursday and see how it looks. I might need to use cotton to get the best from these pods.

I prepared some fabric to print in the studio today but it’s been busy here at the centre with lots of lovely, chatty people visiting us so that’s now on hold until tomorrow. I did get the chance to print some wooden postcards and this fern is my favourite from those. I love the strong grain coming through.

I didn’t have much energy to get creative today other than to take a photo of some of these little dusty miller leaves I picked for future cyanotypes.

I remembered I had some paper coated up from earlier in the week so I used that today. I painted/coated the one piece of A3 Fabriano with these separate boxes to achieve a different image in each.

Most of today has been spent prepping for tomorrow’s full day cyanotype workshop and tidying the studio (!) but I found time to make a print from these fabulously quirky bleeding heart leaves. I think they’re a gorgeous bold shape and I’m thinking of making a Linocut design from these to take into some block printing on fabric

I’m grateful today that it’s so much cooler in the studio!

This morning I attempted to expose a strip of linen for a lampshade using these palm leaves but I’m not overly keen. I think if I had layered up more of the palm leaves on top of these ones I would have preferred the design but, as it is, I feel that there is too much space in between each leaf and I find the overall pattern a little boring. That’s ok - even if a piece doesn’t work out, I tend to figure out why it didn’t.

A quick print on cotton in the studio today. These little honesty seed pods caught my eye and I thought I’d have a go with a simple layered exposure. I’m thinking they look like a smack of jellyfish - yes, I did just google what a group of jellyfish is called and I wasn’t expecting the word ‘smack’!

It was hot in the studio first thing after this week’s heatwave - 30 degrees when I arrived here so I’m doing lots of updating of my website etc as an excuse to sit inches from my desk fan.

I’m attempting another 100 days project but my track record with these kind of projects isn’t great as life tends to get in the way. Anyway, I’m choosing ‘100 days of creativity’ in an effort to keep the project as open-ended as possible.

Today was a quick cyanotype print on silk using the grids I found while clearing out the cellar this morning (the only cool place in this house today on officially the hottest day on record!).

I much prefer the prints I made yesterday but not bad for an impromptu design. For some reason the design brings my dad’s old 70’s cotton pyjamas to mind!

More samples today, this time printed in the back garden.

The temperatures were seriously high today so exposures were short. The aim was to gather ideas for future textile designs for my lamps and cushions etc and I had a few of those excited moments today where an idea comes together beautifully - I’ve missed that feeling lately!

mid exposure

finished print

the day’s collection