A cut above

hollyprints — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:50:21 +0000

Whilst searching for inspiration recently I came across loads of amazing artists who take paper cutting to a whole different level. Initially inspired by the work of Rob Ryan I searched for more and found these….

Hina Aoyama – a Japanese papercut artist whose main tool is a small pair of scissors!

Risa Jukui - also from Japan http://www.risafukui.jp/index_en.html

Amie Dicke – who fuses fashion and paper cutting

January – All shades of blue

hollyprints — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:07:58 +0000

I have been struggling since the New Year to get back to being creative. A little like when you haven’t exercised for a while and get THE FEAR, paralysing you from doing anything.

I cannot even bring myself to go near a piece of paper, let alone a printing press. I have been unable to shake the January blues for far so I thought looking back at some of those who really inspired me in 2011 might help and give me some of my sparkle back.

There are so many to choose from, but here are just a few….

Dutch Door Press – I don’t know if its the dutch in me or if i’m just in love with their creations but either way I find their designs really lovely. Have a look for yourself at http://www.dutchdoorpress.com/about and here is their online shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/dutchdoor

Mengsel - which is the dutch and africaans word for mixture, is the creation of Luzelle van der Westhuizen. When I see any of her designs they make me wish they were my own. I love the boldness and brilliance of everything http://www.mengsel.com/about/

Jackie Magpie – This website, in their words, is where they “keep an eye out for things that are shiny and a little bit special…” It seems to be perfectly in line with the kind of imagery and design I really like and I always come away having found something new. I hope to one day grace its pages http://jackiemagpie.com/

That’s all folks.

Thanks for reading. HP x

LS6 Arts and Crafts Fair

hollyprints — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:29:44 +0000

I had a stall at my first craft fair yesterday. It was in the impressive setting of the Left Bank Centre on Cardigan Road in Leeds. I really enjoyed it and met some lovely people. My friend Emily had a stall next to me selling beautiful handmade bunting. She kept me going all day with chit chat and green tea. I’ll definately be doing more craft fairs and it was nice to see so many people coming along to support local artists. Some pics of the day below. Thanks for looking HP x

Sea of Tea

hollyprints — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:57:35 +0000

Well, I’ve had my first go at printing teatowels and its turned out alright methinks! From a lone teapot to a full ‘Sea of Tea’ scene!

It was quite a learning curve printing on fabric without a press and using different paint. I really enjoyed it though. I have printed these in time for my first craft fair which will be held at Left Bank, Leeds.

Find out more here https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/311776822170013/ or follow on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/LS6ArtsFair

Hope to see you all there. HP x

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair

hollyprints — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:12:06 +0000

I have just returned from the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester. Feeling weary but couldn’t wait to share with you two fantastic designers I came across.

The first is Ken Eardley who produces gorgeous ceramics. I wanted to take them all home with me.

Ruth Green also had a stand and her prints stood out above all the rest for me. Have a look at her bold prints here http://www.worldoffox.com/ruthgreendesign/

I also came across the Manchester Craft and Design Centre http://www.craftanddesign.com/ which is a very cool venue housing lots of designers. The area also has lots of little tea shops so I will definately be returning. There is a festive shopping launch day there on the 26th November which would be the perfect opportunity methinks to spend more time there.

Enjoy. HP x

Omm…i’m telling!

hollyprints — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:53:56 +0000

I have just got back from my Yoga Retreat in Camarasa, Spain. I feel amazing and have laughed so easily at everything since I got home. I went feeling tense, disconnected and in need of some tlc. The wonderful team who are http://www.reclaimyourself.co.uk/ looked after us all so well. We had a fantastic group and I met such wonderful people who I hope to keep in touch with.

I found being away so inspiring, especially the assault on all my senses that was Barcelona! I was last there about ten years ago and it is every bit as delightful as I remember. The food, smells and randomness of all its little alleyways. Find a few of my favourite pictures below.

Thanks for looking. HP x

Teatowels and Twitter

hollyprints — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:36:51 +0000

I have finally bitten the bullet and am now on Twitter. I am always so reluctant with things like this. I was the last person to get a mobile phone and its the same with Twitter, I didn’t see the point. But now i’m on it, I LOVE IT! I hate to say it but I appear to be just a little bit addicted to it and when I got a tweet from Anita Klein – whose prints I have adored for years – it made my day!

I had a lovely day today brainstorming design ideas to print on my first set of tea towels. See my favourite two below. A tulip pattern, which is the dutch girl in me coming out and a design titled ‘Sea of Tea.’

Thanks for looking. HP x

Lino Printing Workshop

hollyprints — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:23:30 +0000

I went to a workshop today at the The Bowery http://www.thebowery.org/home.html where I learnt more about lino printing onto fabric.

I learnt a lot from everyone and can’t wait to start experimenting!

The workshop was run by printmaker Miriam Trent. Have a look at some of her designs on her website http://miriamtrent.tumblr.com/.

Have a look at my attempts below.

H x

I love…

hollyprints — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:02:26 +0000

I have been trying to create a creative habit. Putting these two words together seems a bit contradictory, but in order to develop a habit of drawing and collecting inspiring imagery, I have had to be a bit more disciplined and constantly remind myself.

Once in this mindset, it is amazing how much inspiring pattern and imagery there is around, you just have to tune into it.

I stumbled across this gorgeous postcard by a company called Lagom.

I looked at their website and found an amazing collection of design, plus their fantastic ethos,

which reads, “Lagom is a Swedish word. It describes a feeling when something possesses ‘perfect balance’ or is ‘just right’. We have adopted this word to reflect the very ethos of our desire to capture this magical state. It may be difficult to attain, but when you do, something inside tells you it is Lagom.”

Nice. Have a look at their website here http://www.lagomdesign.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=11574

I also frequent the websites of two designers a lot at the moment.

The first is Sanna Annukka. http://www.sanna-annukka.com/projects/ and the other is Skinny LaMinx http://skinnylaminx.com/

I love the boldness and simplicity of their desgins and feel genuinely excited when they produce something new!

Enjoy and I hope you feel inspired to invite more creativity into your own life. Suround yourself with images and ideas that excite and lift yourself from the everyday.

Things are looking up…

hollyprints — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 09:31:16 +0000

I have recently condensed my working week into 4 days to allow me Friday to work more on my prints. My latest project is called Things are Looking Up and here are a few ideas below that will be turned into prints! Other things in the pipeline are a fabric printing workshop, producing some greeting cards, and hopefully having a stall at a craft fair. All very exciting, just wish there were more hours in the day! Hx