Saturday linocut

Saturday afternoon seems to be a good time for me turn some of my recent sketches into prints. I've been quietly working on quite a few test linocut prints in my spare time, the two shown below is a sneek peek at part of a set of new hand pressed linoprint gift cards. There is also a small linocut zine in the Saturday print works (BUT it might be a while until it's finished!). More sneek peekings of my work etc can be seen on Instagram (username: jonosandilands).

"Meat Tin" and "Worry Horse" (working titles) - Taken with Instagram

Hop Night

Gigposter for First Foot Soldiers with Casino Feet at Captain Flints bar, Lerwick, Shetland.
Hop night is the night for the surviviors of the all night celebration which is Lerwick's Up Helly Aa fire festival.
More info about Up Helly Aa: www.uphellyaa.org

Happy New Deals

Happy 2012! To kick off the year I am releasing this new set of limited edition prints to buy online- "The Little Prints". There are eight different prints, so to show my goodwill I am giving away any four prints for only £5. Choose which you like or let me choose for you.

And just to show how much you all mean to me, you can also get free shipping by using coupon code "THANKSJONO" at checkout. Yay!

Click below to buy on Etsy
Any four little prints. A6 size. Limited Edition. £5 available on Etsy.

Click below to buy on Etsy

Any four little prints. A6 size. Limited Edition. £5 available on Etsy.

Retro 80s print madness

If you were following my blogs about frantically building a stand and printing for the Craft Fair last month, you may have noticed a bit of silence since then. Been busy as usual...

The stand looked great and the prints sold well. So well that my new set of cards is practically sold out over the weekend, the remaining sets are for sale at North Rock Gallery in Lerwick. Pictured below is the stand (built with loads of help from my dad), pictures of the Top Toys of the 80's cards and some pictures of some new lino cuts I have been working on.

My prints are always available to buy online at my Etsy store. There is still time to order for Christmas and if you leave me a nice note I will throw in a free card or postcard.

My stand at Craft Fair, Clickimin Centre November 2011

Top Toys of the 80's - set of 4 limited edition hand screenprinted cards

Top Toys of the 80's - set of 4 limited edition hand screenprinted cards

Colour one complete - 200 cards in total

Printing the 4 designs at the same time right onto cut and creased card to save time

The final set of prints 50 of each design

New Prints: To continue on the 80s theme this week I have also been working on some more 80s inspired print, but this time lino print. VHS tape and Scalextric. Good memories.

VHS tape linocut

Scalextrics linocut

The first official prints on my Iron Cast press.

The final prints. More lino coming soon...

Potato

During the third week of the Handmade Graphic Design Nightclass I am running with Adult Learning course supported by Shetland Arts the class experimented with print. We used Potatos (yay!) as a introduction to relief printing methods.

You may say this is a very basic introduction, and you would be right, but it gives an insight into how more advanced techniques, such as letter press and lino print work. Some of the class got the chance to experiment with lino cutting and stamping, which worked great. Over the next three weeks the class will have the opportunity to apply these print techniques to their projects if they so wish. Now the pictures:

All the potato prints cut by the learners

The alphabet

Wrapping Paper

Look into my eye

Chainsaw's symbols

Show me your teeth

Visual Design - Saul Bass inspired prints

The Tattie Alphabet

Everyone's cut potatos

Dogfish and Trexmas

Why so Serious?

Papa de diamante

Messy tattie alphabet

Pre holiday/craft fair prep

Wow, it's been a hectic week. My stand is almost complete thanks to my dad and also Sandy for helping me paint. A few finishing touches when I get back and it's ready to go.

So due to weather conditions I've had to travel to mainland Scotland from Shetland a day earlier, I'm writing this on the ferry.

Like I said, This week has been so busy, we've (just about) moved flat (we officially move after holiday), almost finished my craft fair exhibition stand, screen printed lots of small postcard sized art cards and gift cards, designed the craft fair posters with help from the muckle Gravit and of course the famous Andrew Watt, many thanks to him for agreeing to being wrapped up in a huge ball of old smelly knitting.

So now I can hopefully enjoy some time off before diving right back into the craft fair when I get back.

This years Christmas Craft Fair is at Clickimin Centre, Lerwick from 11-13 November.

Here is a sneak peek at what I've been doing, will have more about the prints post holiday! I'm off to the bar...

Craft Fair 2011: Progress

Wow time flies! it was about a month ago now since I posted about my plans to build a stall for this year's Craft Fair (see post 14 Sept 2011)

Things have been progressing well, although, it's now a week until my holiday, and alot of work to do! The original Google SketchUp model from my last post helped me work out what I wanted the stand to look like, keeping in mind possible future use. It also let me measure around about how much plywood and timber I would need.

My Dad has played a big part in helping the build, including transport from the timber yard, space to build and ideas how it will all work, which has been brilliant.

The panels have now all been prepared and we have had a test set up to make sure everything fits together and to see how it will look.




Next stage is to paint the stand white, and get the shelves ready and in place. The shelves will be moveable so I can play around with where prints sit in the stand. Last night we tested out one shelf and got everything else ready to attach the shelves after I paint the box.

The other shelf attachments are made from the same square blocks but screwed into the side frame. The shelf then sits on top of the attachments. Each shelf will also have a small groove for prints to sit into. Prints will all be mounted and packaged ready to sell. In two minds if I will paint the shelves as the wood is really nice, will just see what it looks like when we get them all attached! We tested a shelf on the back right panel, the large bolt on the left holds the two back panels together but also acts as attachment for a shelf.

So a bit to do on the stand, keeping in mind I am also busy preparing artwork for other prints for the Craft Fair. Here I am working on some new Christmas cards. Planning a set of 4 limited edition cards which will be released at the Craft Fair in November and be on special offer. A few more things in the pipeline - so hope to reveal some more before my holiday!