(printing at home) Ruth Barnes Richards, The Daylight Thief
15.12.2017 • Inspiration, interview, printmaking
Im April diesen Jahres habe ich einen Cyanotypie Kurs gemacht, kaum zu glauben das dies schon so lang her ist. Ich bin echt begeistert von diesem Verfahren und hab im Sommer immer mal wieder kleine blumige Drucke mit bereits präpariertem Papier auf unserem Balkon gemacht. Auf Stoff sieht Cyanotypie auch sehr hübsch aus, nur wegen dem raren Sonnenlicht kann ich dies leider zur Zeit nicht ausprobieren. Aber ich kann mich und euch immerhin mit ein bißchen Inspiration versorgen.
Heute schauen wir dazu nach Wales, wo Ruth Barnes Richards lebt und arbeitet. Als The Daylight Thief schafft sie hübsche Cyanotypien mit Blumen und Pflanzen aus ihrer Umgebung. Schmunzeln mußte ich bei ihrer Antwort auf die Frage, ob sich beim Arbeiten die belichteten Blätter und Blumen dann übers Haus verteilen. Sie sagt der Bereich unter den Treppen wird sogar zu einer temporären Dunkelkammer. Lest selbst.
Earlier this year - in April - I attended a cyanotype class and fell in love with this technique. I bought prepared paper and did some little prints on my balcony this summer, then bought a set of chemicals and cloth to try cyanotype on fabric. This didn't happen due to life and other ordinary things and now the light is gone and probably won't come back til March. But seeing blue prints keeps me still excited - also because I can do this technique with just a few tools at home.
So I reached out to Ruth Barnes Richards from The Daylight Thief and asked her how she does it. She lives in Wales in a beautiful countryside and works with flowers and plants that surround her. She makes prints in different sizes, some get framed and others will be turned into journals. I like what she says about working with sunlight vs. UV light and how this affects the prints. Read yourself.
Hello Ruth, please tell us what you do and where do you live?
Hello, I’m Ruth and I live in Chepstow, in Monmouthshire, in Wales. It is a beautiful area, with a lot of deciduous woodland and high limestone cliffs in the River Wye Valley.
You make beautiful Cyanotypes. Please explain the process and how did you come in touch with it? I make images using Cyanotype, a Victorian photographic printing process. John Herschel (the Astronomer and Photographic pioneer) discovered the process in 1842 during a period of developing and improving the photographic process. It was then used as a simple and low cost process of reproduction, especially of engineering and architectural drawings. The word Blueprint has now entered the English language meaning ‘ A plan or design that explains how something might be achieved.’
Cyanotype is a fairly simple process. The two main chemicals are Ferric Ammonium Citrate and Potassium Ferricyanide. Mixing these two chemicals together results in a light sensitive liquid, (the sensitiser) which can be used to coat many different surfaces. It needs exposure to sunlight and washing in water to develop into the beautiful Prussian Blue of Cyanotypes.
I first read about this process as an art student 20 years ago, as my main area of practice was Photography. As Digital Photography became dominant, I left behind the Darkroom and the techniques involved in producing this form of image. A few years ago, I realised Cyanotype offered an accessible way of working with these familiar processes. I wanted a slower, more responsive, process led way of making images and working with light.
What kind of supplies do you need for making Cyanotypes and where do you store them? Supplies are fairly basic, alongside the chemicals and bottles to store mixed sensitiser, I have paper, different sized trays for washing prints, glass for placing on top of exposing prints to stop movement and a variety of brushes. I also store a small amount of dried seed heads and leaves mainly for reference, occasionally I use them to make work. How do your surroundings inspire your art? My work is completely inspired by the plants in my surroundings; one of the most enjoyable aspects of my working process is making images in direct response to the weather conditions and the seasonal plants.
Do you have a favourite plant to work with or a favourite place to collect flowers?
My favourite plant to print from is the wild clematis Travellers Joy, also known as Old Mans Beard. I love these old Folk names! It has a small creamy white flowers in spring that gradually turn to a fluffy seed head that look like stars or fireworks when printed. It is a climber and the hedges in my area are filled with it. I also love to bring it in to the house at Christmas.
Where do you work mostly?
I work outside with natural light. As I live in Wales, the sunlight is only viable (strong enough) to print with from April to September. UV light has a great advantage in that it can be used indoors and throughout the year, but it gives a very uniform, flat print, devoid of the nuances of daylight. Working with sunlight allows the print to be a direct representation of the season, the time of day and the weather conditions. The strength of the UV rays and the position of the sun in the sky gives differing shades of blue, crispness of outlines and shadow. A print made at midday on a clear June day with a full sun directly overhead differs completely to one made with September light on a misty day. This is an intrinsic part of my work.
Do you have a dedicated space for making your art? Can you have things laying around when the family is coming home or do you need to put things away?
Supplies are stored in a small workspace at home and printing sessions take place on the dining table and prints are washed in the kitchen. It is always a balancing act sharing a domestic space with a work space and my kids are used to coming home from school to find prints covering every surface in the kitchen or the shoe cupboard under the stairs turned into a temporary darkroom and full of drying sheets of sensitised paper…..sometimes this works well, other days not so well! 
Where can we find you online?
I have a website thedaylightthief.com and regularly update Instagram with news and new work @The_Daylight_Thief.
Thank you so much for sharing your process, workspace and beautiful pictures with us! Ruth offers Workshops, so if you're in the Wye Valley area check out the next dates for May, June and August 2018 here.
All images by Ruth Barnes Richards.
Heute schauen wir dazu nach Wales, wo Ruth Barnes Richards lebt und arbeitet. Als The Daylight Thief schafft sie hübsche Cyanotypien mit Blumen und Pflanzen aus ihrer Umgebung. Schmunzeln mußte ich bei ihrer Antwort auf die Frage, ob sich beim Arbeiten die belichteten Blätter und Blumen dann übers Haus verteilen. Sie sagt der Bereich unter den Treppen wird sogar zu einer temporären Dunkelkammer. Lest selbst.
Earlier this year - in April - I attended a cyanotype class and fell in love with this technique. I bought prepared paper and did some little prints on my balcony this summer, then bought a set of chemicals and cloth to try cyanotype on fabric. This didn't happen due to life and other ordinary things and now the light is gone and probably won't come back til March. But seeing blue prints keeps me still excited - also because I can do this technique with just a few tools at home.
So I reached out to Ruth Barnes Richards from The Daylight Thief and asked her how she does it. She lives in Wales in a beautiful countryside and works with flowers and plants that surround her. She makes prints in different sizes, some get framed and others will be turned into journals. I like what she says about working with sunlight vs. UV light and how this affects the prints. Read yourself.
Hello, I’m Ruth and I live in Chepstow, in Monmouthshire, in Wales. It is a beautiful area, with a lot of deciduous woodland and high limestone cliffs in the River Wye Valley.
You make beautiful Cyanotypes. Please explain the process and how did you come in touch with it? I make images using Cyanotype, a Victorian photographic printing process. John Herschel (the Astronomer and Photographic pioneer) discovered the process in 1842 during a period of developing and improving the photographic process. It was then used as a simple and low cost process of reproduction, especially of engineering and architectural drawings. The word Blueprint has now entered the English language meaning ‘ A plan or design that explains how something might be achieved.’
Cyanotype is a fairly simple process. The two main chemicals are Ferric Ammonium Citrate and Potassium Ferricyanide. Mixing these two chemicals together results in a light sensitive liquid, (the sensitiser) which can be used to coat many different surfaces. It needs exposure to sunlight and washing in water to develop into the beautiful Prussian Blue of Cyanotypes.
I first read about this process as an art student 20 years ago, as my main area of practice was Photography. As Digital Photography became dominant, I left behind the Darkroom and the techniques involved in producing this form of image. A few years ago, I realised Cyanotype offered an accessible way of working with these familiar processes. I wanted a slower, more responsive, process led way of making images and working with light.
What kind of supplies do you need for making Cyanotypes and where do you store them? Supplies are fairly basic, alongside the chemicals and bottles to store mixed sensitiser, I have paper, different sized trays for washing prints, glass for placing on top of exposing prints to stop movement and a variety of brushes. I also store a small amount of dried seed heads and leaves mainly for reference, occasionally I use them to make work. How do your surroundings inspire your art? My work is completely inspired by the plants in my surroundings; one of the most enjoyable aspects of my working process is making images in direct response to the weather conditions and the seasonal plants.
Auf Monocle gibt es einen Podcast über Entrepreneurs und in Folge 300 wird Lea Lange, Mitgründerin von Juniqe interviewt. Juniqe kennt ihr wahrscheinlich als den Online Anbieter für Poster von Künstlern und Illustratoren.
Lea Lange erzählt wie und warum sie zu dritt Juniqe gegründet haben und warum Berlin ein gutes Umfeld für Start-Ups ist. Ihre Vision ist besonders ausgewählte und bezahlbare Kunst an unsere Wände zu bringen und die zahlreichen Ikea Poster abzulösen, die dort überwiegend hängen. Hört selbst!
There's a podcast on Monocle called The Entrepreneurs. In episode 300 the co-founder of Juniqe Lea Lange talks about the vision, the start and the growth of the online store for unique and affordable wall art and why Berlin is a good place for start-ups. Listen in.
Lea Lange erzählt wie und warum sie zu dritt Juniqe gegründet haben und warum Berlin ein gutes Umfeld für Start-Ups ist. Ihre Vision ist besonders ausgewählte und bezahlbare Kunst an unsere Wände zu bringen und die zahlreichen Ikea Poster abzulösen, die dort überwiegend hängen. Hört selbst!
There's a podcast on Monocle called The Entrepreneurs. In episode 300 the co-founder of Juniqe Lea Lange talks about the vision, the start and the growth of the online store for unique and affordable wall art and why Berlin is a good place for start-ups. Listen in.
Adventskalender 4, Tree Prints by Pulp + Picture
04.12.2017 • Advenstkalender, Inspiration, printmaking
So, den dritten Dez. hab ich ausgelassen. Egal, weiter geht's:
Diese Drucke von Heather von Pulp + Picture Creative find ich einfach so gelungen. Ich hatte schon in meinem letzten Newsletter zu ihnen verlinkt, aber erst im Nachhinein hab ich Heather gefragt wie sie eigentlich die Baumringe abdruckt.
Dass der Prozess so viel schleifen und schmirgeln beinhaltet hätte ich nicht gedacht. Lest selbst:
This is such a genius idea. I love the tree prints by Heather from Pulp + Picture Creative. And I was curious how she makes the prints and just wrote her an email. This is what she shared:
„In order to process the block/stump - I first use a belt sander to get the wood as smooth and uniform as possible, followed by a palm sander. I use a propane torch to char the wood until it is completely black, and scour it with a series of wire brushes to remove the soft growth, leaving the relief.
Once the block is ready to print, I take test prints using the soot and newsprint. This way it is easier to go back to removing growth if there isn't any ink involved yet. Once I am satisfied with the print on the newsprint, I ink up the wood with block printing ink and print on a much heavier paper. The edges or bark can be quite ragged and will often tear the newsprint.“
Wow. Thanks Heather for sharing! So, did you expect there’s so much sanding involved? Me not. All too often the process of handmade products is underestimated. Find Heather and her work on instagram or at pulpcreative.ca
© all pictures by Heather
Diese Drucke von Heather von Pulp + Picture Creative find ich einfach so gelungen. Ich hatte schon in meinem letzten Newsletter zu ihnen verlinkt, aber erst im Nachhinein hab ich Heather gefragt wie sie eigentlich die Baumringe abdruckt.
Dass der Prozess so viel schleifen und schmirgeln beinhaltet hätte ich nicht gedacht. Lest selbst:
This is such a genius idea. I love the tree prints by Heather from Pulp + Picture Creative. And I was curious how she makes the prints and just wrote her an email. This is what she shared:
„In order to process the block/stump - I first use a belt sander to get the wood as smooth and uniform as possible, followed by a palm sander. I use a propane torch to char the wood until it is completely black, and scour it with a series of wire brushes to remove the soft growth, leaving the relief.
Once the block is ready to print, I take test prints using the soot and newsprint. This way it is easier to go back to removing growth if there isn't any ink involved yet. Once I am satisfied with the print on the newsprint, I ink up the wood with block printing ink and print on a much heavier paper. The edges or bark can be quite ragged and will often tear the newsprint.“
Wow. Thanks Heather for sharing! So, did you expect there’s so much sanding involved? Me not. All too often the process of handmade products is underestimated. Find Heather and her work on instagram or at pulpcreative.ca
© all pictures by Heather
Aventskalender 2, Typotalk Debbie Millman
02.12.2017 • Advenstkalender, podcast
Während des Arbeitens mit Papier, Buchstaben und Farbe höre ich meistens Podcasts oder lasse Talks mit dem Fokus auf Design oder Entrepreneurship laufen. Viele der aufgezeichneten Vorträge von der Typo Berlin kann man auch online ansehen, so auch den Talk von Debbie Millman.
Sie spricht über den Weg mit ihrem Podcast Design Matters in dem sie Gestalter wie Steven Heller, Jessica Hische, Stefan Sagmeister etc. interviewt. Ansehen - oder anhören!
I like to listen to podcasts or talks when doing letterpress or any other non-computer-related work in my print studio. Recently I watched a talk by Debbie Millman on the type conference TypoBerlin. She runs the podcast Design Matters where she talks to creative people like Steven Heller, Jessica Hische or Seth Godin.
Adventskalender 1, Isaiah Jones
01.12.2017 • Advenstkalender, Inspiration
Ich hab mir überlegt in den nächsten 24 Tagen hier einige Links, Tipps und Videos zu posten, die ich mag, die mich inspirieren und euch hoffentlich auch. Starten tue ich mit Isaiah Jones. Sie ist 23 Jahre und macht unglaublich eindrucksvolle Drucke. Sie schneidet ihre Formen aus Papier und druckt diese dann mehrfach übereinander so dass vielschichtige Strukturen entstehen. Schaut selbst.
*credits für diese Art von Adventskalender gehen an Rike von bastisrike
I decided to do a little advent calendar and share inspiring videos, links and other stuff daily for the next 24 days. We start with Isaiah Jones, a 23 year old girl who does impressive monoprints by using stencils. Watch yourself.
*credits für diese Art von Adventskalender gehen an Rike von bastisrike
I decided to do a little advent calendar and share inspiring videos, links and other stuff daily for the next 24 days. We start with Isaiah Jones, a 23 year old girl who does impressive monoprints by using stencils. Watch yourself.
Heute reisen wir virtuell bis nach Japan und schauen uns an wie Itsuko Naka ihre besonderen Collagen erstellt. Sie schneidet ihre Illustrationen aus zuvor bedrucktem Papier und legt dann ihre Motive, inspiriert von der Natur in und um Kyoto, aus den Papieren zusammen.
Today the papercut artist Itsuko Naka takes us into her japanese home where she's working on her collages. She inks the paper before cutting to give it a unique structure and colour and then turns it into nature inspired illustrations.
Hi Itsuko, please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.
Hello, I’m Itsuko Naka and I live in Kyoto, Japan. It is the country with a mountain and the river. I love watching birds, scenery of the seasons and nature all around me.
I get a lot of inspiration from there when making art. I work with the paper I painted and cut and sometimes do silkscreen printing.
Where do you work mostly and is that a temporarily setting or a permanent corner in your home?
I work mostly in a permanent small corner in my home. It is a corner of the bedroom but sometimes I work in temporarily setting (dining table etc.). That differs depending on the work. (The corner in the picture is neatly arranged in the time of not having worked. During work, it is scattered.)
Which equipment and tools do you need for doing your artwork? Where do you store it?
I paint paper in a color with brush, roller, linoleum, piece of wood, crayon and so on.
I put a small shelf beside the desk which usually works and store them there.
A creative process is mostly not done in a certain time. Do you have a place where you can have things laying around when the family is coming home or do you need to put everything away?
I am living by two persons with my husband so I relatively have free time. When work is the middle, it places as it is, without tidying up. It's alright because the space to use is small.
I love paper and collect scraps, books, maps, envelopes and so on. Do you have criteria for collecting things because they can take up so much space… how do you store it?
I don't collect things in particular a lot but I sometimes pick up a stone, leaf, flower, pinecone and so on from the outside. They are displayed in the various places in my home.
Cloth or the art supplies which I used for work production take much space. They are put away in the closet.
How do your family members like your art making at home?
My family supports my art making at home and provides time and the place.
We respect time and space for each to do a favorite thing.
Where can we find you online?
This is my website: www.equaldesign.net
online store is here: www.etsy.com/shop/itsukonaka
Thank you so much Itsuko for taking the time to answer all my questions!
Today the papercut artist Itsuko Naka takes us into her japanese home where she's working on her collages. She inks the paper before cutting to give it a unique structure and colour and then turns it into nature inspired illustrations.
Hi Itsuko, please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.
Hello, I’m Itsuko Naka and I live in Kyoto, Japan. It is the country with a mountain and the river. I love watching birds, scenery of the seasons and nature all around me.
I get a lot of inspiration from there when making art. I work with the paper I painted and cut and sometimes do silkscreen printing.
Where do you work mostly and is that a temporarily setting or a permanent corner in your home?
I work mostly in a permanent small corner in my home. It is a corner of the bedroom but sometimes I work in temporarily setting (dining table etc.). That differs depending on the work. (The corner in the picture is neatly arranged in the time of not having worked. During work, it is scattered.)
Which equipment and tools do you need for doing your artwork? Where do you store it?
I paint paper in a color with brush, roller, linoleum, piece of wood, crayon and so on.
I put a small shelf beside the desk which usually works and store them there.
A creative process is mostly not done in a certain time. Do you have a place where you can have things laying around when the family is coming home or do you need to put everything away?
I am living by two persons with my husband so I relatively have free time. When work is the middle, it places as it is, without tidying up. It's alright because the space to use is small.
I love paper and collect scraps, books, maps, envelopes and so on. Do you have criteria for collecting things because they can take up so much space… how do you store it?
I don't collect things in particular a lot but I sometimes pick up a stone, leaf, flower, pinecone and so on from the outside. They are displayed in the various places in my home.
Cloth or the art supplies which I used for work production take much space. They are put away in the closet.
How do your family members like your art making at home?
My family supports my art making at home and provides time and the place.
We respect time and space for each to do a favorite thing.
Where can we find you online?
This is my website: www.equaldesign.net
online store is here: www.etsy.com/shop/itsukonaka
Thank you so much Itsuko for taking the time to answer all my questions!
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