Hand-Colouring Linocut Prints with Kathryn Anderson

 

Professional printmaker and tutor Kathryn Anderson takes us through the process of adding colour to linocut prints on Somerset paper. Kathryn is an ambassador for St Cuthberts Mill and is known for her highly detailed prints capturing the beauty and mystery of the natural world.

“As a printmaker my work is mostly monochromatic and graphic in nature, but my subject matter is often anything but black and white! Many of my prints were yearning for some colour.

For years I have been printing linocuts on Somerset Satin and Somerset Velvet paper. They print so beautifully! It is the only paper I use for editioning. My prints always come out very clean and crisp with consistently even ink distribution. Somerset paper is very stable and has such a wonderfully smooth surface.

To add colour to my prints I have done reduction printing, multi-blocks, and jigsaw techniques, but longed for some soft tonal hues.

I wondered if I could introduce watercolour to the prints I made on Somerset paper. I tentatively began experimenting with watercolour on my prints and I was thrilled to find that the watercolour worked beautifully on the Somerset papers! The graphic nature of the prints combined with subtle washes of colour was exactly what I had envisioned. My prints began to come to life in a beautiful way.

I keep the washes light in saturation, so as not to overwhelm the details of the print. I can also add lovely gradients and hue shifts into the mix. It felt a bit like the antique hand-coloured photos that I love. I printed some on Somerset Velvet Newsprint Grey and was over-the-moon about the addition of the watercolour! The soft grey coupled with the graphic black print was the perfect substrate for introducing some colour.

A sunny autumn day was the inspiration for these ravens in the maple tree.

(Note: shifts in paper colour shown are the result of Kathryn’s photographing in different lights)

One of my favourite hand-coloured linocuts is this little chickadee and pinecone. From carving, to printing to hand-colouring, it was a joy to create. A simple wash of colour makes a big difference.

These flowers bloom with a splash of colour and they are so much fun to paint!

A few helpful hints about adding watercolour to your prints on Somerset:

• Make sure your printing ink is oil-based so that it doesn’t bleed when watercolour is applied.

• Don’t apply too much water and be gentle with the surface of the paper.

• Avoid opaque paint so you don’t cover up your printed image.

• If you see slight buckling in the paper when it is wet don’t worry, as the paper dries it flattens out.

• You can paint on your paper first, let it dry, and then print your linocut on the painted paper. It’s a wonderful way to play with colour and textures in a less structured way.

• Experiment with other Somerset paper colours like Antique, Buff, Newsprint Grey, Radiant White, Soft White, and White.

• Have fun!

This method of adding colour to my prints has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me.

In addition to being an outstanding paper for printmaking, Somerset paper is equally superior for drawing, charcoal, and pastel.

Thank you St Cuthberts Mill for making this beautifully versatile paper!” - Kathy Anderson

To see more of Kathryn Anderson’s impressive prints follow these links:

Website: www.ktastudio.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kathy.traxler.anderson

Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/KTAfineart

Linktree: linktr.ee/kathy.traxler.anderson

To learn more about Somerset printmaking papers visit our website.

Please note: Somerset paper is not suitable for full watercolour paintings due to being engineered primarily to accept printmaking ink, as its primary function.