It's playtime...

...in the studio again, as I experiment with Gelli plates, hand-cut stencils, and subdued colour.  Yup - you heard me right.  I did say subdued.  It's OK, though - we've checked and the world is not coming to an end.  It's just that I'm working towards a couple of projects, both of which will require me to tone down my usual riotous colour to a dull roar.

I've been printing with soft, thin layers on the Gelli plate.  I love the way my hand-burnt stencils give such a textured look to the prints.

I've added layer upon layer of muted colour,

with additions of tiny amounts of metallic paints,

until I have a raft of them.  As always, I'll never know whether what I see in my mind will work in reality.

The stencils are a delight to play with, whether underlying the heavier commercial stencils or used on their own.

In fact, if you're in our neighbourhood, you can learn how to make your own this next week.  My stencil class, (called Burn, Baby, Burn) is happening on Thursday morning, February 18 from 9 am to noon. You'll learn how to burn your own stencils and even how to design them in this playshop.  It's at Puffin Design, and pre-registration is a requirement.  For more information about this and some other fabulous workshops, you can pop over here.  Please come and play - you KNOW it's going to be a blast!