St Helens celebrated 2023 as Liverpool City Region's Borough of culture with many events and activities during the year. I delivered a Lino Printing workshop for families at the One Amazing Day event in the town centre on the 29th April 2023.
During the "One Amazing Day" celebration, spectators experienced a vibrant and lively atmosphere filled with diverse entertainment. The town center transformed into a carnival with music, arts, crafts, and magical street performances. Highlights included a pedal-powered "Stephenson's Rocket" train, glass making, beekeeping demonstrations, and acrobatic acts. The event also featured a grand parade showcasing community creations, including costumes, puppets, and artwork, culminating in a joyful display of the town's creativity and heritage. Read more about One Amazing Day ...
Preparation
Months before the event, 5 different lino blocks were made to be used on the day. I wanted the subjects to be a mixture of big imagination rounded up in a simple design so that it would hold a general appeal. An Octopus, frog, mushrooms, flamingo, and a water bottle were the decided designs.
Inspiration
Octopus: inspired by little mini octopi figurines, octopii are generally loved creatures!
Frog: a jumper with a jumper - who would catch that?
Mushrooms: Fairy circles / houses / golf practice / avoided - many takes on a mushroom!
Flamingo: You can be still and know when to fly.
Water Bottle: Waves contained, observing beauty in the chaos.
The Workshop
The day was a busy one, people crowded the town and the uptake on the opportunity to print your own print was higher than I expected which made the amount of different colour prints and cleaning a challenge but it was interesting to see how people responded to the different subjects and how they wanted to make their own mark while printmaking.
The kids would choose their design and paper, shown how to spread ink on a perspex plate (for even distribution) and then roll the ink on the lino block so that they could press the paper down onto it and use a spoon to transfer as much of the ink as possible.
The reveal when pulling the paper up was the most rewarding part - for the child who has made a print and for me to see how much joy the task gave them!
The materials used on the day were supplied by Wonderarts.
It always amazes me how easily children decide on things they want to experiment with. During play, their minds are free, and they make specific requests for colors (even if mixing them isn't always possible). Their questions focus on how they can achieve something, showcasing their creativity and curiosity.
We had strings in the tent where we could hang their pieces if they would like to come back to fetch their print later when they had finished their day and it was lovely to see that the kids really cared about what they did as there were no abandoned prints! (No prints were lost in the making of this project :))
Prints for sale
I have made a limited number of original prints with mixed unique colours made especially for these designs. The ink has a shimmer to it and the only mix of it's kind. Further copies will be made with regular ink and available with an o/e marking (open edition) where the design can be sold on multiple products.
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