Original prints

Well, each and every single one of them, has been individually printed by me, a lino print artist. As a result, each print is slightly different to every other print in the edition – it's the nature of something done by hand without anything but (relatively today) crude tools. I often say that each print has much individual character, and it's the reason why collectors love them. Original prints are the result of ink on rollers, paint brushes and a hand-cranked printing press. It takes a long time to make an edition and it's why my editions are very small. There aren't 250+ copies floating around that's usual with other kinds of print – there's often no more than 25.

No on/off switches, no electrical plugs or 'print' buttons have been used

So no cameras, no printers of any kind, nothing that has either a plug attached or batteries included. It's not possible to wander off for a cuppa while the prints are printed by a machine. If the printmaker leaves the scene then it all stops and nothing gets done, though some printmakers have been known to hire a buddy to help make the prints.

You can buy my lino prints from my galleries in Yorkshire, UK. I am planning to add the ability to buy from this site using PayPal. If you would like to know when this is achieved, subscribe to my newsletter.

I also make landscape oil paintings

What is an original print?

An original print begins when a printmaking artist gets an idea for a print and draws a quick sketch. If the printmaker likes their rough sketch, they will start making the print. They do not make a highly finished painting or drawing inbetween the rough sketch and the print. That's the important thing to remember: an original print is never an exact copy of a painting, drawing or photograph whether on canvas, paper or even on a computer. Beware, because prints can be incorrectly labelled I'm afraid, especially if they're digital art (computer art) prints.

Sometimes, you might want to be sure you're buying an original print. So I explain the three kinds of art prints you're most likely to encounter and some simple questions to ask in order to be sure.

You can see in pictures how original linocut prints are made here

What is a limited edition?

A limited edition print has a number which tells you how many were printed. The number will be something like this 1/25, 2/25 or 3/25, and so on. This example means there were 25 prints printed. It means there won't ever be more than 25 – ever. It's an edition of prints limited to 25. As time passes, there may be less prints as they are damaged or lost. So if the print you buy has the number 16/18, it means you are the proud owner of the 16th print in a limited edition of only 18 prints in total.

Original prints are naturally limited by the wear and tear on the printmaking materials used to make them. For example: lino begins to spread after so many passes through a printing press so no longer registers properly; lino also becomes brittle and breaks. It's simply not possible to make hundreds or thousands of prints from a lino block. This is why a number like this: 230/500 will not be an original print. Even etching editions, which are made using metal plates, rarely manage to be above 200.