Tuesday 6 November 2018

Hull Print fair 2018

Last Saturday I was at the Hull Print fair in the Humber Street Gallery - selling printed textiles, illustrations and screen prints to the lovely people in Hull (and I really mean that, everyone I met was so nice)! It was a fun day meeting lots of makers and creatives from the North, sampling the new GF Smith stock and playing with print presses. I thought I'd share some snaps of my stall, including new products - new printed cat and pigeon pillows and owl prints! Uploading the new stock on to my Etsy later today in case anything takes your fancy. 












Now we are fully in market season - I have also updated my events on my website, check out new workshops and markets I'll be at over the next month here. 

Friday 2 November 2018

MATS : tealeaves




I keep forgetting to share these on my blog! But - here is a design I made for MATS - to design a journal cover based on reading tealeaves. This was the first design that I created on my iPad Pro - I've printed a batch and have made them into handmade notebooks which I will be selling at the Hull Print Fair tomorrow! 

Halloween 2018



Halloween is over for another year - and here is my redesigned range for 2018! I updated some older designs and added three new cards into my shop and stockists this year. I also remade some spooky patterned notebooks which I will be taking with me to the Hull Print Fair this weekend at the Humber Gallery in Hull. I am really excited to be heading to the city of culture (I haven't been since I was about nineteen I think - to visit friends at university and the most I saw of the city then was the inside of a rock club called Spiders and a Hip Hop gig at the Adlephi - which is an amazing venue by the way, if you ever get the chance to visit!) If you still want to hang on to spooky season (and like me, are holding Christmas back at arms' length) then come and visit me at the Humber Gallery this weekend and get a late spooky treat! I love Halloween imagery so much, I hope you enjoy my range for this year:








Friday 10 August 2018

Slowdown Studio

For the past two July's the wonderful Slowdown Studio (I love their throws, mixtapes and vibe) run a competition over on instagram, where you can submit a design which they might select and make into a throw! What a dream. The winners were announced in early August on their instagram, and they are all lovely. Here are my submissions: 

My designs weren't selected, but I really like them anyway (I'd certainly have these as throws!) so I am going to try and rework them over the next few weeks!

Monday 23 July 2018

Mary Lee


A painting of Mary Lee, an Irish- Austrailian suffragette for the Make Art That Sells Bootcamp, editorial brief. 

Thursday 19 July 2018

Lucky black cat wall hangings.


I have been using the laser cutter at the Art House to cut out wooden versions of the Chewy (the cat who inspired my appliquéd bags) I really enjoy painting on wood and I thought that my characters would lend themselves well. I cut out a few of these, and handprinted them. Then I screwed in a ring and placed a ribbon as a hook so that it can be hung - anywhere. They are also vanished so that you can hang them outside or inside with no worries. I believe - I know some people don't - but, I believe that black cats are lucky (beautiful mini panthers they are) so you can hang one in your home and feel lucky all the time! They are up in my shop now! 




The Art House


I have been spending a lot of time at the amazing Art House in Wakefield recently. It's this great studio set up, where artists, designers and makers can rent studio space and create, but also it is home to an amazing print studio, where you can become a member and use it - which I've been doing. They also run a variety of workshops and classes, which I've been involved with! I ran a placard making workshop with the TUC recently and in September I will be running creative workshops for children. You can read more about that on their website, where the classes are regularly updated. The ethos of the Art House is so great - they give artists, designers, makers and hobbyists time and space to make, play, experiment and nurture their practice. The building, as well is beautiful, full of quirky windows, wonderful open spaces, large ceilings and luscious green victorian tiles. It's just opposite Wakefield Westgate train station, which is less than fifteen mins from Leeds, twenty five mins from Sheffield and lots of other places up and down the country. The Art House is such a gem in the city - I have loved making work there, the space and the community of artists and makers that work there have really inspired me recently and the well equipped facilities enable me to be such productive. 

If you want to check it out, the Art House is open late on the bi-monthly Wakefield Art walk, where you can explore the creative going ons in the city. Check out their website to find out more. 

So, what have I been making at the Art House? I have been taking advantage of their printing facilities and my expanding obsession with Staffordshire pottery to add to my Staffordshire pottery collections. I have been drawing my positives and layers by hand using Posca pens on to tracing paper and then exposing them in the Art House....




... to make three colour A3 prints...







... and repeat patterns of the dogs on to 100% cotton which I have made into household items in my shop! All prints and items are now listed online, if you'd like to look! 



Wednesday 18 July 2018

New Site!



New website is LIVE! I would love it if you checked it out : www.jennaleealldread.com 

Saturday 7 April 2018

MATS - BOOTCAMP 2018

Back at the start of the year I set myself a few creative challenges. To kick start, in January I did a painting a day which you can read and see here. I also challenged myself to make an individual new make every week - so I should have at least 52 new items or illustrations by the end of the year - which I'll showcase then. Usually, I say to myself - make a zine a month or make a new collection based on a theme, but I have come to realise that I like and respond well to a variety - a variety of work, a variety of projects on the go and having a big variety in my life. When I would set myself one thing to do I would usually not stick to it and instead of saying that I've failed at sticking to it, I think it's much better to realise why I haven't achieved it, what does it say about how I work and what I respond to. Since working that out, I have found it so much more achievable (dare I say easy?!) to make something new every week - from a new zine, to a product, a screen-print to an illustration or a character design to be printed on to fabric. Touch wood I will be able to keep it up! It's always a worry when you say something out loud and aren't quietly working on it that it comes unravelled, but I'm finding working in this way super motivating and I've been really productive in making lots of new (I think cool!) items!

Also I have been taking the MATS Bootcamp 2018 assignments, as they help me to think about subjects out of my own mind and experience and push me to create something different. They also count towards a new make a week too! I thought I would show them off as one downside to my self set creative challenge is that I was planning on sharing everything at the end of the year - but - then I realised that I am neglecting my blog! oops. This assignment was based on an inspirational women, which we had to make a book cover for. We had to research an allocated person. Mine was Maira Kalman. WHO IS AMAZING. If you don't know her, treat yourself to watching a TED talk or reading an interview. I found her to be a feisty, funny, inspirational lady, super creative with a fabulous outlook on life. 

We had to imagine what she would have in her bag and design a cover based on this. Here is my response:




I painted envelopes of moss (which she says she likes to collect from all over the world), a mug of coffee, with an 'M' for Maria, painted in the Bodoni type face (which she loves and has named her daughter after), ink and brush, a Russian doll (her Mother is Russian), a block of Cheddar (she says good Cheddar is good for ideas) and lots of photographs of dogs - which she says she takes and keeps. They are my favourite part of the illustration, you know me, I love making characters:  
   



Sunday 11 March 2018

Staffordshire Dog Fabric

New in my shop! I recently printed some Staffordshire Dogs on to four different colour-ways and whipped up these fun multipurpose storage bags which are now in my shop, with lots of different lining and bright coloured zippers! I'd love to know what you think!