How to print a 4 colour linocut

How to print a 4 colour linocut

In my previous blog post ‘How to register colours when printing a linocut’ I describe how to prepare for the printing stage of a 4 colour linocut. I will now carry on through the printing stages. I love the linocut process by the way and I hope this will...
How to register colours when printing a linocut

How to register colours when printing a linocut

I am often asked how I register my colours when printing a linocut. Here are the stages involved in preparing to print a 4 colour multi-block print. 1. I use Ternes Burton pins to ensure my paper is in exactly the same position every time I print a colour. These can...
Sandeel Fishing Ban is Good for Puffins!

Sandeel Fishing Ban is Good for Puffins!

Great news for puffins! – The UK and Scottish governments have introduced a total ban on the fishing of sandeels in English waters of the North Sea and all Scottish waters. These small fish make up a large part of a puffin’s diet as well as that of many other...
Curlew Breeding Success!

Curlew Breeding Success!

Some GOOD NEWS about the curlew here in Northern Ireland! Numbers have declined by 82% since 1987, but in November last year the RSPB made a POSITIVE announcement. 55 curlew chicks successfully fledged from 30 nests at the Glenwherry site in County Antrim. At Lough...
Adventure Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Coast

Adventure Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Coast

Article originally featured in the January 2024 issue of Yachting Monthly. Artist Joanna Martin sailed south along the wild west coast of Ireland, where the power of the ocean meets rugged cliffs and deserted shores. She joined husband Mark and son William for part of...
Guillemot and Oystercatcher

Guillemot and Oystercatcher

7th August 2023 Guillemots are by far the most common bird we see on the water. Like a miniature penguin in shape, they don’t make nests but breed on a cliff edge. They lay one pear shaped, turquoise egg and when the chick is 3 weeks old it leaps over the edge. One of...
Island of Islay – Kilchoman Distillery

Island of Islay – Kilchoman Distillery

6th August 2023 I have been supplying cards and prints to Kilchoman Distillery for a number of years and every time I pack up an order I try and picture where it is going. So on our way home we sailed to Islay and I was determined to visit the distillery. It turned...
Printmaking on Board!

Printmaking on Board!

2nd August 2023 On our journey here from Ulva Sound I saw two types of dolphin, common and bottle-nosed, also porpoises and a minke whale in the distance. The bottle-nosed dolphins were in the Sound of Iona and they were leaping out of the water and diving in, tails...
Enchanting Ulva Sound

Enchanting Ulva Sound

30th July 2023 Ulva Sound is the most enchanting and magical place. Ulva is an island to the west of the Isle of Mull, and when you start exploring it there’s a feeling of undisturbed nature. A network of paths take you through woods draped in moss and lichen,...
Sailing Around Skye

Sailing Around Skye

25th July 2023 Sailing back across the Sound of Raasay I noticed individual gannets flying from miles away towards a particular area of sea. They started wheeling around the spot where fish must have been spotted. Eventually there must have been a flock of twenty or...
Island of Rona

Island of Rona

23rd July 2023 We sailed east to the Island of Rona from Portree in a couple of hours. We crossed the Sound of Raasay to get there which is apparently the deepest water in the UK continental shelf, descending to 1,062 feet. This island had been recommended to us by...
Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye

Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye

21st July 2023 Dunvegan Castle is the seat of the MacLeod clan. First built in the 13th century this austere looking castle is built on an elevated rock on the west of Skye. We caught a bus from Portree to visit it. The MacLeod’s used to own St Kilda, a tiny...
Sea Eagle, Isle of Skye

Sea Eagle, Isle of Skye

20th July 2023 As we head north the wildlife becomes more interesting. Travelling up the Sound of Sleat I watch seals very actively hunting for fish. Under the bridge at the Kyle of Lochalsh and further on, motor sailing up the Loch na Cairidh, dolphins were flinging...
The Extraordinary Isle of Staffa

The Extraordinary Isle of Staffa

14th July 2023 I have always wanted to visit Staffa but the weather conditions need to be right to anchor. We decided to go with Staffa Tours from Tobermory which also included Lunga on the trip. This little island is entirely of volcanic origin and the slow cooling...
Puffins Galore!

Puffins Galore!

14th July 2023 Happy to be back on Lunga Island surrounded by puffins! There are 3,000 of them here, where they return every year to rear their chicks in the same burrows with their life partner. I always forget how small they are. We sat and watched them interacting...
Wildlife Sailing Adventure 2023

Wildlife Sailing Adventure 2023

9th July 2023 We set off on our travels again in Bonaventure II, myself and Mark, exploring the Western Isles of Scotland. I can’t wait to immerse myself in the elements and get up close to the wildlife. I particularly want to see puffins and if we’re...