❶ "Slow Print" is a body of practice-based research developed during my PhD by Practice that investigates a slower and sustainable design process and application of printing inks.

Adopting pre-industrial era cottage industry production methods, traditionally based in the home, enabled me to work in tandem with the indigenous environment of Yorkshire, UK.

“Innovate
Useful
Aesthetic
Understandable
Unobtrusive
Honest
Long – lasting
Last detail
Environmentally friendly
As little design as possible”

Rams, D. Timeless Design, 1976. New York.

fig. 1 


“Slow Print”. The printing inks is formed from a binder (bladderwrack seaweed) and an organic pigment (hawthorn, bracken, bilberry, nettle and blackberry) . The pigment is created from plant life, which grows indigenousness within the cottage industry environment of Ilkley, West Yorkshire

Working seasonally and aligning with nature, the printing ink has a continuously sustainable lifecycle and is unique to the production environment. 



 fig. 2


Bladderwrack

Woolacombe Bay, Devon.

51 18 00 N

04 18 00 W

Harvesting allows the seaweed to cultivate at an increased speed and encourages growth while protecting the coastline from decay.


fig. 3


Bladderwrack is stored away from direct sunlight once harvested. Rehydrated in water, 40g of bladderwrack to 200ml from 20, increasing to 80 degrees, with regular agitation. As the material dissolves, debris is removed and returned to heat for an additional 30mins.



fig. 4

Once cooled, the solution is sieved. At this stage, the Bladderwrack will form a solid mass and create a binder, once stored  below freezing point it can be refsued indefinitly. 



fig. 5


Pigments are foraged from the cottage industry environment, selecting plant life to create a continuous supply of  seasonal materials to work with.


fig. 6


Crataegus Monogya (Hawthorn)

53 55 14 N

01 49 43 W

August – January Season



fig. 7


Pteridium Aquilinum(Bracken)

55 55 18 N

01 49 38 W

April – September Season



fig. 8


Rubus Fruticosus (Blackberry)

55 55 13 N

01 49 42 W

July to September Season



fig. 9



Urtica (Nettle)

55 55 14 N

01 49 38 W

March – November Season


fig.10


Vaccinium Uliginosum (Bilberry)

53 55 08 N

01 49 42 W

July – October Season





fig.11



Integrated within the home environment and focused within the kitchen space. The production functioned as part of day-to-day life as it would have traditionally.



fig. 12


Production was unique to and reflected the space. The binder, pigments, and printing inks were created at the kitchen table, with the screen printing later in the same place.




fig. 13


Vaccinium Uliginosum (Bilberry)

53 55 08 N

01 49 42 W

Printing Ink


Debris and decay removed then washed and left to dry a 20 - 23 degree room temperature.



fig. 14


One measure of bilberry paste to five parts water (5ml of paste to 25ml of water).

Gradually heat to 100 degrees from 20 degrees, then allow for a reduction once at 100 degrees.



fig. 15


Remove any further debris. Pigment and binder are to be combined in equal parts to create the printing ink.

Cool to 5 degrees or lower after use to preserve, returning the printing ink to 20 degrees for further use.



fig. 16


 Test taken once a week over the distilling process. Printing ink produced using stage one bilberry pigment.




fig. 17



A5 Screen 105 x 148.5 mm.

Working using a small-scale format with - 32T mesh to lay down a heavier print. Areas surrounding the stencil are masked to prevent any bleed.

Dye cut Stencils
Uncoated recycled stock which reference the symbols for use on an OS map.




fig. 18


Each print requires a single pull of the squeegee, the tool which pushes the ink through the mesh. A template is created to ensure accuracy. The screen is lifted immediately after the print.

Using a 90T mesh for the screen will produce a thinner layer of ink, so it is possible to vary the depth of colour by changing the screen.


fig. 19


The printing ink is water soluble, made from organic and non-toxic material, and will wash out of the screen with no detergent.




fig. 20


“Slow” Printmaking. Large scale hand-pulled screen print with letter press detail.
April 2023

OS coordinates of the cottage industry.
594 x 841 mm
300 gsm