colour lover, print fanatic, neon enthusiast, inky mess maker
hello
I'm Nikki, AKA The Print Lass and I work from my home studio in West Yorkshire.
I graduated from Nottingham Trent in 1997 where I studied Decorative Arts - a multidisciplinary course that gave me the chance to explore ceramics, print, paper and kiln formed glass.
I returned to printmaking in 2019 having had a piece of work accepted into an exhibition at Ocean Studios in Plymouth. The only snag being it had to be screen printed for the show and I hadn't screen printed in a good while!
After a short refresher with the amazing Amy Mellis, I realised how much I loved getting inky and started to focus much more on screen printing.
inky inspiration
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I just love colour, pattern and print. The delicious results of overlapping inks, that lovely matt texture, intensity of colours and ever so tiny mis-registration of layers (part of the charm in my opinion). I love the whole process and the slight panic that it could all go a bit wrong. I've always loved anything with a geeky process to master and in print that's the gift that keeps on giving.
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Architecture, furniture & decorative arts of the mid century are a big inspiration. I have a small collection of mid century ceramics and I'm a bit of a fan of West German fat lava vases.
I particularly love illustration and graphic design of the 50's & 60's and my work often embraces the simple graphic shapes and textural hand drawn elements of that period.
I find joy in exploring materials. Folding and cutting papers to create concertinas, or creating printed wooden panels that slot together to create 3D forms.
These pieces don't need dedicated space on a wall but sit happily on a shelf or piece of furniture and can be moved to a new home on a whim.
My smaller decorations and brooches were designed to make use of any waste materials but have become well loved little treasures.
"Thrilled with this! Beautiful design, colour palette and quality. Looks great on my mantlepiece - will look forward to getting this out for many Christmases to come!"
"I fell in love with this print earlier in the year, and finally treated myself to it whilst pretending to shop for Christmas gifts. The print quality is fantastic. It captures so many tiny details, and the design itself is just beautiful. I love it and can't wait to frame it!"
Responsibility
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My aim is to create beautiful things made from quality materials that you will treasure and will keep for years. I spend time considering the materials I use and their impact on people and the earth:
- You won't find plastics in my products or packaging
- My suppliers are based in the UK and most are based in Yorkshire
- Many of my papers are recycled and those that aren't are from sustainably managed forests
- My inks are water-based
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- When cleaning screens, I use a micro filter to separate waste water and capture any particles present in my ink (my gold ink is magical but it does have lots of tiny particles in it)
- My packaging is mostly paper based, using compostable cellophane for prints at events (and for wholesale) and card catch stickers instead of bags for cards
- I don't order huge quantities of materials or stock, meaning I can keep unsold stock to a minimum and reduce waste. This does affect my prices somewhat as I don't benefit from the lower costs of ordering large amounts
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This is Ethel, my studio buddy - we're lucky enough to have the moors on our doorstep so we generally start our day with a (windy & soggy) walk
Events
It would be great to meet you in person!
Events confirmed for 2024 so far:
- Sunny Bank Mills Printed Bound // 2-3 March
- Colour // RHS Harlow Carr // 29 Aug - 29 Sep
I will add more dates for 2024 as they are confirmed (you can find out more by subscribing to my email newsletter)
collaborating & commissions
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Gelato Lounge - Market Weighton
A fun wallpaper commission for a gelato/coffee shop
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Children's bedroom wallpaper
I really loved designing this bird paper for my daughters room a few years ago
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Surface Pattern
Although I mainly design art prints, cards and accessories I love surface pattern and I'd like to revisit this a bit more in the future.
I have a few ideas for Print Lass gift wrap and fabrics that I'd like to get created!
I'm open to collaborating or commissions. Please just get in touch via email
The Yorkshire Post have very kindly featured my home, studio and work in the YP magazine You can find the articles online using the these links (the first is possibly behind a paywall):