I’m self taught illustrator, of sorts. An illustrator who doesn’t love technology and so uses Photoshop and a printer as little as I possibly can. Though I don’t mind working on my iPad if it means I can work from the garden! My creative process is ever evolving, I used to think I had to pick a lane and stick with. But I’m learning being open to anything can be a very beautiful place to be. At the moment I use primarily lino print, but i’m exploring working with gauche and watercolour too ( if you’re a long time follower of my instagram you’ll know this is something of a full circle journey, as watercolour was my primary medium for a while).

Me and Flutter & Folk have been through several phases evolving originally from Buzz & Fllutter. In the last 14 years I have designed greetings cards, prints, pet portraits, wrapping paper and the odd wedding invite and tattoo along the way. I didn’t go to university to learn how to make art, partly because i wasn’t well enough (I suffer with anxiety and depression. A fact i’m happy to talk about, the more we talk about mental health the less people can feel isolated with it. ‘we are all just walking each other home’ as Ram Dass put it). Brain fog (thanks depression) and Dyslexia probably make me more predisposed to more informal ways of learning. If I need to know something I figure it out one way or the other.

I live in a little town in Cumbria with my 9 year old mini dachshund Penny and soon to be my 15 year old cat Delilah too. I love animals, living things in general. Though not to exclude dead things, I find them interesting too ( might sound creepy but when you grow up with a witch for a mother who has a display table my sister astutely dubbed the ‘dead table’, it becomes quite normal) one of my most prized possessions is a large green dragonfly that my partner found. Its beautiful and gives you insight into a world we rarely get to see up close when these things are alive. Anyway what I was trying to say is the natural world inspires me hugely, insects, weeds, bats and hares... as does gardening, flowers and the things us humans come to see as mundane or even ‘granny chic’. That’s my sweet spot. Probably a good time to mention I also love to crochet, I wish I could master all the intricate granny square patterns in the world by the time I die. I love reading and interior design too. As well as the arts and craft movement and Art Nouveau patterns.

I am also a potter. A potter currently without a kiln but lets not mention that. It’ll happen soon when I finally choose one for tiny garden studio. Clay gives me peace. I don’t aspire to be a fancy potter, just one who can make a bloody good tea mug, your favourite tea mug. Most of my creations use underglaze or/and sgraffito to introduce a botanical aspect. I have a collection of vintage and antique botanical guides which I use for inspiration.

I love my garden. Doesn’t matter how small it is I will cram it with as many flowers and veg as I can. I like the promise of sowing seeds, filling up my tiny greenhouse until it becomes time to plant things out and pray for no late frost. It reminds us in the dark cold months that better times will come. Its a lesson that I find useful to bear in mind when chronic pain or mental health stuff makes an appearance. This year I am making use of some space to grow peas, beans, a forest of squashes, carrots and potatoes. As well as my usual cocktail of cornflowers, sunflowers, nasturtiums, cosmos, snapdragons and calendula.

My first collection in the shop is about the divine feminine and trying to be whit-tea (see what i did there? Whitty… whit-tea. Oh never mind). The second is about mental health and the more infuriating aspects of being a woman. My third collection is going to happen slowly. After my Dad died suddenly and an abusive break up I have taken the last few year off of making and selling. I also renovated a house in that time. But I am now feeling like this little shop of mine is something I want to do again. My plans for future prints include more granny chic, more plants, colour and more hope.

If you’ve read this far then well done and thanks for being down with the informality. Im showing up as I am, flawed, weird, definitely not that professional and also relearning how to show up for my unignorable urge to create.

Helena x

I use two different printing techniques to print my designs. Either silkscreen printing or Lino cut printing. Silk screen prints are made my transferring a design onto mesh stretched on a frame, this is done with some chemical light sensitive magic goop. Think colander but with many, tiny holes and you block up some holes to stop the ink getting through. Then the frame can then be placed on to paper or fabric and ink is squeezed through the mesh with a squeegee, to imprint the design. Lino printing is done by transferring a design to the lino ( lino is like hessian backed floor lino) and then i painstakingly carve my desired design. Using a roller ink applied to the lino and a barren is used on the back of the paper to have burnish the ink in the paper.

I am careful to choose ethically made paper or card on which to print my designs. And I only create a limited few prints of each design. what I love about these hand printing techniques is that they create prints that are all unique. No two prints are identical making each an individual piece of art.

I carefully parcel up my designs in acid free tissue paper or biodegradable starch wallets. And sometimes I pop seeds from my garden or some dried petals for extra prettiness. Because I only create a few prints of each design there is only a certain number to buy. Then once they’re gone the lino block or screen is retired. Being handmade you really get a unique piece of art that hopefully makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And with the knowledge that your print is as environmentally friendly as possible.

A Note on sustainability

Protecting the environment is very important to me, so its something I consider at ever step of the process. Whether I’m screen printing or lino printing I use a water based ink that is both high in pigment and has a smaller impact on the environment than oil based ink. Before washing clean a screen or block I always try to remove as much ink as possible, so it can be reused and reduce waste. The paper I use is hand made and is made using recycled cotton rags. Any waste paper from the print making process I repurpose for business cards. And finally when it comes to parceling up your print I don’t use plastic at all, each print is either wrapped in acid free tissue paper or a biodegradable starch wallet to protect it.