Curious Little Press

23/05/2026

Printmaking Tip: Household wood glue can be an accessible and effective alternative to drawing fluid when creating hand-painted silkscreen stencils. Simply mix equal parts wood glue and water with a few drops of glycerine, then paint directly onto the screen. Once dry, apply a layer of shellac and allow it to dry before washing out the glue with water. The result is a durable stencil that can be used repeatedly for printing in multiple colours.

13/05/2026

We are preparing examples of silkscreen printing techniques for the upcoming workshop. We invite all curious creatives to join us — late bookings welcome, limited spaces available.

11/05/2026

06/05/2026

Curious Little Press invites you to a silkscreen workshop on 16 and 17 May, focusing on stencil and reduction silkscreen methods. A key advantage of silkscreen printing is the ability to work with the opacity of colours to create tonal variation and depth through layering, as seen in Barry van der Westhuizen’s
'Welbekende, Onbekende Einde (Wandel bok)'
2026
25-layer silkscreen on Fabriano 5 Hot Press paper
41.2 x 70 cm
Edition of 20

20/04/2026

08/04/2026

Linocut printing tip:

Take your time to prepare your ink for linocut printing. If you find that your ink is runny or “long”, you may want to stiffen it, or make it “short”. To make the ink short simply means to stiffen it.

You can do this by adding talc powder to the ink bit by bit until you reach a creamy, Marmite-like consistency. Another way to check if the ink is short is to use a spatula: press down into the ink and lift it away. If the ink breaks cleanly with no strings, it is stiff enough.

Be careful not to make it too stiff, as the ink may not transfer properly onto the paper due to a loss of tack.

Maintaining a good consistency when editioning a linocut is important—stiffer ink will not stretch or push into the cut grooves during printing.

30/03/2026

Curious Little Press launched the 2026 programme with a weekend linocut workshop. While Barry van der Westhuizen introduced linocut printmaking fundamentals, participants were encouraged to explore both expressive mark-making as well as fine articulations, alongside the possibility of variable print versions. Each individual participant is appreciated for their contribution to the creative group dynamic.

17/03/2026

Examples of foundational, multi-plate and blind embossing linocut printing:

‘Voortrekker Tuig’ by Johan Stegmann is an example of a foundational linocut, demonstrating a well-balanced contrast between black and white.

In ‘Consolation II’, Heidi Fourie uses a multi-plate linocut process, where two lino plates are printed sequentially. The background plate is printed first, followed by a second plate carrying the linework, resulting in layered depth and subtle complexities.

In ‘An Infinity of Thought III’, Helen Lötter integrates blind embossing with an etching, expanding the potential of the print into a subtle third dimension.