Necessity is the mother of invention... and sometimes an awful lot of fun, too!
Spread ink across a raised surface, then transfer that ink onto another surface, like paper or fabric, and you've got - essentially - a block print. The lovely thing about them is that once you've made that block, you can in turn make a number of prints from it, so while each hand-pulled print is unique because of variables in the ways ink and paper interact, they're also quite affordable, and i'm delighted to have a way to make original art accessible.
PressingNeeds was born out of my desperation to make gifts one cash-poor Christmas season... and then when i showed the prints i'd made to friends, they started asking about buying them. I was happy to oblige, and started consigning the prints at a few local places, and opened up this Etsy shop.
All my designs are original, adapted from my own photos and drawings. I carve the blocks (linoleum or soft rubber) myself, and pull each print by hand. I love experimenting with different combinations of ink and paper and framing materials!
The newest addition to the studio is a rescued 1939 Kelsey Excelsior tabletop press, allowing me to add letterpress printed items, cards, invitations, and stationery to my offerings, using vintage type and printer's blocks, as well as linoleum blocks i've created myself for distinctive, fun, and expressive paper goods.
