From waste to wonder: an evening of creative alchemy

Demo held: Monday, 03 August, 2026

From the start, it was clear that this demonstration would be something different. There was no easel in sight, nor a neatly arranged set of paints; instead, two tables were full of various exciting items, some of which you might expect to find in your waste bin. This was a demonstration by Rowde-based artist Hannah Cantellow on collagraph printing for Lawrence Art Society members in Devizes.

"Printmaking is a combination of work and magic, where the work involves producing the plate, and the magic happens at the printing stage."

Hannah explained that this method uses collage to create the printing plate. A plate could be anything: mounting card, any sort of board that can hold a mark, including milk bottle cartons, and any shape, as  the evening would show.

According to Hannah, printmaking is a combination of work and magic, where the work involves producing the plate, and the magic happens at the printing stage.

She began working on a piece of art card, using a knife, an engraving tool, and an assortment of other items, including a peacock feather. She then adhered various items to the plate and painted them to add strength and texture.

After a break, the magic began. First was relief printing, where the ink is applied to the surface of the plate using a roller. Hannah did this with one of the shapes and some flower designs she had brought. She mounted them on the mat of the press, placed the wetted paper on top, and rolled it through, resulting in the magical print of a vase of flowers.

Next came intaglio printing, which involves forcing ink into the marks on the plate and printing the marks rather than the surface. This method was not simple and proved to be quite messy, as her apron demonstrated. Hannah applied ink and used various techniques to remove the surface ink. When she put the plate through the rollers, there was some trepidation, but the outcome was truly magical: three orbs with texture and colour variation — they were fabulous.

Finally, she demonstrated a mixture of the two methods, using the plate with various dried plant leaves applied. By using one colour in the grooves and another on the surface, she created a stunning two-colour print, with one colour in the background and another in the foreground.

It was a fascinating demonstration that everyone clearly found enjoyable.

The Artist

Hannah Cantellow is a Wiltshire-based artist and printmaker, specialising in linocut and woodcut prints, and illustrative designs. Much of her work is inspired by a love of nature, landscape and archaeology, and this is reflected in her work.

Visit Hannah's website here.