Behind the Prints: Taylors Mistake

The first design in the Hand Cut Series began with a place.

Before any lino was carved or ink rolled, time was spent outside. Sketches were made, photographs taken and details noted that might otherwise be forgotten. The aim wasn't to record everything. It was to understand what made the place recognisable.

That place was Taylors Mistake on Banks Peninsula.

Early sketches on Taylors Mistake.

The coastline has no shortage of detail. Steep cliffs, weathered basalt, winding tracks and constantly changing light all compete for attention.

The challenge isn't adding detail to the artwork. It's deciding what can be removed without losing the character of the place.

Those first sketches begin that process.

Textures along the coastline.

Back in the workshop, the sketch sits beside the lino block while the carving begins.

The drawing changes as the tools do their work. Some lines become cleaner, others disappear altogether, until the print starts to feel like the coastline that inspired it.

The carving begins.

Once the composition is settled, it's transferred onto lino.

Unlike drawing on paper, carving is a subtractive process. Every cut removes material permanently, leaving behind the raised surface that will eventually carry the ink.

Progress is gradual. The finished image only becomes visible after the first proof prints begin to emerge.

Areas removed from the block.

Proof printing is where the artwork is tested.

Some lines prove too heavy. Others disappear altogether. Small adjustments continue until the balance feels right.

The aim isn't perfection. It's clarity.

Early proof prints.

Once the artwork is complete, the final print is scanned at high resolution and prepared for screen printing, preserving the marks and texture of the original lino print.

Each Taylors Mistake T-shirt begins with the same lino block, carrying the marks, textures and small imperfections that come from carving by hand.

Returning to the coastline.

Bringing the finished block back to Taylors Mistake felt like an appropriate way to finish the project.

The coastline inspired the sketch.

The sketch became a carving.

The carving became a print.

The print became a T-shirt.

Everything else happened in between.