It’s a week to go until Colour Friday and Indie Friday, the colourful independent alternatives to Black Friday. To celebrate this is my round-up of colourful and unique Christmas gifts.
Choose unique handmade gifts inspired by your favourite British landscapes and wildlife. Buy art that brings you joy, rekindles childhood memories and family holidays or reminds you of a special place. Original prints are an affordable alternative to buying original art. Each piece is carefully hand-printed, making it one-of-a-kind.
Yorkshire Coast linocut prints
Views of pretty fishing villages along the Yorkshire Coast. From Robin Hoods Bay, Whitby, Runswick Bay and Scarborough.
Shop the full Yorkshire Coast collection >
Yorkshire Dales linocut prints
Some of my favourite views of Swaledale, Wharfedale, Riblesdale and Wensleydale, along with the iconic Malham Cove and the Yorkshire Three Peaks.
Shop the full Yorkshire Dales collection >
North York Moors linocut prints
From iconic views of Roseberry Topping and the Kilburn White Horse to heather in bloom at the Hole of Horcum and the pretty moors villages of Lealholm and Hutton le Hole.
Shop the full North York Moors collection >
Lake District linocut prints
Memories of summer and autumn walks in the Lake District. From the rugged mountains of Langdale Pikes and Ennerdale to the soft peaks of Cat Bells, to the hidden gem of the Newlands Valley and the ancient packhorse bridge named Slater’s Bridge.
Shop the full Lake District collection >
Wildlife and birds linocut prints
Memories of summer. From Farn Islands boat trips to see puffins, to spotting curlew in the Yorkshire Dales and the fleeting glimpse of Kingfishers along the River Wharfe.
Shop the full wildlife and birds collection >
And not forgetting some of my favourite birds and animals, wrens, hedgehogs, owls, blue tits, hares and swallows.
Save £5 when you spend £75 on postcard size linocut prints
Hand-printed postcard sized prints £25 each.
Save £5 when you spend £75 on a set of 3 postcard size original linocut prints.
Which 3 would you choose? Shop the full 5x7” mini series collection >
How my prints are made and the inspiration behind them
If you’re interested in the story behind my prints, have a look at the inspiration and studio diary sections of my blog.
Some fun facts for Christmas
Did you know?
I use vegetable oil-based ink
Each print is hand-printed using vegetable oil-based ink which is made by a local family business in Murton York. I buy all my inks and lino from them. They made my etching press and rollers, too! It’s just a 5-mile cycle ride on my bike.
Each design is hand-printed
By me, a real human being. The first 20 prints of a design often take 4-6 weeks to make. Subsequent prints of the edition using the existing blocks are quicker but with 3-4 days of drying time between printing each colour they still take a while.
Each print is a limited edition
Print runs are limited to 60 for my multi-coloured larger prints and 100 for my one-colour postcard-sized prints. Once they’re sold that’s it. There will never be any more! Adding to that, I usually only print 10 to 20 at any one time.
Each handmade print is made with archival quality materials
The paper that I print on and the mounts that I use are all acid-free. The oil-based inks I print with are highly pigmented with a lightfast 5 or above.
Packaging
To post greeting card orders, I use recycled packaging. My lovely friends and neighbours saved me card envelopes. Sorry if they look a bit rustic! My original prints need more robust packaging and I buy recycled card envelopes from Lil Packaging. I use cello bags to protect my mounted prints from water.
Winter Open Studios
A little reminder that I'll be opening up my York studio on Saturday 26 November 2023. Please contact me for studio details.
Gift Cards
Take the guesswork out of gifting with an E-Gift Card. Send a Gift Card via email and let them pick their own perfect present online. E-Gift Cards can be emailed directly to your recipient – the perfect solution for last-minute shoppers. Buy a gift card online >
For linocut workshop gift vouchers please contact me.
Gift an experience with a workshop gift voucher
We live in a world of too much stuff, so why gift an experience instead? What’s nicer than spending quality time with friends or family? Workshops provide hands-on experience, allowing participants to learn the intricacies of linocut from a professional linocut artist. That's me! It's a chance to give lino printing a go, see if they like it and learn new skills.
My one-day introduction to linocut print workshops is £90 per person including materials, drinks and homemade cake. They’re limited to 4 students per workshop, so you get lots of one-to-one teaching. I’m always happy to do bespoke dates for groups of 4 friends or family too. Find out more on my linocut workshops page.
Get in touch to order.
Framing
Don't let the cost of framing be a barrier. Read my handy guide to picture framing blog with useful tips on sizes, buying off-the-shelf photo frames or getting your prints professionally framed.
If you love printmaking, you may also like...
I'm a member of York Printmakers. We have over 40 members now. Printmakers use a wide variety of printmaking techniques from linocut, collagraphs, woodcut, screen printing and stencilling to etching. Have a look at the York Printmakers website for links to artists' websites.
How to support small business
One last thing. This is the way to support small independent businesses like mine without spending money. Please help spread the word about my prints, workshops and online courses. I would be grateful if you could tag my social media accounts at @MichelleHughesDesign on Instagram and @MichelleHughesDesign on Facebook, @Design_York on Twitter and use the hashtag #MichelleHughesDesign.
A shout-out to these campaigns, supporting artists and makers, independent shops and small businesses at Christmas.
Just a Card Indie Week from 20-24 November 2023
Holly Tucker’s Colour Friday on 24 November 2023
Small Business Saturday on 2 December 2023
Look out for Just a Card Indie Week and Colour Friday the colourful independent alternatives to Black Friday.
Thank you for all your support as always.
Enjoy the festive season.
Best wishes
Michelle
About the author
Michelle Hughes is a North Yorkshire landscape artist. Much of her work depicts the Yorkshire landscape and Yorkshire coast, including the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.
Michelle loves exploring the British countryside by bike or on foot, camera in hand, capturing ideas for her next linocut prints. Back in her garden studio, Michelle creates simple but stylised silhouettes based on her photographs, and hand carves these shapes into lino. She hand prints with an etching press, using oil-based inks to create tonal blocks of colour.
Michelle’s original linocut prints are limited editions.