Screen printing with Ella Osborne
Known for her bold and eye-catching work, Ella Osborne is a Sheffield based illustrator, maker and screen printer. Ella designs and creates prints, stationery and homewares as well as creating custom stationery, and illustrations for brands and businesses. Her work is colourful and has a beautiful natural quality to it, inspired by everyday, wildlife and botanicals.
Ella designed and screen printed beautiful bookmarks for the launch of to my book “Fragrance Your Home”. I safely visited Ella in her treasure trove of a studio in Kelham Island to observe her process and have a chat.
Can you tell me a little about your process behind the design of the bookmark - inspiration behind the illustrations, the colours and paper choice?
I was inspired by some of the botanical oils used in the projects in the book: lavender, cypress, black pepper, and rosemary. They’re all lovely plants to draw. I love the E+A branding, all its simplicity and clean lines. I wanted the bookmarks to sit nicely alongside, so kept the designs simple (with some graphic design assistance from Sean (Coleman Design). Using black ink on coloured paper seemed like a neat way to add some energy to the overall look. The choice of colours was decided between us to complement the colours used in the book. G.F Smith Colorplan is my go-to for coloured paper, which I use a lot in my printmaking, and all sorts of craft projects. The quality and range of colours is excellent, and it's sustainably made in the UK.
You screen printed the bookmarks yourself and many of your prints are often screen printed, why do you choose this method of print for your work?
Screen printing is a really lovely way to reproduce my drawings, and apply them to all sorts of surfaces. I love the texture it gives, and the way ink sits slightly proud of the paper. When it goes right it’s a great feeling!
What did you enjoy most about creating the bookmarks for Fragrance Your Home?
I loved collaborating with my lovely friend. The best part was having a neat little stack of freshly printed and cut out bookmarks.
What projects have you got coming up this year - you have just completed some work for the The Children’s Hospital Charity Bears of Sheffield, can you tell me a little about that?
Yes, the bears! I painted a bear for the upcoming Bears of Sheffield sculpture trail. Mine was sponsored by Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, so as you can imagine it’s quite blue and owly. It was a mad time. My boyfriend Sean painted a bear, too, and I painted another one on behalf of another artist. We had three 7 foot bears in our kitchen for most of March. It was a bit of a squeeze! I’m always working on new products and card designs. Right now I’m designing, printing, and sewing new textile products, ready for my feature window at Sheffield Makers Hunters Bar in July.
Your work is very colourful and often has a fun and joyful aspect to it, where do you get your inspiration from?
Inspiration comes from all over. I enjoy being in nature, and love to draw animals and birds. Really I get ideas from all over: pop culture, folk stories, architecture, and other artists. I love the work of Bridget Riley, Peter Blake, Harry Hill, David Hockney, Malene Landgreen, Sonia Delauney. The list is LONG!
Find Ella
Instagram: @ellaosbornes
Website: Ella Osborne
