8th June 2018

An interview with Orlando Weeks

To coincide with the Dulwich Picture Gallery’s exhibition dedicated to artist and designer Edward Bawden, the south London institution has commissioned former Maccabees frontman-turned illustrator and author Orlando Weeks to make a limited-edition print inspired by his work. To get his lino-cut skills up to scratch, Orlando turned to long-time friend and printmaker Alex Booker, who took him to his Limehouse studio to make some creative magic.

The name Edward Bawden might not be instantly familiar, but it’s highly likely you’ll recognise his work. With a style not dissimilar to Eric Ravilious but with a ton more humour, Bawden rendered iconic scenes from the UK into bold block-colour as seen in his London Transport posters from the 1930s and commercial work for Twinings and Fortnum & Mason – we love his cheeky Santa cat (Father Catmas?) for the latter’s 1958 Christmas catalogue.

Pier Front by Edward Bawden.

Orlando – formerly of the chart-topping band The Maccabees and now a talented author and illustrator – first fell in love with Bawden’s work through his mum’s postcards, steadily building up his own collection. 'Bawden gets you hooked on postcards. That's the gateway,' says Orlando, 'then before you know it you're buying the art books and graduating up to shelling out for a print of your own.' Bawden was a master of so many disciplines that choosing a favourite from across that spectrum isn't really possible, Orlando tells us. He said, 'I’m looking forward to seeing some of the War era portraits that he did when the exhibition opens. I haven't seen many of those in the flesh.'

Given Bawden excelled at linocuts, Orlando knew that he wanted to experiment with the much-used printing method when working on the collaboration with Dulwich Picture Gallery. Lino printing is a popular method of producing prints due to its easy-to-cut surface and the durability it possesses when inking the blocks and printing multiple times. 'It's been a treat trying to better understand one of the printmaking aspects of Bawden's practice by attempting to make a print myself,' says Orlando, 'Bawden bounced from discipline to discipline, managing to cultivate a nauseatingly envious style of his own in each one.'

Orlando Weeks printmaking with Alex Booker.

Enlisting London-based printmaker Alex Booker to help him hone his craft, Orlando went to Alex’s Limehouse studio to get to grips with the process. ‘I think we both share the love of making work,’ says Orlando of Alex. ‘For the last year or so I've been working on projects on my own, so it's nice and reassuring to spend time with another maker that shares those values.’ Alex agrees, ‘Teaching others is a simple joy. Passing on knowledge and skills to people has been exhilarating and inspiring.’

For Orlando one of the most challenging parts of the process was thinking in reverse, putting down layer and layer of ink, back to front. ‘I was lucky to have Alex on hand to help unpick some of that for me,’ says Orlando. ‘I’m usually happier winging things but lino printing isn't very forgiving – I’ve had to try to be less slapdash.’ The stakes for the project were pretty high. Not only will Orlando’s print be sold by the gallery but a film crew was there to capture the unite process. ‘I would also say that if you are trying to make something for the first time having someone there filming you do it is challenging,’ laughs Orlando.

Orlando Weeks printmaking in Alex Booker's studio.

Luckily he rose to the challenge with teacher Alex saying, ‘Orlando has a brilliantly creative mind, not only as a songwriter but also as a talented illustrator. Teaching anyone a new process can be challenging but Orlando was a natural and with patience and thoughtfulness, embraced with confidence the use of hand tools, deciphering layers of colour for images and recognising the importance of sharp resignation. Commitment and discipline to anything new is also essential!’

But the burning question: is lino printing anything like songwriting? ‘Both need a bit of luck and inspiration to get the thing going’, muses Orlando. Then you need patience and faith that what your hours of dedication are going to be worth it. ‘Once you've spent hours pushing, pulling and cutting it into the shape you have to hope that the end product has retained some of the lightness of the initial idea and doesn't feel too laboured. I think they're actually very similar.’

Click here to find out more about Orlando’s illustration practice and here for to book tickets for the Bawden show.

Orlando Weeks printmaking with Alex Booker.

Orlando Weeks lino printing.

To find out more about what Zetteler does to support Alex Booker and projects like these, visit his client page here.