Hannah is a modern botanical artist using printmaking to illustrate plants in all their forms. She has been producing botanical screenprints for the past 18 years and during her master class you will learn how to produce a multi-layered colourful screenprint.
Book a place onto Hannah's Master Class - Introduction to Botanical Screenprinting, 28th March 2025
What excites you about your subject?
It’s the process of screenprinting that excites me most. There’s always an element of unpredictability, how the stencils will work and how the colour layers will interact. I use a lot of tints and transparent colours to create depth and texture, often layering multiple stencils within a single design. I love the vibrancy and flatness of colour that screenprinting achieves. The possibilities are endless, I’m constantly learning and experimenting with every print. Proofing a design is often when I have the most fun, as I try different colour combinations and even switch up the order of the layers to discover new effects.
Favourite thing about teaching a master class?
Watching that first pull of ink and seeing a participant’s face light up, it’s such a simple but powerful moment. There’s something magical about pushing ink through fabric and revealing a design.
I also learn a lot from teaching. Having to explain my techniques forces me to analyse and articulate them, which deepens my own understanding of the process.
What will participants learn on your class?
Screenprinting is a technique that uses a woven mesh, usually polyester, stretched over a rectangular frame. Stencils are applied with ink-blocking materials, such as photo emulsion or paper, allowing ink to pass through only in the desired areas. Each colour requires its own stencil, and a sharp-edged squeegee is used to push the ink through in a smooth motion.
In this class, participants will print a series of botanical herb designs, each with 3 to 5 stencils. They’ll learn how to mix colours, layer stencils, create textures, register prints, and use techniques like mono-printing, gradients, and overlapping colours to form new shades. We’ll also cover common mistakes and simple fixes.
This workshop is an introduction to screenprinting, designed to give participants the confidence to start printing at home.
What is your favourite herb?
Borage is my favourite to draw—the star-like blue flowers and purple buds create such a striking contrast in shape and texture. I also love drawing Cardoon… but the list could go on!
A Fun fact, about your subject linked to herbs.
The earliest printed botanical books were created by physicians and apothecaries. Known as Greek Herbals (or simply Herbals), these manuscripts, and later printed books, helped identify medicinal plants. They contained crude woodcut illustrations that apothecaries used as references when sourcing herbs for medicine. So, in a way, the first recorded botanical prints were of herbs!
Want to know more?
Book a place onto Hannah's Master Class - Introduction to Botanical Screenprinting, 28th March 2025
Alternatively, come and visit the herb farm in South Gloucestershire at one of our Herb Days, Open Days or Herb Experiences.
You can find more about herbs in Jekka’s blog, our past newsletters and videos as well as Jekka's new book '100 Herbs to Grow' and Jekka's existing books, namely 'A Pocketful of Herbs' or Jekka's Complete Herb Book, and also by browsing Jekkapedia and exploring our herb based recipes.
For advice on growing and maintaining herbs, check out ‘Jekka’s Seasonal Tips’ blog series, which includes what to do in your herb garden in early spring, late spring, summer and autumn & winter. Together they form the basis of Jekka’s guide on how to grow herbs.
Please also see Jekka's herbs of the month blogs: Bay (January), Rosemary (February), Salad Burnet (March), French Tarragon (April), Angelica (May), Alliums (June), Lavender (July), Basil (August), Mint (September), Szechuan Pepper (October), Thyme (November) and Curry Tree (December)
Herb plants are available and you can organise a collection from our herb farm in South Gloucestershire or at one of our Open Days. Please see our 'Looking Good List' for availability and use our webform or email your list directly to us (sales@jekkas.com). We no longer offer a general mail order service for our plants but we do offer an occasional limited selection of Jekka's Culinary Herb Boxes.