Frequently Asked Questions

---

Yes, absolutely! 

Please use the contact form or email me at mirmawalker@yahoo.com to discuss your idea.

Should you wish to use an image for commercial purposes, please contact Miranda Whitten-Walker using the contact form or email mirmawalker@yahoo.com with details of your specific request. 

Yes! All my artworks are made using superior quality materials. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, I use conservation grade and/or museum grade materials (i.e. level 2 & level 1 respectively as defined by the Fine Art Trade Guild) for both the artwork and, if supplied, its mount. This means they are acid-free and pH buffered, and the artwork will be protected from discolouration caused by airborne pollution. The artwork will not be exposed to damaging acids that can be generated by many inferior materials. I also exclusively use pigments that have an excellent light-fastness rating. 

For painting and drawings I work with a variety of mediums including pencil, ink, acrylic, coloured pencil, gouache and oil paints. For lino prints, I work with both water-based and 'safe-wash' oil-based inks.

There has been a revolution recently in the development of non-toxic, renewable, and more environmentally sensitive art materials as alternatives to traditional ones. These include new water-washable oil paints and printing inks. I am a proud adopter of these new products, and find it very exciting to explore their properties and potential in my art. 

All the mediums I use are very high quality and formulated with superior light-fast and colour-fast properties. I use a great variety of different surfaces to create my artworks, from papers, cards and boards and solid wood; each is carefully chosen depending on the effect I want to achieve. 

Relief prints are made by applying ink onto a surface that has grooves carved into it. The ink sits on the remaining untouched surface, not in the carved groove. 

How I make lino prints: After making a drawing, I transfer it to the surface of an artist's linoleum block. I carve away any part of the image I want to be white (white will be the paper itself). I roll oil-based ink onto the surface of the carved block and lay a piece of paper on top of the inked surface. Then I apply pressure using either a ball-baring tool called a baren (this is 'hand-burnishing') or with my printing press. Burnishing transfers a printed image onto the paper. The simplest kind of lino print will be complete at this point (in other words, there is a single layer of colour). But reduction lino prints are more complex: I clean the block, carve away more of the design, and then repeat the inking and burnishing process again to build up the next layer of colour on top of the images already printed in the previous step. Some of my prints are comprised of five or more colour layers. The ink must dry between each layer, so the final print can take many weeks, and sometimes even a few months, to complete. 

This particular method - using a single lino block and progressively carving away more and more of the design while building up layers of colour - is called 'reduction' or 'suicide' printing, because there is no going back (and no additional prints can ever be made)! This is my preferred method. An alternative is a 'multiblock' approach, in which each colour layer of the print is printed from a separate lino block. 

A lino print is an original print. It is NOT a reproduction, but an original work of art produced by my hand in multiples as a limited edition.

Intaglio printmaking involves applying ink into grooves or ‘burrs’ that have been cut or etched into a plate, and removing ink from the smooth parts of the plate. It is essentially the opposite of relief printing, where the ink sits on top of the untouched smooth surface. 

Printing ink is applied over the entire surface of the intaglio plate and then progressively (and rather painstakingly) wiped back until it remains only in the grooves that constitute the intended design. The ink is then transferred to dampened paper by applying considerable pressure. Typically, more pressure is required for intaglio prints than for relief prints because the paper fibres must be forced towards the grooves where they can contact the ink. It is only since acquiring a printing press that I have started making intaglio prints. 

The inking and wiping process must be repeated for each new print in the edition. The grooves can be made by chemical corrosion (as in etching) or by scratching a design into a variety of surfaces using needle-like tools (as in 'drypoint'). Since I have a small studio and don't want to work with acid baths, I favour the drypoint method and work with perspex plates (although there are many types of plate available). 

Drypoints are original prints and always limited editions, because the pressure of the press eventually flattens the burrs and grooves so that they no longer accept ink. I usually produce drypoint editions of six or fewer prints.

As a general rule, handmade original prints are numbered on the left-hand side at the foot of the print. 

Limited Editions have a specified, fixed number of prints and no more will ever be created. When the edition is limited, you will see two numbers. These tell you how many prints were made in the whole edition, and the individual number of this particular print. So, for example, a print numbered 2/10 would be the 2nd print in an edition size of 10. Because the total number of prints in the edition is specified (i.e. 10 in this example), no more prints can ever be made. 

Nearly all the prints I make are Limited Edition prints, because the lino block is progressively cut away as each colour layer is applied. This method of lino printing is called the 'reduction' or 'suicide' process - there is no going back, and no additional new prints can ever be made from the block. I have to decide on the maximum number of prints I will create, right from the outset.

Variable Editions (marked as 'VE' or 'EV' on the print) also have a specified maximum number of prints, meaning that no more will ever be made, but each individual print differs more noticeably from the others. Prints with additional hand-painted elements, or where techniques like 'wiping' have been used, tend to fall into this category. Prints from Variable Editions are by definition more individual and unique.

Trial Proofs / Test Prints (marked as 'TP') are also Limited Edition, and are usually very similar to the print edition except that they might have a slight flaw or an experimental feature that I decided not to incorporate into my final design. They are usually made to check the development of the print in process. Test prints have been omitted from the main edition. Trial proofs can feature different colours or look substantially different from prints in the final main edition. Minor flaws might be a slight ink smudge or an imperfection in the paper. TPs can be a very affordable way to buy art as I always offer them at a discounted price relative to pieces in the main edition. 

I also occasionally sell an Artist Proof (marked as 'AP', 'EA' or 'PP). Artist proofs are Limited Edition and are usually retained by the artist as a good example of the print edition. They are not included in the main print edition.

Open Editions (marked as 'OE') are unlimited and have no pre-determined number of prints. More prints can be created in the future if there is demand. Open editions may be marked as OE and can also be numbered OE1, OE2 etc. Open variable editions may be marked as OVE1, OEV2 etc.

Yes, there are several opportunities to purchase my art in person, and I've written a whole Blog about it.

If you have any questions or wish to arrange a studio please do contact me.

It is recommended that all artworks should be displayed out of direct sunlight, and away from sources of direct heat. 

When you frame your artwork, I highly recommend that you opt for level 2 (very good) or level 1 (best) framing materials, as defined by the Fine Art Trade Guild, including any sticky tapes used. The same advice applies if you intend to store artwork for extended periods: you should ensure that any materials coming into contact the artwork are at least acid-free and preferably conservation grade or better.

I would recommend having original artworks unpacked and framed by a professional framer to avoid any damage at the unpacking stage. To return to their original flat state, rolled lino prints will need a day or so weighted down prior to framing. Please note that I cannot be held responsible for damage/marks/creases incurred during unwrapping or careless handling of artworks. The outer packaging you receive from me (i.e. the envelope and reinforcing board) are non-conservation grade and could contain acids and other harmful chemicals, so if you are going to be storing your artwork rather than getting it framed, you should remove the outer packaging first.  

(The cellophane bag and everything inside is made from superior materials safe for storage).

It is still important to store and display artworks out of direct sunlight, and away from sources of direct heat such as radiators.  

If you have any questions please contact me prior to purchasing.

No. I am not a professional framer and the added weight and fragility of the frame would complicate the shipping process. Some artworks on my website come with mounts, but I do not sell any of my artworks with frames. 

The only exception to this rule is by prior special arrangement, when a customer either collects the work directly from my studio or requests local delivery.

No. It is a Pandora's box that I am currently unwilling to open.

Whenever possible, I source my materials from local manufacturers. If this is not possible, I buy in bulk to reduce the carbon footprint associated with transport. Whenever there is an alternative to synthetic products, I always favour natural, non-toxic products made with renewable materials to minimize the impact on both the environment and my health. 

I use traditional artist's lino for the majority of my prints. This is made from natural renewable materials (e.g. linseed oil and wood fibres) and my old blocks are composted. I use printing inks and oil paints that are made in the UK with renewable linseed oil; these inks meet the criteria for the Approved Product Seal from The Art and Creative Materials Institute.

My art studio is powered using 100% renewable energy.

My default choice of carrier for shipping items is Royal Mail, which (at the time of writing) offers the lowest reported emissions per parcel of any major UK delivery company.

The packing materials I use are mostly either recycled, recyclable, or both. When I do use plastic (e.g. bubble wrap), it is being re-used. The cellophane bags I use to protect the artworks are 100% recyclable (cellophane is made from plant cellulose). 

See the Delivery & Returns and Terms & Conditions sections for details.

See the Delivery & Returns and Terms & Conditions sections for details.

Under some circumstances I may be able to personally deliver artworks locally (over the value of £50). There is an additional charge for this service. Alternatively if you would like to collect in person from my studio, this can usually be arranged. If you wish to explore these options, please read the additional notes in the Delivery & Returns section, and then use the contact form or email mirmawalker@yahoo.com PRIOR to purchasing, in order to make the arrangements. 

All artwork and content (pictures, video and text) on this website are the sole property and copyright of Miranda Whitten-Walker and are legally protected by UK & international copyright laws.

Under no circumstance may you download, reproduce, publish or distribute elsewhere, in any medium, any of the artwork or content for commercial purposes, without proper and prior written permission from Miranda Whitten-Walker or from her legal advisers.

Unauthorised duplication or usage for commercial purposes is prohibited by the Copyright law and will be prosecuted.

Miranda Whitten-Walker retains all of the copyrights to all artwork on this site, regardless of whether or not the original image has been sold. 

Please note that the artist Miranda Whitten-Walker owns and retains ownership of copyright of the artworks she has created, even after an original artwork has been sold.