Surrey-based printmaker Leila Mead’s latest print series is a return to her routes in screen printing with stencils. The new series, a collection of prints celebrating her favourite cocktails, is a step-away from her usual practice of drawing nudes and creating linocuts. Leila tells us; “This idea had been on the back burner for a year or so—I’ve always wanted to create a screen print series based on my favourite cocktails. I love spotting those kinds of posters in people’s homes; they give an insight into their preferred tipple, and that says a lot about a person! Retro drink adverts were my style inspiration, and the brief was simple: bold, eye-catching, and bursting with colour.”
Having not screen printed for a couple of years, adjusting to a new studio with different equipment, as Leila describes, “took some time”. She comments; “I’d be lying if I said the first few print runs weren’t a bit of a struggle! But then, it all starts coming back, and you remember exactly why you love doing it. If I had to sum up my practice for this project in three words: cheery, chaotic, and colourful!”
The fashion and textiles of the 60s and 70s are Leila’s most valuable source of inspiration. She states; “At university, I spent hours in the library poring over fashion and interior magazines from those decades, completely fascinated by the adverts—the outrageousness (at least through modern eyes!), the bold, contrasting colours, the playfulness. I liked that the adverts looked like something I’d want on my wall.”
Taking in these influences when creating her Cocktail series, Leila played around with colour schemes and drew out some drafts in a sketchbook. She decided to keep the colours relative to the cocktail; for example, the Aperol Spritz design naturally features orange as the standout shade. Each design in the series evokes a distinct feeling; for example an Aperol Spritz transports you to a sun-drenched piazza in the Mediterranean; a Margarita, a wild party dancing late into the night; and a Dirty Martini, a low-lit, swanky cocktail bar in Soho.
After completing sketches for each design on paper, Leila then created the film positives by hand layer by layer at home, using a lightbox, Posca pens, and black Indian ink. She comments; “I’m part of a small print studio in southwest London, where I have access to the facilities but not a permanent space. It comes with its challenges—there’s never quite enough room at home—but you make it work!” She’d get to the studio either early in the morning or after lunch and work in five-hour stints without a break, headphones in, completely focused. “I found this the best way to get screen prints done—there are so many steps to the process, and it takes time. While the screens were drying, I’d tidy up the positives and mix colours,” says the printmaker.
Leila will soon be releasing digital prints of her Cocktail series so that there are more versions and sizes available (she screen printed an edition of 5 for each design) at different accessible price points. After stepping away from her signature style, Leila can feel herself being drawn back. Currently, she’s developing an idea for a new screen print project, and is keeping her lino printed clothing commissions ticking along.
www.leilamead.co.uk
@leilameadprint
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