THE PRINT MAKER

There’s no better way to observe birds and wildlife than from the back of a sailing boat, says printmaker and illustrator Angela Harding.

Sitting on deck in the River Deben in Suffolk, in the early mornings or at the end of the day, she’ll watch seals basking on the mud, geese in formation overhead or a kingfisher perched in the reeds.

She’ll have a sketchbook to hand but often the pages only present the barest of outlines for her to recall the scene. When the time is right, she’ll translate the drawing into an intricately worked linocut print.

Angela was introduced to printmaking while a student at Leicester Polytechnic in the late 1970s, and has steadily made a living ever since, illustrating magazine articles, producing greetings cards and selling prints.

In the past few years, though, appreciation for her stylised scenes from nature has soared. You can now find her designs on book covers such as, or James Rebank’s , and also , the stunning children’s middle grade novel by upcoming writer Katya Balen. Angela Harding’s pictures are also on calendars, journals, jigsaws, bags, tea towels and tea cosies.