A residency at Couleur #2

Couleur Studio hosts short art residency for Australian artist who work primarily in a medium other than printmaking. The first location for Couleur Studio was in Collingwood in Melbourne where I lived for 10 years. Now that the studio is based in South of France where I grew up, it was natural for me to host Australian artists, and keep building bridges between France and Australia.

The residency program is specifically for artists who specialise in a medium other than printmaking, but who can benefit from adapting their work for print and design with my help a small limited edition. This is aligned with our value of making printmaking accessible to a broader audience. We teach print to a variety of audience, from university students to complete beginners, but we believe artists working in painting, drawing, design or even literature or music, may want to develop a print project in relation with their main practice !

In that spririt, we hosted Can Yalçinkaya, Turkish-Australian multi-disciplinary artist and researcher, working in zine, comics and music.

Can Yalçinkaya in the studio with his comics and card board cut-out, credit photo Emilie Walsh

During Can’s residency at Couleur Studio, he produced a small edition linocut print, inspired by his most recent comics work ‘The Gurbet Fuzz’, printed by Melbourne based small press and risograph printer, Glom Press.

Can’s comics, The Gurbet Fuzz, edited and printed in risograph by Glom Press in Australia, 2025. Credit photo, Emilie Walsh.

The print design idea that Can brought to the studio residency was a drawing of a magical character in his comics, inspired by the mythical figure Shamaran, the queen of serpent, common in middle easter and turkish folklore. In this first issue of the serialised comics ‘Gurbet Fuzz’, we see the introduction of this magical character playing a keytar at the end of the book, filling the reader with curiosity! 

It’s the perfect character in the book to adapt for a print design for multiple reasons : 

The various traditional designs of Shamaran show a lot of details - scales, jewelry, horns, ornaments… -  all of which are really suited to adapt for block print. The aesthetic of linocut translates those features really well and gives a atemporal feel to the design, which is suited for the representation of mythical figures. 

As mentioned, the character is introduced in the book as a narrative cliffhanger which gives her dramatic weight. The print emphasises her importance and gives a support of flesh out the world building of Gurbet Fuzz outside of the comics. 

Last page of issue 1 of the serialised comics The Gurbet Fuzz by Can Yalçinkaya, Glom Press, 2025. Credit photo, Emilie Walsh

Traditional Shamaran representations are really intriguing and Can’s modernisation of the mythical creature adds to the mystery : in the comics and the print, we see Shamaran playing the keytar which places her in a different temporarity. Can’s kept this for the linocut print and the result is a compelling, intriguing image that engages an audience, whether they are familiar with the myth or not. This gives support to spark conversation at the comic book launch, zine fairs, and any event where Can will promote his comics.

The print process. 

Providing technical expertise, I accompanied Can in the production of a small edition of 10 linocut prints in the studio. 

From the drawing of Shamaran that Can brought to me, I suggested some edits to adapt the image for linocut. For instance, we switched the scale texture to a black background, easier to carve and more effective in terms of design impact. 

Can adapting his drawing for a linocut print in the studio. Credit photo, Emilie Walsh

Then I taught Can how to transfer the images onto a vinyl block and mentor him into the carving process. This is a time-consuming process and I was here to help with small details that required more carving experience. 

Can’s lino block fully carved. Credit photo, Emilie Walsh

Once the block was carved, we did a first test print together. This allowed us to see the design with more clarity and made a few edits before starting printing the edition. I taught Can the basics of the inking and hand printing process. This will allow Can to reprint his linocut in the future for second editions, at home in autonomy with the hand printing technique. 

For this first edition, I then did the printing, both hand prints on Japanese Ho-Sho paper and with the press on Fabriano paper. I did an edition of 10 numbered prints, plus deux extra artist proof (AP), one for Can and one for the studio’s archives. Can signed and number the prints and I packed them with a backing and a plastic sleeve for sale.

Can signing and numbering his edition of print. Credit Photo, Emilie Walsh

For Can’s comics book launch following the residency, the print proved to be an engaging tool to start conversation about the comics, and it was also a commercial success. Linocut prints can be sold at an affordable price for an original piece of art, due to its reproductible nature. This allows the artwork to reach a broader audience and art enthusiasts can purchase affordable high quality art. This offers an extra source of income for artists.

Reprint

Due to the commercial success of the first edition of print we create together in the studio, I did a second edition reprint of the carved lino block a few months later to send to Australia to Can. With this reprint, I decided to experiment with printing on some hand made paper I fabricate at the studio. The speckled, textured coloured paper contrasts in a beautiful way with the black ink of Can’s design!

Well done Can, come back to the studio soon!

Can with his linocut print of Shamran in front of the studio. Credit photo Emilie Walsh