Isle of Riso

During my degree I took part in work experience, both of which I visited Alice at her studio in Inverness. The Isle of Riso. During both times I honed and expanded by Riso knowledge and skills, and printed off a myriad of work. Even creating the promo illustrations for Alice’s ‘Islands’ exhibition.

RISO printer on a white cart with boxes of ink below it, surrounded by various posters and drawings on the wall.

Colorful posters and flyers on a wooden table, including a drawing of a robot, a pink poster with a black shaggy dog illustration and the text 'Stay Special Brother You Stay True,' a black and white poster with the date 'Sat 27 Apr,' and other various designs, in a room with a bookshelf and electric sockets.

A room with white walls covered with colorful posters and artwork. There are three large windows letting in natural light. The room contains multiple photocopiers, a desk, various paper supplies, and some chairs. The floor is carpeted, and there's a small table and clutter near the photocopiers.

Work experience - 2024

This was my first visit to Inverness and Alice’s studio. Before I visited Alice asked me to bring a project of my own to print, but I’ll talk about that more later.

While there we had a number of projects and tasks to complete. One of them being to print off the copies of the Household gig posters. It was one of the first things I printed while there. Alice not old made me more knowledgeable in Riso printed, but also gave me hands on experience. She really wanted to give me a go and get the hang of it. Which I eventually did.

Multiple identical pink and white flyers for a Midnight Majic event with decorative doodles, featuring the event details and ticket prices, covering a large surface, possibly stacked or pasted on a wall.

Midnight Majic

A poster had to be made for an upcoming music event in Inverness. Alice asked if I’d be interested in making it. Time was short, but I managed to create something well enough that they were happy. We printed it off and packaged it up. The posters were placed all over the city, which was first for me.

A person holding a book titled 'Renau - The dairy of a lonely courier' with illustrations of soldiers on the cover. The background includes a wall with stickers and drawings.

Colorful stickers on white sheets depicting desert scenes with various characters, animals, and structures, placed on a white surface with a blue and gray device in the background.

Multiple sheets of illustrated story cards spread out on a wooden table, depicting scenes with characters and scenery in a stylized, cartoonish art style.

Sheet with various stylized illustrations of landscapes, buildings, humans, and objects in shades of pink, yellow, and black.

A collection of colorful comics laid out on a wooden surface, with some pages and papers in the background.

Riso Comic Project

This is the project I brought with me to Alice. A short comic zine about an intergalactic delivery driver, Renau. It’s a short day in the life, as he goes from place to place, trying his utmost to deliver this package. It’s my first ever printed comic. I’m very proud of it and still want to create a full series of three volumes revolving around Renau and his journey.

You can also find the whole comic in the comics section, as well as limited run of physical copies in the shop.

Black and white line drawing of various robots, including a large robot with a round head and smaller robots with different shapes, arranged in a crowded composition.

An intricate line drawing of a robot featuring mechanical parts, arms, and legs, rendered in fine detail on a piece of white paper.

A detailed line drawing of various robots and machinery on a sheet of paper, including humanoid robots, vehicles, and mechanical parts, rendered in red ink.

A2 Poster Print

Alice had the idea to create and print an A2 size Riso. She had never done it before, and nor had I. So I drew a series of robots and machines. purely line work, as time wasn’t something we had a lot of. That and, I also thought it’d me a good colouring print.

A watercolor illustration of a green-skinned, goblin-like creature wearing a brown helmet with studs, smiling with sharp teeth visible, and dressed in gray armor with orange accents, against a black background.

Colorful illustration of a futuristic soldier in green armor holding a large firearm, with red eyes and a helmet that has writing and drawings on it, including a skull and a cross. The soldier has a red skull sticker on its knee.

CMYK Prints

On my second visit to the Isle of Riso I printed off these after Alice spoke about using the Riso machine to print out CMYK the year prior. That always stuck with me as it wasn’t quiet perfect, and in that lay it’s beauty. Unlike these drawings I chose to print. Though I’ll admit the robot isn’t as gross as the others.

A drawing of a humanoid robot holding a firing weapon, with sparks at the muzzle, standing on a rock with a water puddle nearby. Red text on the right reads 'H. BLUMQUIST'. There is also text in the background that says 'HEAVY METAL MACHINES' in red.

A man with long hair and a beard, wearing glasses and a pink cap, is holding a colorful piece of artwork or poster. A woman in a beige hoodie and black cap is sitting nearby, looking at the artwork. There is a photocopier or printer in front of them and a wooden easel in the background.

A person wearing a brown cap and yellow shoe bends over, looking at a tray holding pink documents or files in a room with a radiator on the wall and a gray floor.

Riso Workshop

During my last visit Alice was holding an intro to Riso print workshop, in which twelve people would draw and print whatever they wanted with a choice of two colours. I helped out with the printing and would sometimes answer questions when Alice was busy. I also partook in the workshop and drew a robot. How typical.

Event poster for the 'Isle of RISO,' a celebration of risograph printing in the Highlands, featuring floating islands connected by bridges, a boat, a rocket, and a submarine in a stylized blue illustration.

A drawing of a large whale submerged in the ocean, with a chain attached to its tail. The whale has a tree on its back with a hanging object from one of its branches. A boat floats nearby, and there are red tentacles or marine creatures near the whale's head, with a hand reaching into the water.

Riso Exhibition

Alice asked if I’d be interested in creating the poster for her upcoming Riso exhibition. Of course I agreed, and created the illustration for it. She was also running an open call as part of the exhibition, the theme being island. I didn’t have a great deal of time, but I managed to create something quick the night be more. I even managed to visit the exhibition in August, and was great to see all my work on show.

A drawing of a humanoid robot with a combination of white and yellow components, standing with arms crossed.

Illustration of a humanoid cactus robot with green cactus body and mechanical limbs.

Sketch of a bipedal, humanoid robot in yellow and black armor, with multiple joints, exposed mechanical parts, and a visor-like faceplate, standing on two legs.

A stylized cartoon robot with armor and a helmet, holding a lit explosive device in one hand. The robot is yellow and white with black outlines, and a speech bubble above it says 'Achtung.'

A cartoon illustration of a humanoid chicken with red feathers, dressed as a warrior, wearing medieval armor, holding a sword, with the title 'Order of Crows' in stylized gothic font at the top.

Personal Riso Prints

While these weren’t print during my time in Inverness. They are however printed because of my time there. Without the experience I gained from Alice I doubt I’d have made these Riso Robots and prints. If you like these and want a copy of your own, visit the store!

Three cylindrical color printing machines with black, green, and yellow ink colors.