ROYDS, Mabel Allington

Mabel Allington Royds (1874–1941) studied at the Slade School under the tutelage of Henry Tonks. Royds moved to Paris, where she trained with the painter and printmaker Walter Sickert. , Royds settled in Edinburgh where she taught at the Edinburgh College of Art, then under the directorship of Frank Morley Fletcher, under whose influence she took up making colour woodcuts. Fletcher taught classes on the traditional Japanese ukiyo-e printmaking process, but rather than having three people collaborate on a print (artist, artisan, printer), he taught the artists how to manage all three stages independently. Royds’s individualistic approach to her woodcuts – applying pigments to printing blocks using a brush rather than a roller – resulted in unique variations of each of her prints. Additionally, Royds preferred to produce on demand, rather than creating limited edition runs, further ensuring a one-of-a-kind piece. To prepare, Royds often created coloured paper collages before her final drawing. Although cherry wood was ideal, Royds usually used Woolworth’s sixpenny pastry boards – a cheaper alternative. Despite this, Royds’ prints remained professional and sophisticated, proving her mastery of the technique.