Ines Gradot

Inès Gradot is a Glasgow-based illustrator, graphic designer and riso printer whose dreamlike prints transform everyday details into layered, atmospheric compositions. Drawing on photographs, memories, and fleeting impressions, she is less interested in the subjects themselves than in translating the feelings behind them.

Working with analogue tools such as alcohol-based markers on absorbent paper, Gradot embraces unexpected marks and textures, pushing her drawings through layers of risograph ink to achieve her signature watercolour-like effect. Her practice is shaped by experimentation, blending techniques and watching how images evolve through process.

Alongside her freelance work, she is a risograph print technician at Risotto Studio and a member of Riso Sur Mer, an international collective exploring collaborative approaches to print. Influenced by folk traditions, outsider art, and her peers in print communities, she sees her work as part of an ongoing conversation between place, memory, and image. Purple tones appear again and again in her palette, lending her prints a distinctive warmth and depth.

What do imperfections bring to your creative process?

Imperfection is at the core of the things I do. One of the reasons is that I am a bit of a perfectionist, but I try to remind myself that the things I like in general and in life are all the little quirks, and I try to implement this way of thinking in my work. It's why I want to keep working manually, because you have all these 'accidents' that happen and they're what make the work beautiful in the end.

What makes risoprint different from standard digital printing?

Risoprinting is really different as it has a lot of different steps. So you can play around with the colour digitally, then physically. There's this whole process of expectations vs. surprise - you don't really know what the final outcome will be once you print, which is quite different to digital printing. There is this almost childlike aspect where you get a bit of excitement when there is a beautiful accident, or disappointment when things don't go according to plan.

Why does risporinting make art feel so alive?

There are so many reasons! All of the textures and misalignments, and the fact that each print is unique and has its own personality. Colours are also more vivid than digital printing, like the fluorescent colours. So all of this brings movement to the work. I also think that the machine itself feels alive - it's really loud and can be grumpy or temperamental - and I think that for me, there is a real interaction there. It's not a passive work - you're in dialogue with the machine, and the print is a result of a longer journey.

How does using real paper change the way you work?

For me, using real paper is really important because it's more fun. So that's the main part. And the way I draw now is because I've experimented with different types of papers. I accidentally bought this really absorbent paper once, and that is how I discovered how to make this sort of hazy style. If I weren't experimenting manually, I would never have discovered this. Using paper just brings more possibilities.

What colour feels most like you?

These days I really like an orchid/violet colour. It can be combined with lots of other colours that I like. It just feels like me.