Printing Workshop - Drypoint - Research and Development

 It has been 12 months since we were in the workshops. I've really missed them. It was one of the reason I chose London Met. Due to lockdown we never finished our Print and Ceramic workshop courses in L4. These are the ones I had been waiting for, so the first chance I got I was back in the Print workshop.

There were a few techniques I wanted to try, including dry point printing. I had been researching and found a British artist called John Piper (b.1903 -1992). He was a painter and printmaker, using his skills as a war artist in World War II. Many of his artworks are bombed or decaying churches, using colour layers and mono outlines and details.

For my first attempt at drypoint I wanted to attempt to create an image of a church like John Piper. Understanding Piper is the most accomplished technical expert at printing I wasn't expecting it to be on a par but I like the idea of the theme. I'm not religious but was brought up Church of England. The local church in Gorton, Manchester was called St Georges. My parents got married there, we were all christened there and we attended Harvest and Carol services there from school. It was near my home and it seemed to feature in our life although we didn't go weekly like some families. The sad part is it is no longer there. It was a grand Victorian building built in 1882, demolished in 2007 to make way for a group of houses. The church means something to me and my family, so I chose this image for my first dry point.

It was much more difficult than I imagined, to keep the pressure of the point even and the lines straight. I think going for an organic form, flowers, birds, feathers, etc is a better option. If lines are less than straight you can get away with it in the natural world. Learning not to go over a line twice was also a learning curve, this can create a double or thick line which does not work evenly with the other lines.

The main mistake on my drypoint was the fact I didn't work in reverse! Although Damian the technician had told me and I understand the printing process, I got carried away with the creating and forgot to flip the image. The entrance on the right is now on the left, which is only clear if you know the church but it was a little frustrating once I had released. I was happy with the detail of the building and the process, although there is a lot to learn and remember as with all these processes. I can see how repeating the process can embed the technique in your mind. I am not at the level of introducing printing colour to my image yet but I may try another process.

St Georges Church, Abbey Hey, Gorton, Manchester 

First attempt at drypoint printing (2021)

The following week I worked on a new drypoint. This time I wanted to create an image of the House through the trees. I had been reading M R James ghost stories and researched his childhood home. It is said to be haunted and an image of the house through the trees inspired my second drypoint. The trees were easier to achieve as they are twisted organic forms which I can create in my imagination. For the house I used the image I found during my research. I wanted to achieve a ghostly presence of a mysterious house in the clearing. 

I found the print process difficult to remember the order (will write it down next time!) and my first attempt bent the metal plate! It was fixable though so my second printing went a little better. I still am early in my learning and execution of drypoint but I will keep practicing.

The House in drypoint (2021)