A blog about Stockport landmarks by artist/printmaker Neil Robinson which follows a printmaking project depicting the diverse architectural styles of my hometown both new and old.
I have produced a new larger drypoint print of Stockport County Football Club Edgeley Park stadium. For some of my prints I have used the chine-collé technique by adding glued coloured tissue paper to parts of the print before printing.
Size A4 (297 x 210mm)
Printed on Fabriano Rosapina 220g paper from Intaglio Printmaker, London.
Just before the new year, I created a new dry point print which depicts the football ground at S.C.F.C. I used a thin sheet of transparent plastic and etched the image onto the plastic using a sharp etching tool. This type of printing plate is useful if you need to copy a photograph or drawing as you can place a copy of the image underneath the plate. Be sure to reverse the photograph or drawing (use a photo editing software product like Photoshop Elements for example) so that if there is any text in the image it is printed the right way around.
Last weekend, I started work on another. Enron park related print. This time, I created a dry point print of Vernon hall using a technique to blend colours on the printing plate.
The technique I use is to add blocks of coloured ink to the areas such as the lawn in the foreground. I do this for each area adding small amounts of ink used by a fine small paint brush. I then use scrim cloth to remove excess ink and then blend the ink by lightly going across the paint in a horizontal direction right to left (as I am left-handed). I then remove any further ink with tissue paper. I try and leave some excess ink in small areas to add some contrast. I then print the plate running it through the press at least once.
I created a number of prints from coloured blends to sepia and using black ink. See gallery below.
On Saturday, I printed a small number of my drypoint prints depicting the Masonic Guildhall in Stockport. I used a technique called chine collé which I applied to the prints using sources such as embossed wallpaper, sheet music as this building is used as a music venue. I like this technique and hope to use the technique for future print subjects.
Since my last post, I have been on a much needed break from my printmaking. Yesterday, I started a new drypoint print which I hope to combine with a chine collé technique (which uses different colours of tissue paper overlaid on the print during printing). The new drypoint depicts the Masonic Guildhall which is located opposite the college. I used a photograph as a reference. I managed to get a proof done and hope to complete the print soon.
I am hoping to enter two of my prints in this year’s Stockport Open Exhibition which is returning to the art gallery in Stockport.
The exhibition is on from 22nd July to 23rd September.
I also printed a couple of prints from the Stopford House etching I did a few months back. I hope to enter this into the open exhibition.
I will be selling original prints, paintings and gifts at the Art All Day: Winter Edition on 20 th November 2021.
Further details: https://cottononmcr.com/cotton-on-mcr-art-all-dayer-winter-edition/
Over the weekend, I took part in a large drypoint print workshop with a small group of artist/printmakers.
My objective was to create a large map in drypoint depicting landmarks of Stockport. I had never printed anything larger than about a3 size in print form before and my last large print was a drypoint of the viaduct using a metal plate. This time around, the printing plate would be flexible plastic sheeting which was 75 cm x 55 cm in size.
I decided on the idea of a map sometime ago and knowing that a 2-day large printmaking workshop was going ahead, I ensured I booked a place as soon as I got the notice.
I began by prepping the map by creating a printed template in reverse that I had sourced a day before the workshop. I used a combination of Photoshop Elements and PowerPoint to tile the large map and print off sections onto manageable a4 paper prints so I could tape them together afterwards.
On Saturday, day 1 of the workshop, I added reversed text and images of landmarks which I etched into the plate using etching tools from roulettes to diamond point tools to get different textures and patterns.
I placed the template I had created underneath the plastic printing plate while I etched the design onto the plastic.
The process took me approximately 9 hours to prepare the plate (1.5 days). I had to carefully placed where all the text and images of the landmarks would go.
Finally, on day 2, I could ink up and print my plate with the assistant of my friend Alan Birch, using a large etching press which we had hired out for the day from an artist studio down the road in Waterfoot, Rossendale called ‘Valley Studios’ only a few minutes travel from Prospect Studios.
I created an artist proof print (AP) using cartridge paper and then managed to print off my first good print on Fabriano paper.
I reckon there are another seven prints I could produce from the plate before it wears out.
The process was long and challenging but the results were very pleasing indeed and well worth the time taken.
Here are some photos taken of the printed map.
‘Vernon Mill’
Cyanotype print using a drypoint printing plate to transfer image to paper.
Size: 17.5 x 12.5 cms
Recently I took a break from working on my Stockport series and reserved a place on a printmaking weekend away in Anglesey, North Wales at Penmon Point organised by Alan Birch
Despite the bad weather on the Sunday which lasted most of the day, I managed to print off seven prints in the lighthouse keepers cottage (pictured). I used drypoint, chine collé and card printing techniques to capture the lighthouse and puffin island.
This print depicts the Garrick Theatre which is located just off the A6 in Stockport. I used a different technique this time by first printing a drypoint print with black ink, then I printed a single triple-coloured linocut on top using which gives a painterly finish. I cut out areas of the lino to mark windows and posters on the building.
Stockport In Print 
You must be logged in to post a comment.