Hot Bed Press 20:20 is here again!
I’ve just handed in my completed screenprint for the Hot Bed Press 2014 ’20:20 Print Exchange’. The 20:20 Print Exchange is a yearly event whereby printmakers are invited to produce a print measuring 20 x 20 cm in an edition of 25. You then submit your prints to Hot Bed Press and an army of volunteers (including me today!) sort them into boxes. Every entrant gets a box of prints back randomly chosen from the thousands available. Last year 585 artists took part producing 14,625 prints between them.
My print this year uses some drawings taken from my Clarendon Square Shopping Centre workshops whereby young people drew their houses for a larger piece of artwork. I scanned these drawings into the computer, tweaked them (a little!) and created a five colour screenprint called ‘Houses of Hyde’.
I’m pleased with the result especially as I wanted to experiment with using overlays of colours to create further colours and it worked really well. I also continue to use ‘Frisk’ Film for the stencils rather than the more traditional paper / newsprint. Frisk Film doesn’t buckle and concertina on the screen so colour registration is much easier and more constant.
I’m going to give the school an artist’s proof of the final screenprint as a thankyou!
Hot Bed Press ’20’ Exhibition
I’ve been lucky enough to be selected for the Hot Bed Press 20 Year anniversary exhibition. Held at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery, the exhibition features 20 artists selected from the printmaking studio’s members and runs from now until 16th September 2014.
Four of my screenprints were chosen to be part of the exhibition, including one that I’ve just completed. In the same style as my previous urban sketch screenprints but much larger, it shows the view from the top of Shudehill Car Park (see my earlier rant about views from car parks here). As I use paper stencils to get the background colours, printing this caused all sorts of problems due to the stencil warping and stretching over such a large area. However, I didn’t want to use photo screens for all parts of the artwork as it creates a final image that’s too perfect for me.
I was really pleased with the final piece especially once framed by the lovely and helpful ‘In the Picture Framing‘, who have just opened up in Woodend Mill in Mossley, where I have my studio.
Drawings for screen printing
I’m going to use these drawings for a series of screenprints. I’ve started (and almost finished) the first one and after a few issues, have the next lot exposed and ready to be printed. I’m using paper stencils for the background colours, so everything is a bit ‘off’ on purpose – I didn’t want it to be perfect and consequently, end up looking like it had been Photoshopped…
I’m off to Hot Bed Press in Salford tomorrow to start on the second image – I’ll try to remember to take pictures to show each stage…
I’m also going to start on a bigger drawing of Manchester City Centre – at the same scale but to encompass more. I’ve been scouting around trying to take pictures from the tops of car parks but have so far been politely asked to remove myself from each one as I might hurt myself or something similar (?!). So remember everyone – taking a picture is MUCH more dangerous than parking your car. Seriously though – apparently I need to get permission from the owners first. I’ll let you know how I get on!
20:20 Print Exchange
The sorting for the 20:20 Print Exchange is happening this week. The 20:20 is a national print exchange organised by Hot Bed Press whereby printmakers from studios across the UK each submit an edition of 25 prints measuring 20cm x 20cm. The prints are then sorted and each participant gets a random selection of prints back. Last year over 300 people submitted prints – I won’t reveal how many people have entered this year but it’s a LOT more…
My 20:20 entry is a three colour screenprint entitled ‘Print Manufactury’, created from a drawing I did of the Hot Bed Press studio building. The base white colour and the blue door were both created using paper stencils cut from newsprint. The third and final layer of black was from a photo-emulsion screen.
Here’s the original drawing…
And here’s the final screenprint. I used Somerset Grey paper so I could apply a white background for the building. I wanted it to be a completely self-contained image on the paper so removed anything outside the building that might ground it – for example the pavements, streetlights and surrounding buildings.
Being A Freelance Artist 