Walking into Northern Print from the drab Sunday afternoon rain provided a pleasant contrast of brightness and vibrancy. As part of Ouseburn Open Studios, the printmaking studio and gallery opened its doors to the public to try their hand at printmaking and I went ahead and gave it go.
The gallery is the first space you walk into and on display were a whole range of prints. Being a complete print novice myself, I was curious as to how exactly I was going to get involved creating prints of my own. On offer was a range of techniques to get involved with, the first being a simple stamp and ink press. I'm pretty chuffed with my inky blue Christmas card creation which is so pretty it will be hard to give away. I also created some little red prints of Father Christmas that could be cut out and stuck onto cards, envelopes or presents.
Moving downstairs into the main studio, a silk screen printing machine allowed you to create an envelope for the card. After a few pushes and pulls from me, and some swipes from the lovely lady helping, I had my envelope outline ready for me to house my card in.
All the members who helped out were so warm and helpful and more than willing to answer any questions you had, presenting printmaking as accessible to all. What really made the experience so wonderful was how the artists ensured everyone was involved in the print making process. Now I have a taste for printmaking I might just sign up for a course at Northern Print!
