About the Film

I was commissioned by Northern Print to make a monotype documentary film as part of their 2014 Glossary exhibition, an ambitious group show inviting a selection of leading printmakers to demonstrate the breadth of contemporary printmaking practice. As part of the project I made a series of short films capturing artists in their studios, revealing the processes, ideas and tactile engagement that fuel their work. This one is a portrait of painter and printmaker Tom Hammick, whose richly emotive work bridges painting, print and poetry.

A Free and Fluid Process

This monotype documentary film focuses on Hammick’s monotype process, a technique he embraces for its freedom, fluidity and painterly resonance. It was a joy to film, not only for the vibrant visuals and the satisfying tactile mess of ink, rollers and presses, but because Tom speaks with such visceral affection for the medium.

“I love printmaking for lots of reasons. I love the smells. I’ve always been intoxicated by the studio and all the kit.”

The film captures Hammick working in his studio, creating expressive monotypes using wood plates with distinctive grain patterns. The process is both physical and intuitive, large gestures with flat brushes, sweeping areas of colour, and the satisfying slap and roll of ink as it’s transferred. The prints come alive through the pressure of the press, a couple of tons per square inch, which, as Tom puts it, bashes the image into submission.

Painting Alone, Printmaking Together

It was especially rewarding to see how much Hammick values the collaborative nature of printmaking compared to painting, which he describes as very, very lonely. In contrast, the print studio offers exchange, conversation and a more social rhythm of making.

“When I’m stuck in painting, I can go into print. My print studio is next to my painting studio, and the two languages feed each other.”

Clarity and Ambiguity

Hammick speaks with real insight about the emotional charge he seeks to embed in each piece. His figurative work often evokes metaphor and memory, using simple images to hint at deeper emotional states. This tension between clarity and ambiguity comes through beautifully in his monotypes, which he describes as fresh and open, otherwise, as he puts it, “it just gets really confusing and over-congested.”

For Hammick, printmaking is not just a technique but a vital way of thinking and being.

“I make prints because I have to make them. It’s a feeling in my solar plexus. When I haven’t made them for some time, I get edgy. If printmaking’s not there, I feel less of an artist.”

Filming Tom Hammick

This monotype documentary film was part of a wider collaboration with Northern Print for the Glossary exhibition, held at their gallery and print studio in Newcastle upon Tyne. The exhibition brought together established and emerging voices in contemporary printmaking, each offering a different perspective on the medium, and combined a showcase with an educational resource, including live demonstrations, talks and hands-on sessions.

I shot the film on a Panasonic AF101 and a GH2, both early micro four-thirds cameras offering a cinematic look in a lightweight form. Their compact, robust design let me keep a low profile in the studio, capturing the fluid movement of the artist at work without disrupting his rhythm. My approach has always been grounded in documentary storytelling, minimal gear and a quiet presence, something especially important when filming artists in the vulnerable, messy and often deeply personal space of making.

Tools, Sound and Touch

Over the course of filming I was struck by Hammick’s physical connection to his tools. Watching him handle roulettes, drypoint needles and scrapers, some delicate, others what he calls “butcher”, offered a sensory dimension that felt both sculptural and sonic.

“They sound lovely… that whole dink you get from rolling them is just satisfying.”

It’s this tactile richness I hoped to preserve in this monotype documentary film, something beyond explanation, a kind of rhythm and reverence for the process.

About Northern Print and the Glossary Exhibition

Northern Print is a leading printmaking studio and gallery based in Newcastle, supporting artists and audiences through exhibitions, studio access and education. The Glossary exhibition brought together some of the best in contemporary printmaking, with each artist’s work accompanied by a specially commissioned film. Ultimately, this monotype documentary film offers a window into Tom Hammick’s world, one that is emotionally charged, materially grounded and entirely his own, revealing how printmaking serves not just as a complement to his painting but as a parallel and essential language. You can find out more about Northern Print’s work at northernprint.org.uk.