Printmaker Nick Loaring creates new work for Northern Print
In 2020, I created an artist collaboration documentary for Northern Print, focusing on Nick Loaring and his innovative work in letterpress printing.
This artist collaboration documentary captures how Nick blends traditional craft and modern creativity, transforming ink, metal, and wood into vibrant contemporary art.
“It’s a really hands-on DIY type of printmaking if you like. You’ve got millions of letters—some of them really tiny, you can hardly see them—and others that are so big… What can you do with them? What’s possible?”
— Nick Loaring
These words embody the essence of the artist collaboration documentary, revealing how Nick Loaring sees each letter, block, and color run as a chance to push letterpress printing into new creative territory.
The Vision Behind the Artist Collaboration Documentary
One key theme in my artist collaboration documentary was how ideas evolve during creative work. Initially, Nick planned three separate prints exploring the theme of light. But, like many artist collaboration documentary stories, the project took a new direction. Instead of three disconnected prints, he envisioned a large, unified piece made of three interlinked prints.
“It was like, right, okay—what can this do? And then how am I going to make this work across three prints? How am I going to control this across three prints?”
This artistic problem-solving became a central story thread in the artist collaboration documentary.
“This is basically something I’ve never done before.”
The Process of Letterpress Printing in the Artist Collaboration Documentary
Nick’s creative process in letterpress printing blends digital precision and tactile tradition. As seen in the artist collaboration documentary, he begins by designing a composite image on screen, carefully deciding how to divide it across three prints. Each piece is then laser-cut and mounted onto wooden blocks to create custom letterpress printing plates.
Yet, as the documentary shows, his practice remains deeply intuitive:
“I’ve always been interested in the way inks or the light play with colors… how one color can affect another. A number of my pieces are just overlays of colors to get third colors.”
This experimental mindset is a key element in any artist collaboration documentary.
Color Challenges in Letterpress Printing
Color mixing plays a starring role in both Nick’s work and in the artist collaboration documentary. In this particular project, Nick layered four separate color runs, carefully testing combinations to create new hues. The film highlights how his meticulous approach underpins the artistry of letterpress printing:
“I’m mixing this up for the second color. I’ve mixed a transparent white—which is the white ink, which is not very white—and a fluorescent pink together… There you go. Oh yeah, very nice. That’s two colors of five. Okay, so there’s another three colors to go on there.”
Maintaining color consistency is crucial, as documented in the artist collaboration documentary:
“It’s quite difficult… being able to maintain the consistency of the color from each print to the next, because obviously they’ve got to sit next to each other… The shadow of a long night ahead is looming over me.”
Industrial Heritage and Letterpress Printing Techniques
A major highlight in the artist collaboration documentary is Nick’s use of industrial machinery. His work with molten lead typecasting showcases how letterpress printing bridges past and present:
“This machine has got molten lead in it… it’s going to get fired into the letters, and as soon as it hits the letters it’s going to solidify.”
In the documentary, viewers see how Nick crafts each letter by hand and values even the negative space—known as “furniture”—within letterpress printing:
“This furniture is your white space… negative space that you don’t see when you print. This is made out of, I think, aluminum… this big stuff like this is hard to find. These are my favorite bits of furniture. I don’t like the wooden ones. I like these.”
The Magic of Uncertainty in an Artist Collaboration Documentary
Nick’s openness to unpredictability is one of the most compelling parts of the artist collaboration documentary. He embraces the quirks and surprises that come with letterpress printing:
“To a certain extent, you’re kind of… not flying blind, but there’s a certain element of, ‘Yeah… is this really going to work?’”
When the prints finally align, the effect is stunning. The documentary captures how overlapping colors generate new shades—blues blending into greens, pinks becoming purples:
“When you bring the whole thing together, that’s when it works… It’s absolutely a gobsmacking piece of print.”
Keeping the Spirit of Letterpress Printing Alive
As the artist collaboration documentary reveals, Nick’s work also preserves industrial heritage:
“This stuff is the remnants of an industrial past that has long since been consigned to the dustbin or skip. Yet it still keeps giving.”
Nick’s practice sits at the intersection of old machinery and modern design:
“Whether what I do now is letterpress or not… yeah, I mean, it’s certainly using letterpress machinery, but maybe it’s not really traditionally what is seen as letterpress.”
Why I Made This Artist Collaboration Documentary
In creating this artist collaboration documentary, my goal was to showcase not just Nick’s technical process but his inventive spirit. His work proves that letterpress printing is still a living, evolving art form.
Nick Loaring’s story is a powerful reminder that, even in a digital world, artists and filmmakers can find endless inspiration in traditional crafts. When you see the luminous prints, with their layered colors and subtle textures, you understand why Nick keeps asking:
“What can you make them do that they’ve not done already?”
Links
- Watch more of my films about artists and creative practice: Artist Films
- Discover Northern Print and their work supporting printmakers: Northern Print