Gannets: Bass Rock

Another revisit. Definitely a variable edition. a) Each gannet with the exception of the 2 in the left hand corner are individual drypoint plates - I placed the gannets in different positions each time.
b) For some reason as I printed the carborandum decided to progressively leave the plate - the sea got stormier. c) I couldn't make up my mind about the colur of the sea - so I just kept experimenting as I printed.

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This is the base plate. It is a secondhand piece of aluminium litho plate from Edinburgh Printmakers. Bass Rock is made of Tiling cement with PVA highlights. The sea is carborandum - I dont usually have problems with carborandum - I think this time it may have been too thick and I rubbed too hard to get the effect I wanted.

These are the gannet plates - cut out from acrylic and scratched with sandpaper, a dremmel, a knife.

The plates on the press ready to print. When I print at home I usually print bleed prints as the largest image you can print on the xcut is A4 ( widthwise - you can print as long as you can find a bed). However when I print birds I like little bits of wings sticking out of the rectangle and you cant do that with a bleed print - however this is not ideal as the paper is only a litle bit larger than the plate - I shall back mount it as if it was a bleed print.

This was the original print that I am replacing - I love this format - but it is hard to frame.