An Introduction to Printmaking

Are you interested in printmaking but don’t know where to start? Come along to this tailor made Introduction to Printmaking 6-week class! These introductory classes run in the evening over a six-week period and are designed to familiarise you with all the main principles of printmaking; intaglio, relief, stencil and planographic.

What will you learn?

This night class will cover four different processes;

Monoprinting
The freedom of Monoprint techniques allow a very versatile approach to imagery. The appeal of the monotype lies in the unique textures that create a quality of light very differently from a painting on paper or a print, and the beauty of this media is also in its spontaneity and its combination of printmaking, painting and drawing methods.

Linocut
Lino is a beautifully malleable printing surface. It is a very graphic method of producing an image. Designs can be cut, melted, or carved to create a bold and experimental design.

Drypoint on Copper
Drypoint is a printmaking technique that achieves a line-based image, using sharp tools to scratch into the surface of a copper plate. The style of this method lends itself well to loose drawing and expressive mark making.

Stencil Screen Printing
There are many different ways to create a stencil for Screen Printing, as it is the underlying principle to the whole process. A traditional method is to create the stencil out of a non-porous material by hand (much like a papercut) and then applying this to the mesh of the screen and producing multiple prints onto paper or fabric.

Topics covered:

• A brief history of printmaking and its terminology
• Paper types, tools and materials in printmaking
• How to produce your own prints using the methods covered
• How to sign and edition your prints