Guided by expert printmaker Carol Wilhide-Justin you will learn how to translate your ideas into the graphic formats of woodcut and linocut. This course is a perfect introduction to relief printing and is open to all, from complete beginners to those with more experience.   To add a seasonal touch to the experience students may decide to print cards rather than paper prints. Either way we hope you will enjoy the opportunity to develop or learn new skills and potentially create gifts for Christmas. The studio is a low-­toxic environment with dedicated printmaking facilities for professional hands‐on learning. Students benefit from the diversity of attendees, taught by internationally renowned printmaking artists at a central location, offering a unique educational experience in London. There is a maximum of eight students per course, materials are included and we advise that you book early to avoid disappointment.

This course is ideal for attendees keen to further develop their relief printmaking skills. It teaches a more gestural approach to lino, combining the classical skill of carving a lino block with a contemporary approach to etching its surface with caustic soda. Bringing together painterly textures and graphic forms in a colourful multi-block print.

Plywood lithography takes the basic principles of lithography and applies them to a prepared plywood surface. Traditional lithographic drawing materials are used to draw and paint onto the plywood surface. The drawing is then processed using gum arabic, and the block is inked up and printed using the etching press.  Because of the coarser nature of wood in comparison to stone or metal plate, fine detail cannot always be retained, so this process would suit those who have a more experimental approach to image-making, embracing and working with the natural properties of the wood. This course will explore the creative possibilities of this unique printmaking process. The grain of the wood will often show up in the background of prints, and becomes stronger with each subsequent print – ‘filling in’ until white becomes black and the block is no longer useable. Kate will guide you through this fascinating technique with a hands-on, experimental approach, providing examples, instruction and advice throughout. The aim of the course is to gain a good understanding of the process and to create a small run of prints from your own plywood block, and to give you the confidence to carry on using the technique in your own practice. This course would suit those with a little previous experience of lithography, relief printing or intaglio, however this is not essential and beginners are also welcome. 

During this short course, you will learn to master an innovative printmaking technique which bridges the gaps between photography, drawing and printmaking - exposing hand-drawn and/or digital positives to photosensitive plates. You will develop a series of photopolymer etching plates throughout the weekend. Guided by one-to-one tutoring from Frederic Morris. The intaglio prints exhibit rich velvet blacks with a wide and continuous tonal range, sensitive to the original expression of the artist.