Advanced printmaking: practice and discourse

What is the course about?

You will, by regular study in the studio, explore how printmaking informs or expresses your ideas, and its relationship to your personal practice. You will consider your position as an artist-printmaker within contemporary art practice.

Printmaking is a vital, constantly evolving medium and over the period of the year you will learn how different processes collide with your own practice. As you develop personal projects, with guidance, you will build on the core skills of drawing, manipulating photographic imagery for use in print, and personal/critical research, this will broaden your knowledge and enable you to progress as an artist printmaker. This course finishes with a group exhibition. A small proportion of the course content is delivered online.

Note: this course consists of 30 Wednesday evenings (1800-2100) and an additional 9 Saturdays (1000-1600; 3 per term).

What will we cover?

In your practical weekly sessions you will have the full print studio on hand, and expert guidance from different tutors in the use of equipment and skills development. Additionally, we will help you to discover what printmaking can really offer you, which processes are suitable to your artistic growth, and the best way to take them forward. We will encourage you to push your image making and technical skills within the course to help you achieve exhibition-standard work: the course culminates in a public exhibition.

The programme also includes sessions that focus upon building networks within the wider printmaking community, professional practice and strategies for sustaining your practice as you go forward. This course concerns contemporary practice and debate. As such you can expect to be stimulated and challenged by some of the projects offered, and by joining a dynamic group of artist printmakers.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Have studied in depth at least one printmaking process to a good standard
- Have an awareness of how to manipulate and use photographic imagery and digital technology to expand your work within a printmaking context
- To have gained a good understanding of what it means to be an artist printmaker today
- To have researched, built and joined professional networks within the wider printmaking community
- Have begun to use research and critical thought as key elements of your practice
- With the help of guided research, learned about possible professional or educational paths to further your practice.
- Have realized at least one project in collaboration with an external organisation
- Have taken part in a group show, at a good professional level.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is a one-year advanced level course in printmaking. Due to the nature of the processes involved, the high level of expectation, and the work rate required, it is essential that you have previous experience (such as, for example, the Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, one of the the regular City Lit printmaking courses, or similar demonstrable experience).

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will receive one to one and group tuition, via tutorials, assignments, practical research and workshops.

There will be demonstrations, opportunities for discussion, skills swaps and peer evaluation. You will be working as part of a group, but will be expected (and supported) to maintain personal projects throughout.

Because of the ambitions of the course there is an expectation that you will commit to additional study outside the session hours for individual personal research, technical development and production.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

All basic materials such as paper and inks will be supplied, however if you need more specialist materials you can purchase some of these at cost in the printroom (for example, fine papers and some plates). Alternatively you may have to supply them yourself, but you will receive guidance from the tutors on ways to do this.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

You may wish to continue studying printmaking, for example at MA level, or study a related year long course at CityLit that offers an opportunity to explore the multi-disciplinary potential of printmaking (for example VS500 City Lit Advanced print and media). Alternatively, you may engage in the broader printmaking community as a full member of a print studio or perhaps support your individual practice in numerous ways, such affiliating yourself to an organisation offering workshops and exhibitions, working in a print editioning/publishing studio, or joining an artists’ collective…

In addition to our expanding range of advanced long courses, you will find a new and growing range of professional practice workshops in the school of Visual Arts, aimed at providing support, skills and context, and developing communities of practice. These workshops can be taken individually, according to need or interest, or as complementary components of a modular course, which you design for yourself; either way, they are there to provide you with the skills, knowledge and connections you need to take your advanced creative practice forward.