Advanced printmaking

What is the course about?

Printmaking is a vital, constantly evolving medium that intersects in multiple ways with most contemporary media and practices, as well as shaping the development of society and culture across the globe for several centuries, both as a fine art form and as a means of communication. Working in our well-equipped print room, this course will enable you to explore how printmaking informs or expresses your ideas, and to discover new ways to enrich your printmaking, led by experimentation and discovery. As you develop personal work you will, with guidance, build on the core skills of drawing, manipulating imagery, personal/critical research and a range of hybrid techniques for use in print. Throughout, you will reflect on your progress and consider your position as an artist-printmaker within contemporary art practice. Documenting your journey will be an integral part of your learning experience, allowing you to and make informed decisions along the way, and to track your own development.

Note: this course consists of 30 evening sessions (1800-2100) and 7 weekend days (1030-1630) per year. Evening sessions will be delivered in the print room, and a small number of the weekend sessions may be delivered online. (Dates of weekend sessions TBC)

What will we cover?

Throughout this course, you will immerse yourself in a variety of printmaking methods, starting with the traditional forms of relief, intaglio, lithography and screen printing, progressing onto contemporary processes and hybrid approaches including (depending on where your ideas lead you) moving image, digital imaging, laser cutting, constructed print, artists’ books, performance…

Our experienced artist-tutors will guide you through hands-on sessions, helping you acquire new skills while encouraging you to experiment and innovate. Through critical engagement with contemporary and historical printmakers, as well as group critiques, you’ll refine your ideas and conceptual frameworks. You’ll also learn about sustainable practices and essential safety standards to ensure a responsible and safe studio environment.

We will encourage you to push your image making and technical skills to help you achieve exhibition-standard work. Recognising, presenting and celebrating students' achievements is an important part of our advanced courses. There will be an opportunity to exhibit your work during or at the end of this course, either within the college or at an external venue.

The course also includes sessions that focus on building networks within the wider printmaking community, professional practice and strategies for sustaining your practice as you go forward.

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

• use an appropriate range of printmaking and print-related techniques, technologies and processes with confidence and independence
• have studied a number of printmaking processes in depth, using research and critical thought as key elements of your practice
• expand your range of printmaking techniques, exploiting the creative and formal possibilities inherent within combinations of media and processes
• have an awareness of how to manipulate and use photographic or found imagery and digital technology to expand your work within a printmaking context
• use a range of digital and/or other assistive technologies in combination with traditional printmaking processes
• have gained a good understanding of what it means to be an artist-printmaker today, and the relevant critical and theoretical debates
• have researched and built/joined professional networks within the wider printmaking community, and learned about possible professional or educational paths to further your practice.
• have completed a personal project culminating in the creation of a body of new work ready for exhibition or dissemination
• have completed at least one project in collaboration with an external organisation.

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

This is a two-year advanced level course in printmaking, broadly equivalent in terms of technical and intellectual level to an undergraduate degree course. Due to the nature of the processes involved, the high level of expectation, and the range of practices covered, it is essential that you have previous experience in at least one conventional printmaking process (or digital printmaking). It is appropriate for graduates of Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, one of the regular City Lit printmaking courses, or those with similar demonstrable experience. Experience with digital imaging or design software will also be helpful, but it is not essential.

Self-reflection is an important part of art education and practice. You will be encouraged and expected to evaluate and review your own learning, ways of working and progress. As a student on an advanced course, you should also be prepared to engage positively with concepts, debates and methods that may differ from those with which you are familiar.

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

• You will receive one-to-one and group tuition, technical demonstrations, lectures and presentations, group discussion, tutorials, assignments, practical research, workshops and tutor/peer feedback.
• You will be introduced to new techniques, processes and concepts, and be given the opportunity to explore their potential within individual and collaborative work.
• You will be taught a combination of concepts and technical/practical skills in City Lit’s print studio, and encouraged to spend some time outside class developing ideas in sketchbooks and studies.
• There will be offsite visits, recommended galleries and exhibitions in London, and recommended viewing/online research, in your own time.
• Throughout the course, you will reflect on your artistic journey, discussing your experiences with peers and instructors. This will help you assess your growth and set future goals, ensuring you leave the course inspired and equipped to continue your printmaking practice.

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

All basic printmaking materials such as paper and inks will be supplied, however if you require more specialist materials you can purchase some of these at cost in the print room (for example, fine papers and some plates). If your work requires specialist materials or equipment that we do not stock, you will have to supply them yourself, but you will receive guidance from the tutors on how/where to do this.

If your work involves photography, you will need to use your own camera or phone (as appropriate). You may wish to work on your own laptop/tablet and software, offsite, as and where you use digital processes. We can also provide computers with current software where required, on-site.

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

You may wish to continue studying printmaking, for example at MA level: every year several students develop the confidence and portfolio to progress to postgraduate study at institutions such as the Royal College of Art, Anglia Ruskin, Middlesex University and University of the Arts London.
Alternatively, you may wish to study a related advanced year-long course at City Lit that offers an opportunity to situate your printmaking within a wider, multidisciplinary creative practice, for example on the Contemporary fine art course (VM551), Experimental drawing for artists and makers (VH835) or Developing art practice (VM563). Or you might like to engage with the broader printmaking community as a full member of a print studio or perhaps support your individual practice in numerous ways, such as affiliating yourself to an organisation offering workshops and exhibitions, working in a print editioning/publishing studio, or joining an artists’ collective…

If you would like more information on this course, or to speak informally with the Course Leader, please contact visualarts@citylit.ac.uk