Printmaking studio: focus on colour
Choose a start date
- Course Code: VS899
- Dates: 08/10/24 - 10/12/24
- Time: 18:00 - 21:00
- Taught: Tue, Evening
- Duration: 10 sessions (over 10 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: Kath Castillo
Course Code: VS899
Choose a start date
Duration: 10 sessions (over 10 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This course provides an ideal opportunity for more advanced learners to explore and experiment further and/or to complete ongoing printmaking projects. The course will help you consolidate and deepen your understanding and skills in multiple intaglio processes and techniques. You will be encouraged to develop your own projects, ideas and images and gain in practical experience.
What will we cover?
• Research elements that include: idea development, planning, referencing contemporary print practice, and awareness of listings such as print workshops and open call exhibitions
• Build on previous printmaking experience to develop intaglio processes and techniques
• Experiment and build technical skills and engage with techniques relevant to your practice
• Identify and apply colour techniques and processes to best develop and express ideas and imagery
• Explore and engage with advanced technical skills including intaglio colour techniques, multi-plate printing, advanced aquatint techniques, hybrid prints, and printing onto a variety of substrates
• Print plates to a high standard utilising inking, wiping and registration techniques and skills.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Explore and develop ideas and personal projects through a variety of printmaking processes
• Engage in advanced technical processes
• Develop the content of your work further through research
• Use a range of materials and tools to create plates/blocks for printing
• Prepare paper for printing
• Safely use the intaglio and relief presses
• Plan, research and execute a personal print project to a high level.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is aimed at intermediate/experienced printmakers, and those with recent printmaking experience who will gain from the opportunity to broaden and extend their work.
You should be able to follow verbal and written instructions in English for both health and safety purposes and to enable you to follow printmaking procedures. You should be able to take short written notes for your own use and occasionally make simple measurements using a ruler.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Demonstration and practical application supported by written instructions.
Procedures will be demonstrated through illustrated talks and examples of different print media will be shown and discussed. Instruction will be given on a range of processes and techniques through practical demonstrations supported by written information and individual and group guidance from the tutor and informal reviews of work-in-progress as the course progresses.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
The course fee covers most materials including inks, chemicals, tools, proofing paper, and an allocation of printing plates/blocks. Good quality specialist paper for printing can be purchased at cost in the class, as can a limited amount of extra zinc plate for etching. Please bring to the first session sketches, photographs or other visual resources as a starting point. You are strongly encouraged to bring any previously worked plates/blocks that you may wish to develop further.
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When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Repeating this course is one option for progression within process and projects. Or for printmakers wishing to develop a sustained personal project you may be interested in the year-long Advanced Printmaking: practice and discourse VS986. Alternatively, you wish to embed printmaking within a broader creative practice the UAL Foundation in Art and design or City Lit Fine Art Course might be for you. Your tutor can advise.
Kath studied at Falmouth School of Art and The Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University. Following graduation from the Ruskin, she co-founded the Oxford Printmakers Cooperative (OPC) working there for a while as tutor-technician before travelling abroad to work and teach drawing and printmaking in Central and South America. She most recently exhibited with OPC in Oxford in 2018 for the anniversary exhibition Celebrating Print. In her practice, Kath works mainly with etching, drypoint, mezzotint, collagraph and multimedia printmaking. She has exhibited her work in the UK and internationally and has work represented in public and private collections. Kath has taught printmaking at universities and adult education colleges across London and has been a member of the Visual Arts teaching team at City Lit for many years teaching drawing, painting and printmaking. She teaches on advanced practice courses including the City Lit Fine Art course and specialises in teaching courses in intaglio printmaking from beginner through to advanced level, with particular expertise in advanced colour printing techniques and processes.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.