The Print Shop

The Print Shop has a range of workshops on offer this autumn to keep you inspired and creative as the cold weather and long nights draw in.  Refresh your printmaking and craft skills, or learn something new.  We explain some of the print terminology to give you an idea of what's currently on offer.

Etching is an intaglio technique, in which a drawing is created on a sheet of metal (usually copper, zinc or steel) coated with a thin acid resistant layer, with a sharp tool.  The plate is then immersed in a bath of acid which 'bites' or etches away the metal in the areas exposed by the drawing.

Once the design has been etched to a sufficient depth, the acid resistant layer is cleaned off, and ink is rubbed into the lines of the design, before being wiped clean.  A sheet of dampened paper is placed over the plate, which is then fed through a printing press to apply pressure.  This causes the ink to be pulled out of the incised lines and onto the paper, creating the platemark.

Take a look at Gilly Thompson and Liz Bath's Introduction to Etching workshop, taking place on Friday 1 November.

Monoprinting can take many forms, but in basic terms, is a single impression of an image which can only be printed once. It can be made in a number of ways, such as using a metal etching plate, a litho stone, a wooden block, or using paint or collage. 

Sophie Rae, one of our featured printmakers, creates mono prints by sketching, hand cutting paper stencils, and using a roller to mix her vibrant oil-based inks, before applying the inked stencils to her images, and creating lots of depth and layers with graduating tones.

Sophie will be teaching her individual monoprinting technique in her workshop on Wednesday 30 October.  Click here for more details.

Paper cutting is the art of cutting paper designs (using scalpels and other cutting tools), but can be broadly applied to a number of different applications and styles.  It has evolved uniquely all over the world to adapt to different cultures.

Sarah Dennis, who has joined Volume 3 of The Print Shop to teach others the way of her craft, creates designs inspired by Chinese paper cutting, nature and her childhood.  Her work combines traditional collage with contemporary techniques to create a bold unique and stylised imagery that's bursting with charm.

You can find out more details about her workshop on Thursday 31 October by clicking here.