Course Outline ++ Intro to Printmaking

Fife (Dunfermline) Print Workshop
The Basement, Dell Farquharson Centre,
Nethertown Broad Street,
Dunfermline KY12 7DS
Introduction to Printmaking Course
Thursday 23rd April – 21st May 2009
An introductory course run over 5 days from 10.30 – 4.00.
This course is designed to introduce you to the joys of printmaking in our workshop here in Dunfermline. As you learn about various printmaking techniques we hope you will also come to appreciate the practical aspects of working with other members of our artist led organisation and feel comfortable working in this space.

Tutor: Colin Beaumont B.A. (Hons)
Cost: £160 (£10 discount for members)
The cost includes most materials, use of presses and tools, inks, cleaning fluids, and some paper.
Areas to be covered
1. Collographs. A form of collage on card or wood which is sealed then inked and printed either as a relief or intaglio print. Bring along your own selection of leaves, fabric, textured paper/wallpaper, tissue, crepe paper, string or thread. We will spend one day making the plate and one printing from it.
2. Monoprints. A “painterly” immediate print medium combining drawing, painting and printmaking producing unique images. Try out a variety of techniques
3. Drypoint etching on card. A simple and direct method of intaglio printmaking, where the surface of the Perspex is scratched into, to produce a burr which holds the ink. Can also be combined with monoprinting and collographs.
4. Relief printing on card. Requires only a scalpel or craft knife to cut the image into the card. Stripping off layers of the card can produce areas of tone and texture.

Printmaking Books

Some scans from a book that I recently had delivered to me by the Fife housebound library service. They come every 3 weeks and they also delivered another book which I had been trying to get hold of for the past 2 or 3 years. The edition had sold out. That was "Chine Colle" by Brian Shure which I am afraid was rather a disappointment and didn't tell me anything that I did'nt already know.......... bah. I mean it was not experimental in any way nor instructive. Basically you had printmaking onto a piece of lightweight paper the same size as your plate, and onto silk and how to make wheat paste. Oh and if using wheat paste you can pre-paste them, and then like stamps or envelope edges when you wet it it will stick to the paper - that actually could be quite useful if one were doing a large print with a large area of chine colle. i will have to see if that works in a similar way for rice paste which is what I use. I get it from Intaglio Printmakers in London. I empty it out into a glass jar so that I can see how much I am putting on my brush as if you use it from the tube you can tend to 'overuse' it and then become vulnerbale to having it slide as it goes through the press. Although if anything nowadays I am more inclined to under rather than over-paste !!.

Getting back to what I was saying about Brian's book - I suppose it's just that if I researched and authored a book on the uses of chine colle for printmakers - I would be endeavoring to offer a greater range of examples/ have it more up to date ( there was no mention of using inkjet at all, and this a book published in 2000) and for the publication to be inspiring.

Now both these books were brought to me by the mobile library on the same day and I would say that this book "Collagraph Printmaking" by Mary Ann Wenniger, originally published in 1981 was more useful and enlightening even though the photos were mainly in black and white. Very practical and instructive.
I mentioned this technique I read about in it which involved putting your plate into the freezer, to Jane Marshall when we were at the studio last week and here it is.

CLICK ON THE JPGS TO SEE THEM LARGER AND MAKE THEM READ-ABLE

Portugal Printmaking Postcard Project update

Portugal Printmaking Postcard Project update as mentioned in previous recent post


The image above is the contribution of Mirek Antoniewilz, a Polish artist. It's just interesting to be able to see what other artists have created and sent to this project. I sense that some artists are committed "mail artists" whilst others like myself and e.g. Raj Verdi (who I know of, through my involvement previously with the Printmakers Council) are printmakers who decided to participate. Sorry to say that my image on their is a bit "greyed out" i.e., it needs a bit more contrast !!......stuff like that really annoys me.
This is the link to Matriz's main website which is somewhat "Flash- tastic" and here's a link to the blog where they have posted the images until they get round to putting them on the main site.
Here's an image by Raj Verdi by the way.

Hot off the press..... at FDPW 24 March 2009 !!

I finally remembered to take my camera with me and took a few photos at the print workshop yesterday Tuesday the 24th March, 2009.

Present were Steve Ramtomski, Colin Beaumont, Rita Hayse and Jane Marshall.

Colin Beaumont

Here are a few of Colin's artworks including printmaking for those of you interested in taking the forthcoming course in Introduction to Printmaking, as featured in the previous post.











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Introduction to Printmaking (Course at FDPW)

There will be a course taking place at FDPW

Introductory Printmaking.


23 April to 21 May (Thursdays, 11 am to 4 pm )

It will be taught by Colin Beaumont.

Techniques covered include collagraph, monoprint, drypoint on perspex and card printing.


Please leave a comment here on this blog if you are interested in participating
or

email ainescannell@googlemail.com


A Collagraph is a print made from a collaged or textured board.

essentially a Collagraph "plate" (from which you make your print), is made from a cardboard base onto which are glued various materials e.g., fabric/textiles, papers including sandpaper, string, glue, and carborundum or sand. This is just an example of what can be included. There are a huge range of possibilities. It is also possible to 'scribe' into some of the surfaces on the plate. Layers of paper can be cut and torn away from the card base additionally. The card can also be incised with a scalpel blade to create very fine lines.
Once the plate has been sealed with a final varnish - it is 'inked up' to get ink into all of the crevices and indentations. Thereafter, it is 'wiped' in preparation for putting it through the etching press. Paper is soaked in a water tray and 'blotted' to remove most of the water. It is placed over the ready inked/wiped plate and run through the press under immense pressure.
The plate may also be relief inked i.e. have ink rolled onto the surface thereby giving 2 colours from one run through the press.

Here is an example of a collagraph plate and print.



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Here is a link to where you can see more of Wallah's artworks on Flickr. Check out the lower row of thumbnails which show close ups of sections of the collagraph plate. Thanks for sharing this Wallah - I hope that it helps people to understand the process.
I will add to this post over the next few days to help illustrate some of the techniques, that Colin will be introducing to course participants.

Introductory Leaflet for new Members (V1)

I am posting this copy of the introductory leaflet for prospective new members. You can download and print it out and thereby you will have the essential details

Exhibit a small print in Portugal (clo. 31 Mar 09)

Matriz – Printmaking Association of Porto calls for:1st Edition of postal print
Open to all print artists


Theme: Self-Portrait

Dimension: Standard postcard size– 10 x 15cm
Technique: all kind of prints except digital one


Deadline: 31st March 2009


Send only one postal print without envelope

No return, no fees, no jury
Exhibitions: on-line in www.matriz-gravura.com and
Esteta Gallery on April 2009
Send to: Matriz -1ªEdição de Gravura Postal, Rua Sousa Viterbo nº 28, 1ºA, 4050-593 – Porto, Portugal

With name, address and e-mail. Documentation sent to all by e-mail.

Information: matriz.gravura@gmail.com

(pictured above is the one I sent - it looks just like me don't you think !!)