Friday 2 May 2014

Print-making at Rum's Eg Gallery

Last year I was invited to teach a print-making workshop at Rum's Eg Gallery in Romsey.



I certainly do not consider myself a print-maker, but it is another form of art that I enjoy taking part in.  What was just something a little different from my usual work, every now and again raises some interest.

The workshop took place on Wednesday and I had a group of six very enthusiastic students.


My aim when teaching about producing lino-cuts, is to introduce students to an inspiring form of print-making, that can be done at home, in a small space if need be and at a reasonable cost.

The carving tools we use for carving are produced by Abig.  I have tried several tool options and these come up as being a good all round tool set for those new to print-making and/or returning to it.  The main thing to consider is that you have a tool handle that is comfortable in your hand.


There is the option of carving into lino.  This is hessian backed and can come in a variety of thicknesses, the most common being 3mm.  During the workshop I introduced the students to another material for carving.  It is called Soft-cut - I think the name says it all.  When using lino you have to make sure that the lino is kept warm.  This is for two reasons: To make it easier to carve and this also means that there is less likelihood of your tools slipping. The Soft-cut is a great option, particularly for workshops and we found that you were still able to achieve clean cuts in the lino and the prints produced from it came out very well.

Carving a design into a piece of soft-cut.

Design ideas

Once the design is carved, the printing can begin !

Rolling sepia water-based printing inks onto the Soft-cut

Printing using my small press.

Last, but not least, the beautiful results from the day.








My next print-making workshop is taking place at Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve, near Southampton, on Saturday 18th October.

Follow this link for more information.

No comments :

Post a Comment

It is always lovely to hear your comments. Please feel free to leave them here and I will approve them asap.