Saturday Printmaking: Etching

About this course

Participants explore image-making with hard ground, soft ground and aquatint, developing plates through the use of stop-out materials, tools and etching timings. They print from completed plates using intaglio techniques and may add or erase marks as their work develops. Teaching combines demonstrations, presentations, group discussion and individual tutorials. Technical and critical advice is shaped around each participant’s project, with learners agreeing individual goals and reviewing their progress with the tutor.

What you'll learn

• Create etched images using hard ground, soft ground and aquatint
• Print from plates using intaglio techniques
• Apply stop-out materials, tools and etching timings during plate-making
• Use printmaking equipment and the workshop safely
• Make critical decisions while developing a personal visual language

Is this course right for you?

The course is intended for beginners as well as learners with more experience, who work together in a mixed-level studio. No previous printmaking experience is necessary, although an interest in or experience of drawing or design may be helpful. Teaching includes group demonstrations, discussions and individual project guidance.

• Suitable for learners who want to revisit one or more printmaking techniques
• Participants negotiate individual learning goals with the tutor
• The print studio is not wheelchair accessible and is located on the second and third floors
• Some chemicals may be harmful during pregnancy or cause irritation; sensitivities should be discussed with the tutor

Before you go

• Bring pencils, a selection of paintbrushes and a sketchbook or notebook.
• Protective clothing is provided, but clothing that can tolerate workshop use is advised.
• Most studio consumables, including ink, cleaning materials and solvents, are included.
• Paper and etching plates or lino blocks are available to buy from the department.
• Health and safety procedures are explained at the start of the course, and participants are asked to sign an agreement to follow them.