Learn the basic techniques of lino, collagraph, dry-point and monoprint, then experiment with each medium and ways of combining them. Methods and examples of hybrid prints will be shown and demonstrated to give you ideas and an understanding of technique.

Printing by hand and with the press will be taught. The technical pros and cons of both will be discussed, enabling you to move forward with the knowledge of when to use each of these methods in your work.

Use of colour and monochrome will be demonstrated, with lots of tips on how to mix your own colours to help you experiment further with your printmaking.

Over the six days, you will make a range of unique prints, each one individual, as you will not be working with editioning. You will be stopping at regular intervals to see what everyone else is working on, so that you may learn and understand from each other. Your tutor will help with the discussions to encourage confidence in talking about your work as, with printmaking, collaboration is as important as individual practice. Throughout the course, there will also be a few surprise and fun projects to keep you engaged and challenged using the methods explored.

By the end of the course, you will have a wide knowledge of how to combine two to five different print techniques on the same image. You will have a basic technical knowledge of printing, including printing by hand and when to use a press. You will also have the confidence to experiment within print, seeing technical challenges not as boundaries, but, instead, as rules to be broken. You will also have explored your own preconceptions and boundaries in your work, and challenged yourself artistically to allow for a beautiful freedom of expression.

Summer School highlights:

The Summer School week is an immersive learning experience with more time to develop your creativity and embrace opportunities for creative development beyond your chosen course. A detailed timetable for your Summer School week will be given to you on arrival. This will include:

• Short inspirational talks by tutors and displays of their work

• A short creative experience session in another discipline/media or course

• An optional evening at the Chichester Festival Theatre (if pre-booked)

• An optional lunchtime tour of West Dean Gardens, the historic rooms at West Dean College, or West Dean Tapestry Studio

• A celebration dinner on the last evening themed on Impressionism, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionists exhibition held in Paris in 1874. Feel free to respond to the theme if you wish.

• Informal end-of-course group reviews and displays of students' work in studios

As evening events are planned as part of the Summer School week, dinner is included in the course fee to enable all students, including non-residents, to participate fully.

Timetable for Summer Schools

Several evening events are planned throughout the week, a detailed timetable for the summer schools will be given to you on arrival.

Arrival Day

Residential students to arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm.

6.45pm: Welcome, followed by dinner (included).

8 - 9pm: First teaching session, attendance is essential.

Daily timetable

Classes 9.15 - 5pm, lunch is included.

From 6.30pm: Dinner (included).

Evening working - students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with their tutor's permission and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Last day

Classes 9.15am - 3pm, lunch is included.

Residential students should vacate their rooms by 10am please.

Included

• The course fee includes the cost of providing some printmaking inks, shared amongst the group, and some paper.

What students need to bring

• Bring your ideas, sketches; however, the tutor can also help you to formulate your ideas if they are loose.
• Rags – old clothes, preferably cotton/cotton mix, cut up with buttons/attachments removed
• Bring/wear old clothes, it gets inky
• Any bits of fabric, paper, objects that have a textured surface and you do not mind getting ink on. Think of any surface that would take a rubbing well.
• Bits of paper to collage with, if so desired; the thinner the better
• Basic drawing media
• Paintbrushes, scissors, scalpels

Available to buy

• Available from shop:
• A good variety of materials, including printing inks, scrim, lino, soft-cut lino
• Printing papers, collage paper, printmaking paper, drypoint card, plastic printing plates
• Basic drawing media, paintbrushes, scalpels.

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio, this includes stout covered footwear (no sandals or open toes).