Weekend 27th / 28th April 2024

Etching weekend with copper and aquatint

£165 (10am-4pm)

Etching is an Intaglio printmaking technique along with Engraving and Collagraph. Intaglio means ‘to engrave’ or ‘cut into’ and etching uses metal plates such as copper, zinc and aluminium for making prints. The image is created by an etchant that bites into these metals.

Over the weekend, you will learn the basic hard-ground etching process with B.I.G ground and aquatint using A6 copper plate. You will prepare and etch the plate on the first day and the aquatint is applied on the next day to add different tones to the same image.

Day 1: Hard-ground etching

The plate is protected by a thin layer of resistant substance called ‘ground’ which is applied on to the plate and baked, making a hard-ground (Since I became Artist-in-Residence at Ochre Print Studio in Guildford, I have used B.I.G ground as it is non-toxic and more versatile).

Hard-ground is the most straightforward etching technique with results similar to pen drawings. A fine pointed tool like an etching needle is used to scratch the plate and remove the ground. When the plate is immersed in the etchant, only the area of the metal that is exposed will be etched. The depth of the line is controlled by the length of immersion in the etchant.

Day 2: Aquatint

Aquatint can create a watercolour quality by spraying porous ground (small fine dots of etchant resistant) on to the metal plate, making a fine halftone plate. A variety of tones can be achieved from the lightest grey to the deepest black by the length of immersion in the etchant.

Saturday 4th May 2024

Drypoint one-day taster

£65 (10am-4pm)

This is a one-day taster session. You will learn basic skill of Drypoint etching : how to use tools to scratch a plate, ink up and print using A6 and A5 plates as well as enviromount card which gives totally different effects.

Drypoint is the simplest and most direct intaglio printmaking technique but also the most versatile. A plate is made by scratching directly on to the plate using a sharp tool such as an etching needle. This creates a ragged burr which holds a good amount of ink and lends itself to expressive drawings and mark-making with a unique rich velvety quality of line.

The plate can be anything from simple cardboard or perspex to a metal that you can scratch. Drypoint is also a great introduction to etching for anyone who is interested, as a Drypoint mark can be added to the etched plate during its final working state.

Sunday 5th May 2024

Lift-ground etching one-day taster with aluminium

£75 (10am-4pm)

This is a one-day taster session to get to know about Lift-ground etching using an A4 Aluminium plate and B.I.G ground.

Lift-ground etching allows you to create a painterly and flowing positive mark just by painting lift-etching liquid directly on to the metal plate, creating a more gestural and expressive image. Once a part of the ground is lifted, it can be etched by stages to achieve different tones.