Wednesday Afternoon Etching Projects: Small and Beautiful

When & Where

26 February 2025 - 2 April 2025 ( 16.5 hours, 6 weeks )
Afternoon, Wednesday
View course timetable
Waterloo Centre

Quick Facts

Availability Yes
Tutor Brian McKenzie
Course Code W24PTGE03D
Suitable For 19 year olds and up are permitted on this course

What you will learn

Expand and enhance your etching skills with the aim of creating intricate, detailed, and visually stunning artworks based on subjects that inspire you. Focus on developing one or two small-scale plates, utilizing a variety of etching techniques. You’ll have the opportunity to bring your personal etching project to life, combining both basic and advanced methods to produce professional-quality plates. Techniques such as hard and soft ground, aquatint, spit bite, sugar lift, and experimental approaches will be explored, helping you gain expertise in plate production and printing with nitric acid. This course is designed for all experience levels in printmaking, fostering a collaborative atmosphere where beginners, intermediates, and advanced students can learn together in a vibrant, well-equipped studio. Students are encouraged to pursue their own creative projects with the tutor’s support, aimed at helping everyone achieve a deeper understanding, greater confidence, and a full expression of their artistic vision through a diverse range of printmaking processes. Additionally, students are encouraged to dedicate time to practice at home to maximize their learning experience.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Devise and enact a project to develop small, detailed etching plates and prints
Broaden printmaking skills and strengthen critical decision making
Use the printmaking equipment and workshop safely
Engage in group crits, projects, demonstrations and discussions around technique, and other students work

Cost

Full fee

£185

Concession fee

£138

Click here for information on Fees, Funding and Concessions (including financial support)

Class format and activities

Students will be making blocks, plates and prints and use the studio equipment needed to do this. Teaching is both in groups and on an individual, one-to-one basis, with technical and critical advice depending on your needs. The tutor will give some demonstrations, presentations and lead group discussions.

Entry requirements

No previous experience of printmaking is necessary, but an interest, or experience of drawing or design is useful. You may have some previous experience and want to develop and practice your own choice of technique as a printmaker.

What you need to know before you enrol

This session does not include lithography. Health & Safety information will be given at the start of the course and subsequent lessons where necessary. You may be asked to sign a form declaring that you agree to follow procedures as advised. Some chemicals used may be harmful in pregnancy. Please let the tutor know if you are pregnant and they will advise you as to necessary precautions. Some of the presses and processes require a modicum of physical strength; if you are struggling the tutor will assist. Some people find drypoint difficult if they have low wrist/hand strength. Note: at present there is no wheelchair access to the print studio, and the studios are on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building. If you have any mobility issues please contact the department prior to enrolling.

What you need

Please bring pencils, a variety of paintbrushes, a sketchbook or notebook and a portfolio. Protective clothing is provided or you can bring your own apron and gloves. The course fee includes most studio consumables (basic inks, solvents etc) but you will have to pay for paper, etching plates/ lino blocks etc. These are available to buy in the department at cost price. Further requirements will be discussed at the first and subsequent classes.

What you can do next

You can enrol on any of the subsequent Beginners courses, Mixed Levels or All Levels courses on any day. There are also various short courses, which generally focus on single techniques. Please talk to your tutor for more advice on what to do next. You might choose to enrol on a course and focus entirely on your own particular favourite processes and techniques. There are follow-on Wednesday day courses with the same tutor on different topics