Workshop 2012

Color woodcut 1: Camaïeu
by Umberto Giovannini
25-27 May 2012

Woodcut (xylography) is the oldest graphic technique. The power and communicative force of its sign lies at the heart of works created from the 14th century onwards, from Dürer and Holbein up to Cézanne, Picasso, Münch and contemporary artists. Lately xylography has once again become popular, not only for its language, but also because it is an ecological technique, which uses wood, oil inks and natural essences. The purpose of this workshop is to teach woodcut techniques and the ability to use materials, tools and methods with a view to creating woodcuts with more than one block (polychrome) through the classic technique of camaïeu. The work will include invention of the drawing for the colour woodcut, its transposition to the blocks, and creation of the intaglio. Attendees will be taught to use a special body posture intaglio technique, in order to develop high precision and speed, and the basic techniques of registration printing and polychrome inking.

Umberto Giovannini is a multidisciplinary artist with a specific interest in printmaking. He has a passion for woodcut, for which he has developed some personal intaglio and printing techniques. Founder member of VACA and member of the East London Printmakers, he is the director of the Opificio della Rosa a low environmental impact graphic centre. He combines his personal work as an artist, his studies and research, to his teaching career. At present, he is Associate Lecturer at the Central Saint Martins College of Art, University of the Arts London.
www.umbertogiovannini.it

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Burin on copper 1: advanced level
by Jürgen Czaschka
2-6 July 2012

This course, only for those who have practice in copper engraving techniques, is a unique chance to draw on the wealth of artistic experience that Czaschka has fine-tuned in more than thirty years of studying and experimenting with burin technique, of which he possesses unparalleled knowledge, from the classic to contemporary developments. A preliminary phase deals with preparation of the plate and methods of sharpening the tools. The central part of the course involves experimentation with different techniques of burin engraving on copper: morphology of the sign; the relationship between heavy and light signs; the rhythmicity of the hatching and the intersecting undulations of 16th century anatomy engravings; the synthetic linear sign. The course concludes with the final phase of inking, cleaning and printing the matrix.

Born in Vienna, Jürgen Czaschka is unanimously acknowledged as one of the most extraordinary living burin artists. He got his artistic training in Berlin at the end of the 70’s and has created works of extraordinary technical expertise and overwhelming expressive force that make him an undisputed master of this art.

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Coloured multi-plate prints
by Ann Norfield,
9-13 July2012

During this workshop we will learn how to make vibrant multi-layered prints.
Building on the rich and colourful layers of textured carborundum printing, as used by artists such as Paladino, Miró & Tapies, with the drawn, scratched and incised markmaking of drypoint, as used by Picasso, Clemente and Jim Dine, these techniques, layered with monoprint and paper collage, combine to produce exciting and individual images.
This workshop is an important deepening for printmakers. At the same time the flexibility and immediacy of the techniques taught can be enjoyed even those who do not have a practice of printmaking techniques.

Ann Norfield is both an artist printmaker and a teacher. She is a founder member of the studio at East London Printmakers.
She has taught art in schools for many years and also runs adult printmaking workshops for artists and teachers.

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Japanese Woodblock
by Wuon-Gean Ho
16-20 July 2012

La xilografia giapponese è una meravigliosa tecnica, non tossica, che utilizza legni naturali, colori ad acqua e carta fatta a mano per creare, in quest’ordine, le immagini.
I colori possono essere tenui e trasparenti come intensi e profondi. In questo workshop si imparerà a disegnare, intagliare e stampare la propria xilografia, in bianco e nero o a colori, nello stile tradizionale giapponese.
Si impareranno a utilizzare i differenti strumenti come i coltellini da incisione, l’inchiostrazione a pennello, e la stampa a mano con il particolare disco di bambù chiamato baren.

Wuon-Gean Ho è un’artista della grafica d’arte e dell’incisione che vive e lavora a Londra. Insegna xilografia giapponese in diversi laboratori di incisione in Inghilterra e negli Stati Uniti.

www.wuonge.weebly.com

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Color woodcut 2: advanced level
by Umberto Giovannini
30 July – 8 August

This 9-day-workshop offers a deeper approach to the world of polychrome woodcutting. Starting from the classical XV century techniques, including the interpretations of these techniques by the great engravers of the past century up until the techniques developed by Umberto Giovannini in twenty years of studies and research.
Workshop – Part I
Each day a different technique will be examined: after a historical-theoretical part there will be a practical demonstration of the technique, which the students will then use to create a personal work.
Day 1
Introduction: history and techniques of colour woodcut, drawing, intaglio techniques, inking and registration print. Graphic approach to colour woodcut: the camaïeu.
Day 2
Traditional pictorial approach to colour woodcut 1; two-blocks chiaroscuro (three colours) in a chromatic/tonal range by addition.
Day 3
Traditional pictorial approach to colour woodcut 2; three-blocks chiaroscuro (seven colours) in a chromatic/tonal range by fusion.
Day 4
“Martini” technique and simultaneous colour printing technique by viscosity process on wood (derived from S.W.Hayter’s technique)
Day 5
Woodcut reduction and polychrome printing by transparency with Kento registration.

Workshop – Part II
Days 6-7-8-9
Each attendee will develop personal projects applying the techniques learnt in Workshop – Part I, and will be stimulated to experiment new possibilities.

Umberto Giovannini is a multidisciplinary artist with a specific interest in printmaking. He has a passion for woodcut, for which he has developed some personal intaglio and printing techniques. Founder member of VACA and member of the East London Printmakers, he is the director of the Opificio della Rosa a low environmental impact graphic centre. He combines his personal work as an artist, his studies and research, to his teaching career. At present, he is Associate Lecturer at the Central Saint Martins College of Art, University of the Arts London.
www.umbertogiovannini.it

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Linocut and Letterpress for Illustration
by Nick Morley
13-18 August

In this workshop you will create an artists’ book, using a combination of linocut illustrations and letterpress text to explore a narrative of your choice. You will develop your linocutting and letterpress skills while discovering how illustrations and text can be combined in innovative ways. First you will be given guidance to plan the format and layout of your book by making a ‘dummy’. Then you will be shown how to use the unique qualities of linocut to create a range of illustrations using different visual effects. The illustrations will be combined with text using wooden letterpress blocks in a wide range of sizes and typefaces. You will be encouraged to experiment with text and image placement to create non-traditional solutions to story-telling.
The workshop will cover the following techniques:
– Carving and mark-making on linoleum using a range of tools
– Inking and printing to create a range of effects
– Controlling colour, texture and transparency of ink in printing
– Basic bookbinding
Participants will need to bring along a narrative to work from. This could be a novel, short story, poem, play, song or something similar. By the end of the workshop you will have produced a small edition of your book to take home.

Nick Morley is an artist and illustrator who specialises in linocut. He has more than ten years of printmaking experience and has taught workshops at East London Printmakers since 2006. He has illustrated book covers for Penguin, Faber & Faber and Random House and he also makes his own books.
www.nickmorley.co.uk

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Polymergravure
by Victoria Browne
20-24 August

During this five day course attendees will learn to master an innovative printmaking process exposing hand-painted or drawn positives to photo-sensitive plates. Often compared to traditional copper-plate photogravure, polymergravure printing was developed in Denmark by Eli Ponsaing in 1989 and offers a non-toxic alternative. The prints exhibit rich velvet blacks with a wide and continuous tonal range, receptive to the original expression of the artist. Attendees will work in the etching studio to combine a variety of inking methods to edition single and multiple-colour plates onto archival rag paper.

Victoria Browne holds a Master of Arts in Multi-disciplinary Printmaking from the Centre of Print Research, University of the West of England and studied at the Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen in Norway. Browne is the founder of KALEID editions and teaches a variety of printmaking techniques.
www.victoriabrowne.com • www.kaleideditions.com

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Burin on copper 2: advanced level
by Jürgen Czaschka
7-9 September

This course, only for those who have practice in copper engraving techniques, is a unique chance to draw on the wealth of artistic experience that Czaschka has fine-tuned in more than thirty years of studying and experimenting with burin technique, of which he possesses unparalleled knowledge, from the classic to contemporary developments. A preliminary phase deals with preparation of the plate and methods of sharpening the tools. The central part of the course involves experimentation with different techniques of burin engraving on copper: morphology of the sign; the relationship between heavy and light signs; the rhythmicity of the hatching and the intersecting undulations of 16th century anatomy engravings; the synthetic linear sign. The course concludes with the final phase of inking, cleaning and printing the matrix.

Born in Vienna, Jürgen Czaschka is unanimously acknowledged as one of the most extraordinary living burin artists. He got his artistic training in Berlin at the end of the 70’s and has created works of extraordinary technical expertise and overwhelming expressive force that make him an undisputed master of this art.