Douglas Art Group (D.A.B.) - Carborundum Collagraph Workshop 18,19,20 Nov 2017

D.A.B. - Carborundum Collagraph Workshop 

Ellen Terrell, a potter living in the Mossman region recently invited me to submit a workshop proposal for a 3-day Carborundum Collagraph Workshop as part of a RADF funding application for the local arts group D.A.B. Douglas Art Group

D.A.B. Studio Gallery Mossman FNQ

I had an enjoyable 6-hour drive north of Townsville arriving early on Friday evening to a very warm welcome by Ellen and D.A.B’s outgoing treasurer Liz Showniruk, and her family. We enjoyed a lovely evening at the Exchange Hotel Mossman including a dance with the locals to a rock band in the front bar before heading to her property at Whyanbeel Valley situated in the rainforest 10 minutes north of Mossman. 

Saturday Markets - Mossman FNQ

On a Saturday morning in Mossman, there is a local market full of fresh fruit and veg, a hairdresser amongst other professional’s, handcrafted wares including hand-printed tea towels and aprons. I purchased a lovely apron for the workshop designed and printed by Mary.

Day 1 - Introduction to materials, image design, and plate creation
D.A.B. have an etching press 40 x 70 cm. fitted with a good thick blanket suited to Collagraph printing. The press size determined the maximum size of the plates for use, 25 x 51cm.  We were using full sheets of strawboard 101 x 76cm. We were able to get 6 cut plates from one full sheet with no wastage.

We covered all the basics of studio practice included setting the press, clean paper areas, messy plate creation areas, demonstrations on sealing the plates and making your own textured mediums, composition and mark making.

D.A.B members applying Shellac 

Plate creation

Ellen working with PVA

Lea applying Carborundum grit

Britta tearing back the surface of the plate for texture

Lil exploring mark making

Day 2 – Plate creation & printing
The D.A.B. group purchased 3 different weight Hahnemuhle papers, 300 gsm, 230 gsm, and 150 gsm to use for printing. The lightweight paper, 150 gsm, was used for image transfer as part of multi-plate registration. The 230gsm for proofing and 300gsm for printing final prints. I gave a demonstration on inking up with a stipple brush or plastic card. We discussed when best to use transparency and how to mix it into your inks. I demonstrated different ways of wiping back using paper and or tarlatan.
The group really enjoyed these activities, especially pulling their first print, and making ghost prints for further overprinting at a later date.

Inga printing plate 2 of 3 colours/3 plate collagraph print

Inga & Ellen marvelling at Inga's print 

Gail working on a design

Test plates printed with varying blacks and transparency ink

Day 3 – Printing
Everyone seemed to get straight into it displaying confidence and enthusiasm. All the prints coming off the press were terrific and bold.

Inking and wiping the collagraph plates

Lea's 4 colour/3 plate collagraph print

Britta's 3 colour/3 plate collagraph print

Gail's 2 plate/2 colour collagraph print

Britta & Inga

Lil printing a textured plate made using a textured medium

Lea reflecting on her collagraph prints

Inga experimenting with colour and transparency ink

Lil's 2 colour/3 plate collagraph print

In summary, the workshop explored multi-plate colour printing using textured collagraph plates. Workshop participants worked to create a series of plates that were printed in succession producing multi-colour prints. Engaging with a diverse range of materials, plate creation, monoprinting techniques, including the use of transparent ink.

Carborundum Collagraph: Carborundum grits (silicon carbide, lithography graining grit) are mixed with glue and applied to the surface of strawboard, perspex or plastic etching plates to produce rich tonal areas, often in a very painterly manner. The plates may also be incised, abraded, or attacked with various sharp hand and/or electric tools to create velvety linear marks, and/or combined with monotype.

I’d like to say a very big thank you to the D.A.B management committee, and artists for the invitation to facilitate a workshop in their very friendly gallery and studio. Including the outgoing president Liz Showniruk and her family for welcoming me into their home. Liz runs her own Studio & gallery, Whyanbeel Valley Studio & Art Gallery  which includes and the most stunning Artists Residence accommodation available for hire.

Multi-Plate Colour Collagraph Printmaking Workshop

Jeannie Heynatz, Art Centre Manager  invited me to hold a Multi-plate Colour Collagraph workshop at Yalanji Arts - Mossman Gorge in November 2014.

During the workshop my aims as a facilitator was to work with the artists to explore multi-plate colour printing through the use of textured Collagraph plates. The Yalanji artists worked to create a series of plates that were printed together to produce multi-colour monoprints. The students experimented with a diverse range of materials for plate creation to explore monoprinting techniques including the use of transparent inks.

Day 1: On arrival to the Arts centre I was welcomed with a warm reception from the Yalanji artists and staff. I unloaded my car full of materials and we all sat around the studio work table where I introduced myself and my arts practice. I recently held a major solo exhibition at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in Townsville, and I had a box of catalogues left over which I gave a copy to each workshop participant. We discussed my abstract imagery and how I source my inspiration to create my Collagraph prints. The students were very interested to work in abstraction and following my lead on gathering imagery to create prints during the workshop. We had two digital SLR cameras to work with and set off down to the Gorge to take some photos. The artists embraced this process with enthusiasm making me feel very welcomed and as a result I was very excited to work with this beautiful group of artists.

Returning to the studio we gathered around the work table where I introduced the materials, and lead a discussion on image design.  I demonstrated plate creation using a range of different materials and gave a printing demonstration to ensure each artist fully understood the techniques and processes to be used over the three day workshop.

Day 2: I was looking forward to returning to the Arts Centre where I was met by the artists who ready to get started. Each artist approached their imagery with a fresh outlook of learning about abstraction and mark making. Two of the males artists in the group chose to work with their traditional imagery that they have been developing at the Art Centre, feeling more confident in this area.

We had a lot to get through in the studio, as each process in creating their Collagraph plates were quite involved. The artists worked with 4 plates each so they were learning to think about composition, layering, colour and plate registration. Some artists worked quite freely on each plate and others were more structured in creating templates of colour and line so each plate when printed created a tight image made up of 4 colours. An artist in the group was quite experimental showing innovation in using other printmaking techniques such as screen printing to put their imagery down on the boards

  

  
Day 3: All the artists were starting to get a little tired at this point but were eager  to see their hard work printed.  The studio was abuzz with activity.

I demonstrated how to select blankets best suited for Collagraph printing, how to set the press, and safe use of the press. We discussed colour choice and how to mix colours including how to record your ink recipes for later use in the studio particularly if you like a unique colour that has been mixed. How to store mixed inks for later use and how to clean the Collagraph plates.

The artists produced very beautiful prints and I was very happy with the outcomes including their original prints and how the workshops participated in the professional development and skills exchange workshop.

Materials used in the workshop
•    Strawboard or otherwise known as Boxboard
•    Shellac - best product I have used is Feast Watson, Mastertouch shellac
•    PVA glue- Exterior Aquadhere PVA glue
•    Carborundum grit - fine grade 180 mesh
•    Stipple brushes - (I have plenty)
•    paintbrushes
•    Textured Artist medium
•    A range of colour etching inks including a Transparent Ink Butches paper
•    printing paper - etching
•    old telephone books
•    Etching press/blankets

Flying Arts Artiz@townsville: Monotype Printmaking Workshops

This week Flying Arts held their annual Townsville programs for Teachers and North Queensland Students, ARTIZ @ Townsville. I facilitated a professional development workshop for teachers and two student workshops on monotype printing at Umbrella Studio of Contemporary Arts.  There were teachers from Proserpine, Mnt Isa, Charters Towers, and Townsville. I was very pleased to find that all the schools represented had etching presses in their art departments.

Flying Arts, Artiz@Townsville 2013, Teachers PD Monotype Printmaking Workshop

Flying Arts, Artiz@Townsville 2013, Teachers PD Monotype Printmaking Workshop

Flying Arts, Artiz@Townsville 2013, Teachers PD Monotype Printmaking Workshop

Flying Arts, Artiz@Townsville 2013, Student Monotype Printmaking Workshop

Flying Arts, Artiz@Townsville 2013, Student Monotype Printmaking Workshop

Flying Arts, Artiz@Townsville 2013, Student Monotype Printmaking Workshop

Introduction to Monotype Printmaking with Jo Lankester

Introduction to Monotypes was a great workshop with some fantastic prints created. I started with a demonstration on how to roll etching ink evenly on a perspex plate for a variety of monotype techniques and processes including direct drawing, reductive, additive, and multi-coloured layering. Monotypes are most commonly created using and combing drawing and painting. Information can be developed in both additive and reductive approaches, much the same way as marks can be drawn or erased in a drawing.We experimented with printing by hand and using an etching press.  

The workshop consisted of absolute beginners and intermediate artists. I must admit I just love the expressions on the faces of absolute beginners when they pull their first successful print; it is very satisfying as a teacher to see this.

We were blessed to have Lydia Fegan a visiting artist from Warringa Print Studio attend the workshop. She made a stunning two colour monotype using a combination of both reductive and additive approach.

This is the third and final introduction printmaking workshop as part of May Month of Learning organised by City Libraries, Townsvile City Council. The workshops were held at Umbrella Studio of Contemporary Arts.

Yellow Ochre & Transparency Etching ink

Jo Lankester rolling up with Etching Ink.

Applying a reductive Monotype process.

Demonstrating rolling etching ink out evenly on the perspex plate

Mixing a transparent black

Jo Lankester, MT Stuart Grass Trees lV, Layering Monotype

 Photography by Angela Cheung

Introduction to Linocut Printmaking with Jo Lankester

Introduction to Linocut Printmaking with Jo Lankester

The second introductory printmaking workshop in a series of three as part of the Townsville City Council’s May Month of Learning was a heap of fun.  We had a full class with a mix of beginners and artists wanting to refresh their skills or expand their skills base in the area of Relief Printmaking.

We explored transferring images to the lino block using handmade transfer paper, carbon paper and direct transfer from pencil or charcoal drawings. We also drew directly onto the block with charcoal, pencil and permanent marker.

Richard Lane

Dominie Hooper

Sylvia Hewitt & Andrea Stuart

Tip of the day: Rubbing a little red acrylic paint into the surface of the lino block prior to drawing or transferring the image. This made it easy to see the areas being cut away which are white when printed.

Thinking about learning how to create a Monotype? Join me today at Umbrella Studio from 10am-3pm, $75

Happy Printing,
Jo Lankester