Individual courses / Courses for a group
We are offering a variety of printmaking workshops for individuals or small groups during the year around. Our instructors, all Master printers with a wealth of knowledge and experience, will be your resources in exploring a range of new techniques. Join us for these exciting courses and explore the ever expanding world of printmaking!
INTAGLIO PRINTMAKING on copper plates
ALTERNATIVE INTAGLIO METHODS (non toxic techniques)
WOODCUT / RELIEF PRINTING
MONOPRINTING
ALTERNATIVE LITHOGRAPHY – MOKULITO
ARTIST’S BOOKS
INTAGLIO PRINTMAKING on copper plates
Intaglio describes any printmaking technique in which the image is produced by incising into the printing plate. Intaglio Printmaking refers to a printing method in which the printing elements are all below the plate surface, having been cut, scratched, engraved, or etched into the plate.
We offer Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Courses in different forms of Intaglio Printmaking.
INDIRECT TECHNIQUES ON COPPER PLATES
Hard Ground Etching (Beginners)
Line Etching
An introductory course to hard ground etching, one of the fundamental techniques of traditional intaglio printmaking. Participants will learn how to prepare and coat a copper plate, draw on the hard ground, etch the image in an acid bath, and print the plate using an etching press.
The course is suitable for beginners and requires no previous experience in etching.
3 Days
Aquatint (Basic)
Creating Tonal Effects in Grayscale
An introductory course to aquatint, a fundamental intaglio technique used to create tonal areas and rich variations of light and shade. Participants will learn how to prepare and apply aquatint, create different tones by controlling the acid exposure, and print the plate using an etching press.
The course is suitable for beginners and for artists who want to add tonal depth to their etching practice.
3 Days
Hard Ground Etching & Aquatint
An introductory course combining two essential intaglio techniques: hard ground etching and aquatint. Participants will learn how to create both precise line work and tonal areas on a copper plate, combining the two techniques to develop a complete image. The course covers plate preparation, hard ground application, drawing, aquatint, acid etching, and printing using an etching press.
Suitable for beginners with no previous experience in etching.
5 Days
Soft Ground Etching
Soft Ground + Ziegler method
Explore lines, textures, and expressive marks through soft ground etching. You will learn how to transfer drawings onto a copper plate by drawing on paper placed over the soft ground, as well as how to create imprints from leaves and other thin textured materials.
As an additional technique, you will also learn the Ziegler method for printing multiple colour plates with precise registration, allowing you to create rich and layered colour prints.
Prerequisite: Participants must have previously completed the Hard Ground Etching & Aquatint course at Art Print Residence.
5 Days
Electro-etching
A less-toxic approach to etching
Learn a less-toxic intaglio process in which the copper plate is etched using an electrical current instead of traditional acids. You will explore how to prepare the plate and control the electrical parameters to create lines and textures, opening up new possibilities for contemporary etching.
3 Days
Aquatint Variations
Sugar lift Aquatint
Sugar lift + Spit bite
Explore sugar lift, a versatile intaglio technique that allows you to create expressive, fluid lines and painterly marks directly on the copper plate. You will learn how to draw with a sugar-based solution, prepare the plate for etching, and create rich and spontaneous images.
As a complementary technique, the course also introduces spit bite, a brush-based aquatint process that allows you to create soft, fluid tonal effects and painterly transitions.
Prerequisite: Participants must have previously completed the Basic Aquatint or Hard Ground Etching & Aquatint course at Art Print Residence.
5 Days
Toner aquatint
Explore a wide range of tones, textures, and shadows
Toner powder creates a microdot pattern resembling an irregular grid. By working manually with a brush, you can build up a wide range of tones, textures, and shadows, creating subtle and varied effects on the copper plate. This technique offers a precise yet expressive way of developing tonal depth and texture in aquatint.
Prerequisite: Participants must have previously completed the Basic Aquatint or Hard Ground Etching & Aquatint course at Art Print Residence.
5 Days
White ground aquatint
Create a wide range of tonal values with wash-like effects
This technique involves drawing directly onto the plate using soap to create a wide range of tonal values, from the lightest to the darkest, in a single process. By varying the application of the soap, you can create delicate transitions and expressive, wash-like effects.
Prerequisite: Participants must have previously completed the Basic Aquatint or Hard Ground Etching & Aquatint course at Art Print Residence.
5 Days
Other intaglio courses
Marbeling
Create fluid patterns and unique surface designs
Explore the art of marbling to create fluid, organic patterns on paper. You will learn how to prepare the marbling bath, work with inks and tools to create different designs, and transfer them onto paper. Each print is unique, making this technique an exciting way to experiment with movement and chance.
Prerequisite: Participants must have previously completed the Hard Ground Etching & Aquatint course at Art Print Residence.
3 Days
Crackling
Create organic patterns and unexpected textures
Explore the crackling technique to create intricate, irregular patterns and textured effects. By manipulating the surface and controlling the process, you will learn how to achieve different crackled patterns and incorporate them into your prints. The technique offers a playful and experimental approach to texture, pattern, and composition.
Prerequisite: Participants must have previously completed the Hard Ground Etching & Aquatint course at Art Print Residence.
3 Days
Etching and Aquatint Refresh workshop
Refresh your skills and get back to the basics
Did you learn printmaking some time ago?
Have you learned these techniques before, but it’s been a while since you last practiced them?
Do you feel you have the knowledge but would benefit from going back to the basics and refreshing your skills?
A three-day workshop for artists who have previously learned etching and aquatint but would like to refresh their knowledge and regain confidence in the techniques.
Review the processes step by step with our experienced printmakers, learn our less-toxic approach to etching on copper plates, and revisit the essential techniques while receiving guidance tailored to your needs and creative project.
3 Days
DIRECT TECHNIQUES ON COPPER (non toxic methods)
Drypoint on copper plates
Drawing straight on a plate, without acid
Explore drypoint, a direct intaglio technique that allows you to draw directly onto a copper plate using a sharp needle. The burr created by the needle holds ink and produces characteristic soft, velvety lines. You will learn how to work with line, pressure, and texture to create expressive and spontaneous prints.
The course is suitable for beginners and requires no previous experience in etching.
3 Days
Mezzotint
From solid black to midtones and highlights
Mezzotint is a direct intaglio technique in which the copper plate is worked to create a rich, solid black surface. Midtones and highlights are then scraped and burnished back into the plate to gradually build the image from dark to light.
The course is suitable for beginners and requires no previous experience in etching.
3 Days
PRINTING PROCESSES
Intaglio printing process (Basic)
This workshop is aimed to learn the professional printing process step by step. Learn the tips from our master printers.
1 Day
Intaglio color printing. Multiple plates registration system (Advanced)
Learn advanced intaglio colour printing techniques, including à la poupée inking and roll-up. You will learn how to combine different plates and colours using a precise registration system to achieve clean, accurate, and layered colour prints.
3 Days
Chine collé + Ura-uchi
Integrate Japanese papers into your prints
Discover how Chine collé can be used in contemporary printmaking by introducing thin papers during the printing process, so that they are printed and become an integral part of the final image. This technique allows you to enrich your prints with subtle variations in texture and colour.
You can also explore ura-uchi, the traditional Japanese technique of backing prints with thin Japanese paper. Come and discover the wide variety of Japanese papers available at Art Print Residence and explore new ways of incorporating them into your work.
3 Days
ALTERNATIVE INTAGLIO METHODS (non toxic techniques)
Silkmezzotint
Also known as Silk mezzotint or Aquatint mezzotint
An alternative mezzotint technique that uses high-density plastic plates and a silkscreen mesh to create images by working from dark to light. This process allows you to achieve rich tonal effects and delicate highlights without using a traditional mezzotint rocker.
3 Days
Dry Point on Plastic
Experiment with lines, textures, and marks without acids
Experiment with a wide range of manual tools, including punches, scrapers, and other tools, to scratch and work the surface of plastic plates. You can also use electric tools to create and modify the matrix. No acids or chemical processes are used in this course.
You will also explore different variations of the original print by combining the technique with Chine collé.
3 Days
Collagraph
Create rich textures and deep tonal effects
A collagraph is a print made from a plate built up with different materials and textures. Learn how to create rich surface textures and deep blacks using carborundum, and experiment with different mediums to achieve a wide range of tonal values and expressive effects.
Collagraph on Plastic
Explore texture and tonal effects on plastic plates
Create collagraph prints using a plastic plate as your matrix. Experiment with different materials, textures, and mediums to build the surface, and learn how to achieve rich blacks with carborundum and a wide range of tonal effects. The smooth, transparent surface of plastic allows for precise and detailed work while providing a neutral background for building the image.
3 Days
Collagraph on Cardboard
Turn cardboard into a versatile printing plate
Discover the possibilities of cardboard as a collagraph matrix. Experiment with different materials and textures to build the plate, and explore how its surface can be manipulated to create rich textures, deep blacks, and varied tonal effects. A versatile and accessible approach to experimental printmaking.
3 Days
Collagraph on Plywood
Explore texture and relief on a wooden matrix
Create collagraph prints using plywood as your matrix. Experiment with many different types of plywood to incorporate the natural texture of the wood into your prints. Learn how to build up the surface with different materials and textures, using carborundum to achieve deep blacks and other mediums to create a wide range of tonal values.
3 Days
Photoetching
Photopolymer etching
Translate photographic and digital images into intaglio prints
Photopolymer etching is a versatile intaglio process that allows photographic and digital images to be transferred onto a photopolymer plate and printed as an etching. The technique offers excellent control over detail, tonal range, and texture, making it suitable for both photographic and contemporary image-making practices.
Direct to plate system (basic)
Transfer photographic and digital images directly onto the plate
Learn how to print photographic and digital images directly from an inkjet printer onto a photopolymer plate. Explore the basic steps of the direct-to-plate process, from preparing the image and plate to exposure, processing, and printing.
3 Days
Direct to plate system (advanced)
Multiple plates, colour separation, and precise registration
Take the direct-to-plate process further by working with multiple photopolymer plates. Learn how to prepare colour separations using CMYK, combine several plates, and use a precise registration system to create multi-colour prints.
5 Days
Manual Photopolymer Etching with Films
Transfer drawings and images using a traditional film-based process
Learn how to transfer drawings, photocopies, and other images onto photopolymer plates using photographic films. This traditional, manual approach gives you greater control over the image-making process and opens up different possibilities for working with line, texture, and tone.
3 Days
Photopolymer stamps
Create stamps and text for artist’s books
Learn how to create photopolymer stamps from your own drawings, images, and text. Explore the possibilities of photopolymer plates for producing small-format printing elements, particularly for artist’s books, editions, and experimental printmaking.
3 days
Photoetching on Copper plates
Line drawing & Text
Transfer line drawings and text onto copper plates
Learn how to transfer line drawings and text onto copper plates using a photoetching process. Once transferred, the plate can be further developed using traditional intaglio techniques, allowing you to combine photographic processes with direct mark-making and etching.
3 Days
Photographic images
(coming soon)
Transfer photographic images onto copper plates
Learn how to transfer digital photographic images onto copper plates using a photoetching process. The resulting plate can be further developed using traditional intaglio techniques, opening up possibilities for combining photographic imagery with hand-worked marks and textures.
3 Days
WOODCUT / RELIEF PRINTING
Woodcut
Woodcut, Linocut, Mokuhanga
Woodcut is a versatile and less-toxic relief printing process. Explore different types of wood and tools to create a wide range of lines, textures, and marks. The technique can also be adapted to large-scale printing, opening up exciting possibilities for ambitious formats.
Woodcut (basic)
Explore line, texture, and the possibilities of wood
Learn the fundamentals of woodcut, a versatile relief printing technique. You will explore how to prepare and carve a wooden block using different tools, develop lines and textures, and print your image by hand or with a press. A practical introduction to the essential processes of woodcut, suitable for beginners.
3 Days
Woodcut on large scale
Explore the possibilities of large-scale woodcut printing
Discover how to work with woodcut on a larger scale, experimenting with different surfaces, carving tools, and approaches to create bold and expressive prints. Learn how to prepare and handle large wooden matrices and explore techniques for achieving successful large-format prints.
5 Days
Woodcut (advanced)
Explore multiple blocks and larger formats
Take your woodcut practice further by working with multiple blocks to create layered and complex compositions. Explore advanced carving techniques and the possibilities of combining several matrices, including working on a larger scale.
5 Days
Wood engraving
Carve against the grain
Explore wood engraving by carving directly into the end grain of a wooden block. Unlike conventional woodcut, the image is incised into the surface rather than carved away around the lines, allowing for fine, precise marks and intricate detail.
3 Days
Reduction woodcut
Create a multi-colour print from a single block
Explore the reduction woodcut process, in which a single block is progressively carved and printed to build up a multi-colour image. After each colour is printed, part of the block is carved away before the next colour is applied. This requires careful planning and registration, as each stage permanently alters the block.
5 Days
Linocut
Explore bold lines and large-scale possibilities
Linocut offers a direct and accessible approach to relief printing, allowing you to create expressive lines, textures, and strong graphic shapes. Learn how to carve into a smooth surface using different tools and explore the possibilities of working in large formats.
3 Days
Mokuhanga
Explore the beauty of water-based woodblock printing
Discover Mokuhanga, the traditional Japanese technique of water-based woodblock printing. Learn how to carve the woodblock and print with water-based pigments using brushes, exploring transparent layers, delicate textures, and the natural qualities of Japanese paper and wood. A versatile process that combines precision, sensitivity, and a direct connection with the materials.
5 Days
Mokuhanga with natural pigments
Japanese water-based woodcut with natural pigments
Discover the traditional Japanese technique of Mokuhanga using natural pigments. Learn how to prepare and apply pigments with brushes, carve and print the woodblocks, and prepare your own water-based inks using traditional Japanese pigments and earth pigments extracted from the mountains of Roussillon.
You will also learn how to work with multiple layers using the traditional Japanese registration system.
5 Days
Relief printing with stencils
Explore layers, shapes, and textures with stencils
Discover how stencils can be combined with relief printing to create layered images, bold shapes, and varied textures. Learn how to design and cut stencils, combine them with a relief matrix, and experiment with different ways of layering and printing to create unique and expressive results.
3 Days
Sharpening Woodcut tools
Learn how to sharpen and maintain your carving tools
A one-day practical workshop focused on sharpening and maintaining woodcut carving tools. Through demonstrations and individual practice, you will learn how to properly sharpen your tools and keep them in good working condition for precise and effective carving.
This workshop is available as an additional day alongside our Woodcut courses.
1 Day
Wood Letterpress & Polymer Typography
Explore typography for artist’s books and printmaking
Learn how to create and print text for artist’s books using wood type letterpress and photopolymer typography. Explore traditional letterpress printing with wood type alongside photopolymer plates, and discover different ways of combining text and image in your printed work.
3 days
Monoprints
Explore the possibilities of unique prints
Monoprint is a versatile printmaking process in which each impression is unique. Explore different ways of applying, transferring, and manipulating ink to create spontaneous images, textures, and marks. A process that combines the possibilities of printmaking with the freedom of drawing and painting.
Monoprints
Spontaneous and intuitive images, each one unique
Monoprinting is a form of printmaking in which each impression is unique, unlike traditional printmaking processes that produce multiple impressions of the same image. Work directly on the printing surface, experimenting with spontaneous and intuitive applications of ink to create a single print or a series of related images.
Traditionally, monoprints were made using copper plates, but contemporary practice offers a wide range of alternative surfaces. At Art Print Residence, we explore different supports, materials, and approaches, using non-toxic processes to create unique and experimental prints.
3 Days
Water based monoprints
Explore the fluidity of water-based inks
Learn how to create monoprints using water-based materials. Experiment with the fluidity and transparency of water-based inks, exploring different ways of applying and manipulating the ink to create unique images, expressive marks, and textures.
3 Days
Trace Monotype
Draw through the paper to create unique prints
Create monotypes by drawing on paper placed over an inked plate. The pressure of your drawing transfers the ink from the plate to the paper, creating delicate lines, textures, and variations in tone. Explore the possibilities of pressure, movement, and spontaneous mark-making, with each print being unique.
At Art Print Residence, you can also explore large-format trace monotypes, opening up new possibilities for gesture, movement, and scale.
3 Days
Large format Monoprints
Explore monoprinting on a large scale
Discover the possibilities of creating unique monoprints in large formats. Experiment with oil-based inks or water-based paints, adapting techniques, tools, and materials to the particular challenges of working at a larger scale. Explore expressive gestures and dynamic compositions while taking advantage of our presses, which are specifically designed to print images on paper up to 124 × 240 cm (48.82 × 94.49 in).
5 Days
ALTERNATIVE LITHOGRAPHY
Mokulito
Explore the possibilities of Japanese wood lithography
Discover Mokurito, a Japanese printmaking technique that combines the principles of lithography with the natural grain and qualities of wood. Learn the fundamentals of the process and explore its versatility through different approaches to image-making, layering, textures, and colour.
A non-toxic and experimental technique that offers endless possibilities for combining the characteristics of lithography and woodcut.
3 Days
ARTIST’S BOOKS
Artist’s books
Transform your printmaking project into an artist’s book
Explore the artist’s book as a form of artistic expression, from a unique work to a limited edition. This course focuses on developing the concept, structure, and design of an artist’s book based on your own printmaking project, exploring how images, text, paper, sequence, and format can come together to create a cohesive work of art.
5 Days
Large format printmaking
Large format workshop
Take your printmaking practice to a larger scale
Do you know printmaking but haven’t worked on a large scale yet? Or would you like to develop a large-format project using our presses and facilities?
Our workshop is the ideal place to develop ambitious large-scale projects. You can work with different supports, including copper, plastic, plywood, cardboard, and photopolymer plates, and apply large-format approaches to intaglio, collagraph, photoetching, relief, and other printmaking techniques.
The workshop includes guidance on adapting your technique, matrix, paper, and printing process to large-scale production. You can also work with our large presses, oversized plates, and paper rolls.
Artists with previous large-format experience can either take the workshop or request individual technical assistance for their project.
5 days