Custom Workshops
Kids and Teens
Big Prints, Little Hands:
In this workshop, students will be introduced to collaborative work and relief printing as they work together to create one large poster print using Styron and water-based ink. We will then edition the print so that everyone can take one home! Students will develop their collaborative skills, confidence with materials, and learn how to plan a composition. Prompts for the poster can include:
Austin wildflowers
Words/ Alphabet
Animals
Ages: 7+
Time: 3-4 hours
Collagraph
Collagraph printing can be an easy way to construct a printing matrix without having to use expensive metal plates or acid. Students will experiment with a range of materials to build their plate and create lines and texture.
Ages: 10+
Time: 3-4 hours
Drypoint
This workshop will introduce teens to a technique that dates all the way back to the 15th-century and is still used in contemporary print. Plates will be printed on cotton rag paper. Prompts for this workshop can include:
Architecture
Self-portraits
Animals - John Alexander/ Teresa Martorell
Ages: 13+
Time: 3-4 hours
Line Etching
This workshop will demonstrate traditional line etching. This technique is perfect for teens who love drawing and are interested in translating their sketches to a new medium. Students will learn about etching, plate wiping, and editioning. They will also be able to experiment with color and learn about concepts such as viscosity when mixing inks. Prompts for this workshop can include:
Stream of Consciousness — Surrealists
Still Life
Handmade Surface Design/ Pattern
Ages: 13+
Time: 3-4 hours
Monotype Selfies
Get your hands inky in this fast-paced workshop centered around the art of monotype - a quick and fun way to create unique, expressive prints. Students can experiment with a variety of mark-making tools, techniques, and papers to create a suite of prints inspired by looking into a mirror and capturing what you see!
Ages: 6+
Time: 3-4 hours
Polymer Relief
Polymer relief is a new and non-toxic way to create relief plates using drawings created on mylar and small light-sensitive etching plates. This workshop will show students how to develop a design and concepts behind photo processes. Plates can be printed on paper or fabric. Some suggestions for prompts include:
Monsters
Outerspace
Cartoons/Comics
Logos
Ages: 10+
Time: 3-4 hours
Printing with Nature
Students in this workshop will be encouraged to collect objects from nature, such as flowers or leaves that we will then roll up with ink and run through a press to create a print. Students will learn about the history of Japanese fish printing and have the opportunity to view the Linda Ridgeway prints in our collection.
Ages: 7+
Time: 3-4 hours
Advanced and Adult
Chiaroscuro Woodcut
Chiaroscuro is a technique that is often associated with Renaissance Italy, and artists such as Parmigianino and Titian. Learn how to create your own woodblock featuring high contrast imagery through the use of extreme lights and darks. Students will leave with a bold edition of their own and the knowledge to continue printing at home!
Ages: 18+
Time: 7 hours
Etching - From Rembrandt to Morandi to Goya
This workshop explores mark-making in etching through the study of three influential printmakers. Students will work with a single plate that will undergo three states of transformation - from line to tonal line using cross-hatching and drypoint to the combination of tone and line using aquatint. We will print a state proof of your plate after every new technique is introduced and employed. Students will leave with a developed image that incorporates multiple etching techniques and an understanding of how to build up a plate and edition it.
Ages: 18+
Time: 7 hours
Monotype Mania
Roll or brush ink onto a plate! Take some off! Print it! Put more on! Print it again! Our trained printers stand by ready to assist as you become a prolific producer of prints during three hours of Monotype Mania. You will use a printing press to transfer painted, stamped, stenciled or drawn designs from a plate to paper and create as many unique images as possible. You can even use thin fabric* or leaves to create compositions. (*handkerchiefs, lace doilies, string, torn papers, etc.)
Our printers will demonstrate basic monotype techniques, mixing your ink, and how you can experiment with layering and texture. You’ll experience the liberating and versatile medium of monotype printmaking. This workshop is designed for all levels of experience. We will work with high-quality water-soluble Cranfield etching inks. All necessary materials, including expert assistance, are included. Printmaking paper size 11” x 15”. You will go home with unique works of art!
Ages: 18+
Time: 3 hours
Monopoint
In this workshop, drypoint and monotype will be demonstrated, then students will be asked to create their own hybrid prints combining these two expressive techniques. Students will leave with a suite of varied prints, and a new understanding of both processes and how they do and don’t work together.
Ages: 18+
Time: 3-4 hours
Photopolymer with Solar Plate
Students will create intaglio plates using drawings created on mylar and this contemporary, non-toxic technique. This workshop will show students how to develop a positive, hand-drawn design on a transparency, how to transfer that image using our NuArc exposure unit, and how to wipe and edition their plate.
Ages: 18+
Time: 7 hours
Print Connoisseurship
Join our monthly informal class to learn all about printmaking techniques, the beauty of the print, ideas about collecting and first hand demonstrations showing aquatint, stone lithography, polymer plate development, soft ground and more. Class lasts for two hours with a little time for refreshments. Guest speakers and artists will be scheduled for some sessions.
Ages: 18+
Time: 2 ½ hours
Monthly
Flatbed also offers extra studio time at an additional rate for any student who would like to extra time in the shop. Contact Belinda Casey at workshops@flatbedpress.com for more information regarding scheduling and pricing