Join printmaker Charlie Ash for this 3-week short course of printmaking using recycled and found materials; covering Tetra Pak etching, Botanical Mono-printing, and Taku-hon printing.

The course will introduce you to a range of new printmaking skills, combining aspects of traditional craft and DIY experimentation, all approached with a focus on re-purposing materials and finding inspiration in commonplace objects.

Week 1 - Tetra Pak Etching

Great for those who love line or tonal drawing, Tetra Pak etching reproduces the bold, graphic and somewhat mysterious quality of traditional metal plate etchings; but exchanges metal and chemicals for humble Tetra Pak cartons. You’ll learn how to make marks with various tools to make a textured intaglio printing plate; then print them using a professional etching press.

Week 2 - Botanical Mono-printing

Mono-printing differs from other printmaking techniques in being less technical and more immediate - an exciting way to re-imagine sketching, painting or collage. We’ll be working with organic/botanical materials, textiles, packaging and scrap materials to make fascinating, complex patterns - an immersion in the fun of repeated, improvised, process-led image making.

Week 3 - Taku-hon Printing

Takuhon is a Chinese form of relief printing which uses a similar principle to crayon rubbing, and can be used to print surfaces and objects which would be impossible to put through a press. Using a process of moulding paper and dabbing ink, you’ll learn how to make highly detailed and tactile prints, somewhere between sculpture and printmaking. We’ll work on transforming a wide range of objects from the home, garden, or junk shop into surprisingly subtle and delicate prints.

You will leave this course empowered with the skills and confidence in printmaking, enabling you to continue to gather and recycle materials to explore and experiment further.

Tutor: Charlie Ash
Day & Time: Friday, 10am- 4pm
Venue: Brush Studio, New Brewery Arts
Price: £225.00 (£0.00 VAT)

3-weeks

First Class: Friday 18th September
Last Class: Friday 2nd October

Please note that this workshop is for those aged 18 and over.

You are welcome to bring a lidded bottle of water with you but we kindly ask that you do not bring food into the studio.

Refreshments are available at our on-site café Blend until 4pm.

For more information:
Visit our FAQ page

Who is this course for?
This course is suitable for all levels, no prior printmaking experience required. Aimed at those interested in traditional crafts and material experimentation.

What you will need:
All printing equipment, tools and ink will be provided.

You will need to bring some recycled/found materials each week.

Week 1 - Recycled Tetra Pak cartons,

Week 2 - Botanical/recycled materials

Week 3 - Surfaces/objects for printing

Please bring an apron or wear something you are happy to get messy in.

You will be required to take all your work home at the end of the course.

Accommodation: 
Residential option available. Find out about our accommodation, costs and how to book here.

MEET YOUR TUTOR - charlie ash

Charlie Ash is an artist and printmaker based in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Since graduating from Falmouth School of Art in 2019, he has specialised in woodcut and relief printmaking, working on commissioned and autonomous projects, undertaking artist residencies and participating in international printmaking exhibitions. For Charlie, the slow paced, process driven nature of printmaking offers an immersive and fulfilling experience, and this is something he is passionate about sharing as a tutor.

Charlie’s own practice takes inspiration from the history of print as a craft, while exploring its shifting, undefined place in contemporary culture. His recent work plays with using found images to make prints, including medieval brass plates, film stills, satellite images, archaeological scans and photo archives. Often these emerge through research into particular places and cultures - from Neolithic rock carvings, to Romano-Celtic artefacts, and maps of knotted junctions on the M25 - unexpected resonances form which the serial nature of printmaking can play into. As the original imagery is collaged and layered through drawing, then carved into graphic textures of lines, dashes and dots as woodcuts, Charlie looks for moments where it can morph into something lively and unfamiliar.