Join new tutor and printmaker Charlie Ash to learn the process woodblock printing in a contemporary style.

In this short course Charlie will guide you through the process of making a woodblock print in a contemporary style; inspired by a tradition of craft and experimentation. Woodblock printing is one of the oldest and simplest forms of printmaking, which only seems to add to its magic.

You will develop your ideas in drawing towards a finished printing block; learning about preparing the wood, safely using and maintaining carving tools, making and transferring guide drawings, applying a wide range of carving methods and testing the progress of your block. Whether you have a love for pattern, texture, abstract composition, life drawing or landscapes, carving an image into wood brings an exciting new energy to your ideas through a satisfying and deeply rewarding process.

After making some tests, there will be time for you to make an original woodblock from which you will print a small edition. From here you will consider the tools and carving styles which resonate with you and then make your own response to the unique characteristics of woodblock printing. Once you have carved a finished block, Charlie will introduce you to a range of techniques for inking blocks, printing by hand, using different printing presses and printing onto papers and fabrics.

You will leave this course with your own hand carved wood block and set of prints.

Tutor: Charlie Ash
Day & Time: Thursday, 1:30pm- 4:30pm
Venue: Brush Studio, New Brewery Arts
Price: £245.00 (£0.00 VAT)

6-weeks

First Class: Thursday 16th April
Last Class: Thursday 21st May

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.

What you will need:
All materials will be provide.

Please come with some ideas, images or sketches that inspire you.

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.