Join printmaker Charlie Ash to learn the process of woodblock printing in a contemporary style.

Join printmaker Charlie Ash in this immersive 3-day workshop to experience the joy of creative flow with like minded people and escape the busy world. Charlie will introduce you to a diverse, exploratory approach to mark making in the world of woodcut, where chisels, gouges and unconventional tools become an extension of drawing.

Woodblock printing is one of the oldest and simplest forms of printmaking, which only seems to add to its magic. During this workshop, you will develop your ideas in drawing towards a finished printing block; learning about selecting and preparing the wood, safely using and maintaining carving tools, making and transferring guide drawings as well as applying a wide range of traditional and experimental carving methods, and testing the progress of your work. Whether you have a love for pattern, textures, abstract composition, life drawing or landscapes, carving an image into wood brings an exciting new energy to your ideas, and is a satisfying, rewarding process to learn.

Over the course of 3-days, there will be time for you look at examples, test out carving methods and sketch out your ideas before making an original woodblock from your own design, and printing a small edition. With Charlie's guidance you’ll be able to focus on the tools and carving styles which suit you, and make your own response to the unique characteristics of woodblock printing. Once you have carved a finished block, you will be introduced to a range of techniques for inking blocks, printing by hand, using different printing presses and printing onto papers and fabrics.

You will leave with the fundamental skills of wood block printing, an original carved wood block and prints.

Tutor: Charlie Ash
Day & Time: Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd & Friday 24th July, 10am- 4pm
Venue: Brush Studio, New Brewery Arts
Price: £280.00 (£0.00 VAT)

3-day

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 workshop is suitable for all experience levels.

What you will need:
All materials will be provided.

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

Please come with a few ideas, images or sketches to get the creative process going.

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.