printmaking workshop in Atikokan Ontario August 26 2017

participants at the inking table

This past weekend I traveled 2.5 hours west of my homebase to the town of Atikokan, Ontario (pop. 2700) to deliver a workshop in intaglio (engraving on plastic plate). The workshop originally would have taken place back in July when my Small Wonders The Boreal exhibition was on display at the Pictograph Gallery in Atikokan, but due to my unavailability at the time it was decided to have the workshop happen the late part of August.

Atikokan business district 

Economic Development Offices across the street from Pictograph Gallery where workshop was held

The focus of instruction was engraving into plastic plate. Most of the participants were new to the medium, except for one young woman who is entering her second year of Visual Arts at Lakehead University. She had already been introduced to etching, relief, serigraphy and lithography in the printmaking component for first year students enrolled in the program.

I gave a demo in basic plate engraving techniques using sharp needle tools. I additionally touched on plate effects that incorporate drawing techniques like cross-hatch and stipple, scuffing the plate surface using sanding tools to create areas that will print darker, collage application of thin colour oriental papers (chine-collé), spot inking the plate surface with various colours of ink (à la poupée) and finally introduction of colour to a monochromatic print using either dry media or water based media and brush.

Katy developed her image from a sketch in her artist notebook, Here she was cutting out small pieces of oriental tissue to set on the plate surface for the addition of colour to the print using collage.

reveal of single colour print from plate after passing under small press roller

plate and print on press bed

Keira's study of a wild iris blossom

addition of chine-colle with blue mulberry paper collage

Joan wiping ink into plate with bunched webbing fabric

Joan's plate print of Lady Slipper plants. Watercolour will be used to colourize the image

Lady Slipper print with selective wiping to add plate tone

Katy's cat print with chine-colle

Another version from the plate where the artist wiped the ink à la poupée