I was looking forward to attending Gabi Leśniewska’s two-day printmaking workshop for multiple reasons. The first and most obvious is that printmaking is one of my favored practices, and this workshop offered ways to achieve it at home using materials that can be obtained easily.
With the decline of courses, facilities, and resources throughout UAL that support students like myself in continuing printmaking, this workshop provided an opportunity to adapt to new practices that follow the formulas of traditional printmaking: drypoint, linocut, and lithography.
To achieve a drypoint print, we used an intaglio process by engraving and scratching tetrapak with etching needles and box cutters. Being used to etching on metal plates, I had to work more gently with the tetrapak, as it could tear. The plates were then printed with an etching ink onto dampened paper using pasta machines. To ensure accurate pressure, Gabi placed our prints between two press blankets and held them while we turned the machine.
For the lino cut plates, we used a stop-out varnish and masking tape to block areas we wanted to create an image. Then a caustic soda mix was layered on top of the lino to etch into the material. Using water and tissue paper, the etched materials were carefully cleaned, revealing a dotted texture. When the prints were made I quickly realised that this method was suitable for images with less detail and worked well with a large lino cuts carved into recognisable shapes.
Lastly, we tried kitchen lithography, a method based on the principle that water repels oil. We used aluminum foil wrapped around perspex sheets, along with litho crayons, sharpies, and varnish to create images on the aluminum. It was important to avoid touching the plates, as the oil from our hands could disrupt the images once printed. We then placed the plates in Dr. Pepper (or cola), which was cleaned off with cooking oil and water. After that, the plate was inked and transferred to paper.
Gabi’s workshop exceeded my expectations, and it was very informal to learn from her experiences in experimenting with accessible printmaking. Since returning home, I’ve found it much easier to approach printmaking because I’ve realised it doesn’t have to be done in a formal facility setting. It was also genuinely exciting to learn from someone so passionate about printmaking.
How can you use everyday kitchen materials to emulate printmaking techniques? Our 2x day course coming up on the weekend of 5 & 6 October makes printmaking accessible, stepping through complex processes but rather than working within a specialist print studio, using tools and materials from the kitchen. This will be led by printmaker and educator Gabi Leśniewska – who has been classically trained but enjoys experimental approaches.
We will work with materials in the studio (included in the ticket price), to draw from trinkets – so please bring in a few of your own. Gabi is interested in collections of invaluable things – or things that are valued in a different way.
Come and join us – it will be an introduction to intaglio and relief printmaking techniques for those who have little experience and a chance to experiment with little used materials for printmakers.
Workshop: Accidental Collections – ‘Kitchen’ printmaking
With @onthisrainyday
Sat 5 & Sun 6 October, 10-4pm, £95
https://www.instagram.com/p/DAIF8CKgaMC/
