Summer Printmaking Workshop “SIMULTANEOUS COLOUR ETCHING AFTER S.W. HAYTER AND N. KRISHNA REDDY”

Call for Summer Graphic Workshop at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (UL ALUO)

The Department of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (UL ALUO), in collaboration with the University of Ljubljana Art Council, is announcing a call for the Summer Graphic Workshop, which will take place from July 1 to July 6, 2024, at the UL ALUO studios on Erjavčeva 23, Ljubljana.

The workshop will be led by Marjana Pahor, a graphic artist living in Sweden, alongside guests from the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Program (NY, USA), who will participate remotely.

The workshop is open to students of UL ALUO and others who have a basic knowledge of etching and both relief and intaglio printing. The workshop will be divided into several sections:

The workshop will run daily from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and will include both theoretical and practical components. Marjana Pahor will teach participants about simultaneous color etching, combining multiple graphic processes of both intaglio and relief printing.

The second part of the workshop will involve an exhibition of the participants’ prints, which will take place at the Mulec Gallery in Ljubljana at the end of August 2024. In the fall of 2024, the exhibition will travel to New York, USA. The results of the workshop will be exhibited at the EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Gallery. Participants will have the opportunity to present their prints in both domestic and foreign galleries.

At the Mulec Gallery exhibition in Ljubljana, the best print from the Summer Graphic School will be announced.

Registration

Click here to register
Fee: €100 (free for UL ALUO students)
Available spots: 11 (6 spots are reserved for UL ALUO students, 5 for others)

For additional information, please contact:
projektna.pisarna@aluo.uni-lj.si

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE (1st Session)

Monday, July 1

• 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Introduction to the graphic technique with a short presentation and visual materials.
  Distribution of the workshop manual to students.
  Participants will be assigned their workstations and provided with materials for preparing the etching plate.

• 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM: Individual review of sketches prepared by students before the workshop.
  Creating a plan for the etching process in at least three steps for each participant.
  Beginning of plate preparation, polishing, and cleaning.

• 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Lunch break

• 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Introduction to tools and media for drawing and working with zinc or copper plates.
  Drawing the motif onto the plate.
  Protection of the plate where etching will not occur.

• 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: ZOOM Conference with EFA-Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Program, New York, USA.

• 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: First etching in 15%-20% acid. Plates will remain in the acid overnight.

Tuesday, July 2

• 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Removal of plates from the acid in the morning.
  Evaluation of etching depth.
  Development of the drawing according to the individual etching plan for level 2.
  Recording each etching step.

• 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Etching and plate treatment. Option for working on a small copper plate (15 × 20 cm) or as agreed.

• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Presentation of edge treatment for zinc or copper plates using mechanical tools or gradual etching.
  Introduction to etching in a vertical tank.
  Preparation of 35% acid and controlled etching.

• 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Lunch break

• 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Demonstration and explanation of various etching methods.
  Explanation of why the plate must be taken out of the acid multiple times and examined under a magnifying glass.

Wednesday, July 3

• 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Removal of plates from the acid in the morning.
  Evaluation of etching depth.
  Development of the drawing according to the individual etching plan for level 3.
  Recording each etching step.

• 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Etching and plate treatment. Individual corrections with participants.

• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Presentation of how all etching techniques are used as interventions in level etching.
  Introduction to “soft ground” for etching.
  Preparation of individual aquatint boxes.

• 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Lunch break

• 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Continuing etching in 35%-50% acid.
  Adjusting the acid for etching.
  Third etching in 15%-20% acid. Plates will remain in the acid overnight.

Thursday, July 4

• 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Removal of plates from the acid.
  Cleaning the plate and removing protective materials.
  Polishing the plate with a cleaning medium.
  Demonstration of color printing with different ink viscosities.

• 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: First test print using black ink.
  After the first print, we will discuss necessary adjustments for further plate treatment.

• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch break

• 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Introduction to tools and techniques for final plate treatment.
  Preparing graphic paper for the next day’s printing.
  Demonstration of soaking paper for simultaneous color etching.
  Each student prepares their paper for printing.

Friday, July 5

• 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Mixing colors for three graphic values; soft, medium-soft, and hard.
  Basic color combinations: red, yellow, and blue.
  Demonstration of mixing inks on a glass surface and rolling them with rollers.

• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Demonstration of how to apply ink to deeply etched areas of the plate using a heating plate.
  Instructions on cleaning the plate for color viscosity printing and preparing paper for printing.
  Students will be divided into five printing stations for efficient teamwork.

• 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Lunch break

• 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Printing (color viscosity printing is like a jam session in jazz).
  Preparing drying space for prints.
  Demonstration of eco-friendly ink cleaning methods for plates and rollers.
  Cleaning and organizing the studio.

Saturday, July 6

• 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM: Printing on the second day.
  Mixing inks for another color combination.
  Rolling inks on a glass surface with rollers.
  Dividing work among students at printing stations.

• 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Lunch break

• 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Final printing work and cleaning up the graphic studio.The schedule is subject to adjustments based on the progress of the workshop.