Class details
Join us in the watercolour studio for a new course. You will hand finish your own intaglio prints inspired by the exhibition of Picasso’s prints that he made throughout his long career. The exhibition is on at the British Museum until 30 March 2025.
Tuesdays
14 January – 11 February
10am – 12.30pm
Course Fee : £90
Course Outline
14 & 21 January
Drawing for Intaglio printing
Picasso never studied printmaking and taught himself everything. He particularly favoured dry point engravings because of the challenges the medium offered, the intensity required to work on a plate and above all the intimacy it created with the viewer.
In these first 2 sessions, we will look at the
figurative drawing and tonal process of
scratching into plates from drawn studies to
create engraved lines that catch the ink to
create monotone prints. Taking inspiration
from Picasso’s series of animal and nature
engravings that he made in the 1940’s
28 Jan & 4 Feb
Next, we will develop this technique further. We look at how to clean areas of the plate for highlights and how to create deeper tones by scraping out or cutting away. We follow Picasso’s early explorations into how to depict
the human form. This could take the form of a
portrait or a full figure composition.
11 Feb
For the last session we will refine the printing plates and make prints that are display
quality. We’ll learn how to hand colour them with watercolour to create a fine coloured series.
We look forward to seeing you in the watercolour studio for this short, six week course.
