The address of the workshop is
515 22nd Street S, St Petersburg FL
Studio #103 of the ArtsXchange campus
Saturday Nov 1, 10 am to 3 pm
Directions for designs will be emailed to registered students one week before class.
In 1915 a group of 6 women printmakers decided to spend their winter in the resort town of Provincetown, Massachusetts to develop a new printmaking technique. These women were all Japanese Wood cut Printers; a technique that requires separate plates for each color in the composition. These artists wanted to invent something that looked similar but used one plate versus many. White line printmaking emerged from this collaboration.
The method utilizes a soft wood block as the printing plate. The image is transferred to the wood then each line is cut with a craft knife, making V-lines that appear as white lines in the finished product. The paper is tacked to the top of the wood plate with thumb tacks to create a perfect registration, making sure the paper falls in the exact same place each time.
The pigment is watercolor paint and is applied directly onto the wood plate in one small area at a time. The paper is then folded over the plate and burnished with a spoon to transfer all the pigment. This process is repeated until the print is complete. Each plate can be reused to create more images.
White-line woodblock printmaking is the first printmaking technique unique to the United States.
Materials Students are Expected to Bring:
To help with time and to ensure that you all go home with a finished art piece, I'd like to ask each of you to come to class with an 8x10 or 8x8 design already created.
As you can see in the samples attached, it’s important to break down larger shapes into smaller ones. I’d like you to think of it as a coloring book design that you’re creating for yourself. Please consider your background as well and try not to have it be a white space, devoid of design. Ways around that are to create shapes such as a square with stirpes or to actually create a wallpaper design for the background.
Design elements to avoid are items that are too small or too large. As we will be cutting around each shape, if it’s too small, you’ll risk cutting into your shape or taking most of it away. If it’s too large then the watercolor paint will evaporate before you even finish loading the area and it’ll appear blotchy.
All supplies will be provided so all you need to bring with you are your design, drink and lunch.
Materials Provided by Teacher:
· Soft pine wood block for printing plate
· X-acto knives and blades to use during plate carving time
· Tracing & transfer paper for design to board
· Thumb tacks to attach paper to plate
· Printing paper
· Watercolor paints, palettes and brushes to use during class
· Water bowls & paper towels
