Relief Printing II: Developing Techniques and Styles

Instructor: Patrick Bulas
Thursdays 5:30-8:30pm
10 weeks: September 25 to November 27
Location: In-person Williams Building room 118
$387.50 + $25 materials fee (required)
Prerequisite: Relief Printing I

After completing Printmaking I, students will continue to explore more advanced printmaking techniques such as multiblock relief printing, collograph, and kitchen lithography. Students will be shown how the techniques can be done at home without the need for expensive, specialized equipment. Demonstrations and in class projects will provide students with an opportunity to see each technique done from start to finish before trying it for themselves. Students will be encouraged to incorporate these new techniques into their own artistic practice and make them their own. Critiques and informal discussions with the instructor and other students will be held throughout the course. At the end of the course, there will be a print exchange, giving everyone a chance to share their work with each other.

Syllabus

  • Week One: Introduction
    • Looking at printmaking as both a historical and contemporary art medium
    • Overview of the course supply list, course content, the class print suite, etc
    • Group projects- “pass the block” and “show & tell” of work done in Relief Printing I
  •  Week Two: Multiple Block Color Printing
    • Registration
    • Working from a key image
  • Week Three: Jigsaw/Puzzle Piece
  • Week Four
    • In class work period
  •  Week Five: Group Critique with both finished prints and work in progress
  • Week Six: Kitchen lithography
  • Week Seven: Collograph\
  • Week Eight: Photocopy transfers and mulitmedia
  • Week Nine
    • In class work period
  • Week Ten: Final Critique & Print Suite

Supplies

  • Relief Ink: A basic set of ink is a group purchase that is part of the course fee. Students will be shown different types of relief ink and where to buy them if they want to purchase their own.
  • Paper: 10 sheets of 20” x 26” Lynx Cover
    During the class, students will be shown different types of paper to use for printing.
  • Here are some recommended types of paper to try:
    Stonehenge, Somerset Satin, Kitakata, Mulberry, Gampi. Most of the printing will be done by hand, so I would recommend using a thinner paper
  • Linoleum blocks: I recommend using battleship linoleum. It holds fine detail well. Speedy-Cut easy linoleum is also an option. It is easier to carve, but I do find that it tends to flake when carving and finer detail is harder to work with. Smaller sizes are recommended: 5” x 7”, 4” x 6” are good sizes to start with. I would recommend purchasing unmounted linoleum
  • Shop towels or rags for clean up
  • 2 small pieces of Plexiglas or glass around 8” x 10”. 1 will be used for rolling up ink. 1 will be used for kitchen lithography. (There are small pieces of Plexiglas available at the U of S Bookstore)

  • 1 L bottle of cola for kitchen lithography. The brand doesn’t matter
  • 1 or 2 oil pastels. The color doesn’t matter, they will be used for kitchen lithography
  • Paint Scraper for cleaning up ink
  • Small spray bottle
  • 2 to 4 paintbrushes of different sizes to paint images for kitchen lithography. The brushes don’t have to be expensive, old brushes, dollar store brushes would work
  • 2 Palette or putty knives for mixing ink. These can be purchased from an art store, or from hardware stores like Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Princess Auto, etc.
  • Carving tools: either the Niji carving tools or the Speedball lino cutter works well
  • A sheet of mylar: For printing and registration
  • Wooden spoon or baren for printing
  • Wax paper: For printing and for interleafing in between prints
  • 6” Brayer: A small roller used to ink up blocks.
  • 18” x 24” Newsprint Pad for proofing
  • Sketch pad/notebook: Nothing expensive, just for sketches and taking notes
  • Pencils, pens, etc. for taking notes and sketching
  • Ruler for measuring paper and setting up registration for printing
  • A box of nitrile or latex gloves: We will be using water soluble oil based inks that clean up with soap and water, but it is highly recommended to use gloves to keep your hands, prints, and workspace clean
  • An apron, smock, or old shirt to wear while printing
  • Masking tape
  • Exacto-knife
  • A container to carry your supplies is recommended
  • A simple cardboard portfolio is recommended to transport your prints and paper

For a brief list of frequently used suppliers, please see Where can I purchase supplies? on our FAQ page.