Upcoming Workshops
Workshop Policy: Participants must arrive on time. Classes begin at 10am, after 10:30am no-shows are considered a cancellation without refund. Late arrivals cause disruption and ask too much of the teacher to re-teach concepts already covered. If you need to cancel your spot in the class, please give two weeks notice. No refunds for less than two weeks notice.
Summer Drawing Intensive with Merrilee Challiss
Sunday, June 14, 21, and 28 from 1 pm - 5 pm
Workshop description:
For all levels who want to sharpen their skills and/or reignite their drawing practice.
Focus: Exploratory mark-making and Observational drawing
What to bring:
Set of pencils HB B H and any others you might have
Sharpie
Any other drawing tools or supplies you like to use or would like to try
Sketchbook (preferably on the larger side)
Merrilee will supply newsprint 18" x 24" for everyone and a variety of pencils, vine charcoal, charcoal and blending stumps.
If this is your first workshop, please submit the workshop participant form.
Intro to Silkscreen with Michael Johnson
Saturday, July 11th and Sunday, July 12th 10 am - 4 pm
Workshop description:
Silk screening, or screen printing, or serigraphy… is a stencil-based printing process where ink is pushed through a mesh that blocks out some areas and open in others to give you a crisp image on paper, fabric, or any flat surface. But, for the workshop, we will only be printing on paper.
This is a two-day workshop that will show you everything that you need to know to get started using this process. The first day is about creating a photographic or hand-drawn transparency, with two colors. You will also learn to prep your paper for registration, prep and coat your screens, and get your colors mixed for the next day. The second day, participants will burn their transparencies into their screens, and print them using a tab-registration system to line up the two layers of color. Then you will learn how to reclaim your screen for the next printing project.
You will get a handout with every step of the process to use in your future exploration of the process.
You will learn:
How to pick a screen that will be best for your design.
How to prep your screens for the process
How to apply emulsions to your screen
How to best dry your screens
How to prep your paper for using a tab for registration
How to create a two-color separation by hand
How to expose your screen and process the image
How to use a squeegee to flood and pull your image
How to use a registration sheet and tabs to get perfectly aligned colors.
How to recover your screens for the next printing process.
What to bring:
Four to six sheets of a smooth surfaced printing paper, about 12”x18”. I suggest Rives BFK, Stonehenge, or any hot-pressed paper (watercolor paper, wet media paper, or thin Bristol also works).
An apron or smock of some sort.
Black oil-based paint pens of a couple of different nib sizes. Posca makes some really good ones. Sharpie also makes a nice oil-based pen, but their traditional Sharpie pens are not opaque enough to work.
A design that uses two colors; a photograph for reference or a drawing of some sort. Or, just wing it with your creativity.
We will provide screens, inks, hinged screen presses, tabs for registration, squeegees, the special acetate films used for the transparencies, oil-based paint pens, the exposure unit, dip tank, emulsions and degreaser, and the wash-out station with a high-pressure sprayer.
About the artist:
Michael Johnson is a Paperworkers Local member and has been an art teacher for almost 30 years. He uses silk screen as a process integrated with other processes in his own artworks.
If this is your first workshop, please submit the workshop participant form.