Handbook

The print, as a way of presenting and broadly circulating innovative ideas, is a constant presence in contemporary life. It is a phenomenal achievement of human ingenuity that links to history, visual communication and design with the engineering and science inherent in how pigment, oil, water and paper are combined in a number of ways under pressure to create an image. Artists have always engaged with developments in technology, embracing the new as well as finding ways to reinvent centuries-old methods - all to explore printmaking's unique expressive range. 

This course provides you with an opportunity to gain hands-on making experience exploring each of the screen, etching and relief printmaking studios, and their distinct working procedures, by creating art work using either stencilling or matrix-based processes. You will engage with the skills of haptic manipulation found in techniques of layering, cutting and scratching associated with the print in technical approaches that date from early 4th century China, to 15th century Europe, through to applications of photo-mechanical and current digitally derived methods. Importantly you will also investigate the cultural context for the fine art print using structured themes in the production of a portfolio of prints. This experience will provide the foundation for mapping your individual creative process. This course will guide you through activities that require individual reflection, discussion and collaborative interaction.