printing for painters art course in Penwith print studio

Printing for Painters

Print making / Landscape - Materials included

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Course details

Translate visual information gathered in the landscape with the simplicity and immediacy of print. Create layers using mono printing and drypoint, including time creating work on a professional press.

printmaking art course in St Ives at Penwith Print studio St Ives

A rare opportunity to work with tutors from both the St Ives School of Painting and Porthmeor Print Workshop. Translate visual information gathered in the landscape into multi layered prints using mono printing and drypoint, including time creating work on a professional printing press. You will enjoy this course if you love the simplicity and immediacy of print, an approach that will also benefit and inspire your painting.

Initially you will use mono printing in the studio to familiarise yourself with the possibilities and behaviours of the inks. These are oil based but are washable. On subsequent days this work will be developed in the Porthmeor Print Studio as mono prints and drypoint, utilising the press in the studio. Liz Luckwell, artist tutor will lead the first morning to help you gather ideas from the surrounding landscape. In the afternoon you will be joined by Mary Crockett, a highly experienced print maker, who will help you take those ideas and observations and translate them into mono prints, a fluid and highly versatile medium.

The results can look deceptively simple and striking but requires learning to think ahead, slow down and plan. A great discipline if you are a painter who tends to jump in and hope for the best. On the first afternoon you will explore how the ink behaves, working thick and thin and experimenting with its potential for expressive mark making, building your confidence for the following day when you will use the press.

We keep numbers small on this course to ensure students get the most out of their printing experience. On some parts of the course there will also be co teaching to enable you to get a rich combination of creative and technical input from the tutors. Please note that all three days will be based in our studio in the Penwith next door to the print room. Access to the studio involves a cobbled sloping walkway and several steps.

Day to day plan

This is a rough indication of what to expect over the course. However sometimes the structure of the days may alter depending on the nature of the group and weather.

Day 1

In the morning be introduced to both tutors. Gather source material around St Ives with artist Luz Luckwell. In the afternoon you will be introduced to the printing materials and both Mary and Liz will co teach to help you explore mono printing initially without a press.

Day 2

Liz and Mary will both teach together in the morning to give intensive support as you move on to use the presses. Apply what you have learned from the day before trying thick and thin inks, wiping away, creating interesting techniques you might see in etching or expressive oil painting. In the afternoon be introduced to working with drypoint.

Day 3

Mary will work with you to combine drypoint with mono printing using the marks and sketching ideas gathered on your first morning to add depth and interest to your prints.

What will I learn?

  1. Experience working with experienced printers who will help you unlock the potential of the medium
  2. An opportunity to work on a professional press that helps you get striking results you can’t get at home
  3. An introduction to the expressive qualities you can achieve with monoprinting and the use of drypoint to overlay marks
  4. As a painter it will help you hone your decision-making skills around composition and colour
  5. Learn how to create tones in your print

Who would this course suit?

The course is ideal for those who would enjoy slowing down their creative process to work in a more considered pace. No experience of art making is required but you will need to be happy to follow instructions.

Printing for Painters

Print making / Landscape – Materials included

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Taught by

Mary
Crockett

View Mary’s Work

I have been teaching for over twenty years and enjoy seeing people’s excitement when they can make printmaking their own. I teach by demonstrating techniques. I think this is the most direct way to pass on practical skills. Teaching for the school is satisfying because print can be treated as part of general practice, not as a separate entity.

Liz
Luckwell

View Liz’s Work

Liz Luckwell’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in the act of drawing, which underpins her method of working with materials, allowing images to emerge from the process itself. Starting from realistic beginnings—often sketching her immediate environment—Luckwell’s work evolves through a gradual process of simplification, distilling forms into more abstracted, emotive expressions. Her creative journey is infused with early memories of helping her mother craft wreaths and bouquets on the kitchen table, a tactile experience that still informs her approach. Working from her home, the Gardener’s Cottage, she often reflects on her family’s deep connection to gardening, a theme that permeates pieces like her oil pastel on board Summer Weeds, where natural forms are transformed through a nuanced, intimate exploration of colour and texture.

What to Bring

Our studios are fully equipped and we provide you with all the materials you need for your course. However, if you have a favourite set of brushes or any specialist materials that you would prefer to use, please bring them with you.

Our studios are fully equipped and we provide you with all the materials you need for your course. However, if you have a favourite set of brushes or any specialist materials that you would prefer to use, please bring them with you.

Timings and Breaks

The first day starts at 10am and finishes at 4.30pm, please aim to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time.

All course days after that start at 9.30am and end at 4pm. There are plenty of nearby places to eat and we will serve tea and coffee at break times during the day.

The first day starts at 10am and finishes at 4.30pm, please aim to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time.

All course days after that start at 9.30am and finish at 4pm and there will be an hour for lunch. There are plenty of nearby places to eat and we will serve tea and coffee at break times during the day.

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