Intro to Printmaking

Discover the foundations of traditional printmaking in this hands-on, five-week introductory course. Each session focuses on a different printmaking method: Block Printing, Dry-Point Etching, and one-color Screen Printing, while offering direct practice with the tools, presses, and workflows of the Oolite Printshop.

The purpose of this course is to provide practical, guided instruction on how to safely and confidently use the shop. You’ll learn by doing, carving blocks, preparing plates, mixing inks, operating the presses, and producing your own prints across three major printmaking disciplines.

By the end of the course, you’ll not only leave with a small portfolio of relief, intaglio, and screen prints, but you’ll also have the technical foundation required to work independently in the printshop.

Upon completion, students are granted access to Open Studio Hours, which provide self-directed time in the printshop to continue printing, experimenting, and developing personal projects.

This class is ideal for beginners as well as artists looking to expand their skills and gain ongoing access to professional printmaking facilities.

Course Breakdown:

Week 1: Introduction to Printmaking & Block Printing Basics

• Overview of printmaking processes and shop safety
• Introduction to relief printing tools and materials
• Designing and transferring your image
• Beginning to carve your block

Week 2: Printing Your Block

• Finishing your carving
• Ink mixing and preparing your inking station
• Hand printing vs. printing on the press
• Creating your first edition of block prints

Week 3: Introduction to Dry-Point Etching

• Overview of intaglio processes and materials
• Preparing and scoring your acrylic or metal plate
• Inking, wiping, and printing intaglio plates on the press
• Experimenting with tone, markmaking, and multiple passes

Week 4: Intro to Screen Printing

• Overview of screen printing tools and workflow
• Coating and drying screens with photo emulsion
• Creating hand-drawn stencils or simple opaque positives
• Exposing your screen and printing your first one-color layer

Week 5: Final Prints & Group Discussion

• Finishing and refining your screen print
• Editioning basics and printing consistent copies
• Group critique and discussion of all three completed projects
  How to continue using the printshop independently

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Originally from Pensacola, Florida, Matthew Forehand has based his art career out of the city of Miami. He began his art school studies at Pensacola State College where he received his Associate’s of Arts in Visual Arts. Matthew continued his education at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking. During his time at SAIC, he enrolled in Ox-Bow School of the Arts, an artist residency in Saugatuck, Michigan. Currently, Matthew is the Printmaking Manager at Oolite Arts , a well-known non-profit Artist Residency in Miami that gives opportunities to artists in Miami. He taught visual arts at Miami Arts Charter School (MAC) and now at Oolite Arts.