Course overview
In this four-week printmaking course, children will explore a range of drawing and printmaking techniques expressed through mono-printing. They will focus on capturing expressive portraits, still lives and dramatic scenes using creative exercises designed to stimulate right-brain thinking which fosters more expressive, spontaneous, and emotionally rich artwork.

Week one — Unconventional Portraiture

• Technique: Children work with inked-up aluminium plates covered with newsprint, drawing directly on the paper. When the newsprint is peeled away, a unique mono print is revealed.

• Activity: In a playful and engaging session, students will sit and draw one another, swapping places to capture different perspectives and spontaneous expressions.

• Focus: With an emphasises on observational drawing using unconventional and playful techniques, these exercises encourages children to truly see and capture one another.

• Outcome: Each child will create a collection of unique mono prints of their peers, combining technical skill with the joy of spirited experimentation.

Week two — Exploring Still Life

Theme: "Natural Forms" – A mini, dramatically lit installation sets the stage for still life drawing.

• Activity: Children take turns drawing the installation from varying viewpoints to create a series of still life mono prints.

• Creative Exercises: Participants will be encouraged to engage in unfamiliar ways of drawing such as non-dominant hand drawing, the continuous line drawing--which fosters fluidity and confidence and blind contour drawing which encourages fluidity through sketching without looking at the paper.

• Outcome: Participants will leave the session with a collection of unconventional, expressive mono prints and a playful, confident approach to image-making.

Week three — Three-dimensional collage making (as a starting point for drawing)

Technique: Children work towards building a miniature scene through the assemblage of individual three-dimensional collaged figures and objects created out of the editorial material we provide.

• Focus: creation of an otherworldly scene which sparks collective storytelling and imagination.

• Activity: Three-dimensional collage and narrative building.

• Outcome: By the end of this activity the children will have created an intriguing scene they will return to as a starting point for their final session.

Week four —

Activity: Taking the collaged characters and objects previously created; the children will set up a collective scene and dramatic lighting will be brough in. Through careful observational drawing onto their plates, participants will capture the scene they created.

• Focus: Emphasis on vivid story telling through imagery by attempting to capture and enhance relationships between figures and surrounding objects while paying close detail to the interplay of falling light and shadows created.

• Outcome: Each child completes one or a series of mono prints which suggest strong yet mysterious narrative undertones.This course is designed to provide your child a new way of storytelling through art, from collage to printmaking, in a supportive and creative environment.

Details

Duration: 4 sessions

Age group: Seven and over

Wednesday’s, 5pm—6.30pm
19th February—March 5th

All necessary materials provided

Fees

€70

For parents/guardians on no or low incomes we offer two places at zero cost. Please email us directly should you wish to apply. No questions asked.