Carol Pairaudeau – Gel Plate Printing and Beyond

Product Description

Gel Plate Printing and Beyond 2023 is a workshop for the curious and the experienced gel plate print enthusiast.  If you’ve never used gel plates before and want to have a go – this workshop is for you. If want to expand your current experience of printing without a press – this workshop is for you too.

Carol is a printmaker and painter whose work has been exhibited in galleries across the UK. She brings her painting and printmaking together in her work. Carol helps artists in her workshops to explore the depth of possible images and styles with gel plate printing. 

What you will get from the Gel Plate Printing and Beyond 2023 workshop

The workshop is designed to give participants the opportunity to experience a range of gel printing processes. Attendees will have time to develop areas that they are particularly interested in. Day 2 goes beyond print generation and explores how the gel prints from Day 1 can be used. There will be options to realise finished works of art. Alternatively, attendees can consider how to integrate gel plate printing into current practice. The workshop is suitable for those new to gel printing who want to make quick progress with the technique, or those with some experience.

Day 1 – morning

The morning session will comprise a series of demonstrations, carefully designed to encompass a variety of skills and different ways to print using a gel plate. Following each demonstration, the group will be guided through the process and then given sufficient time for individual practice.  At the end of the session your tutor will facilitate a group discussion where you will be encouraged to share your experience and outcomes.

Anyone with some prior experience will have ample time to work at their own pace and be more experimental. Individual support and guidance will be available.

Skills summary – foundations of gel printing, sufficient practical skill to achieve good results with a variety of printmaking approaches. Experience using different inking and printing techniques, use of simple masks, variety of methods to create pattern/texture on the plate, layering prints, and working with botanicals.

Day 1 – afternoon

The skills learned in the morning will be embedded during an afternoon of printmaking. Participants will be encouraged to work with a limited and cohesive palette of colours to produce a body of printed material that will be used on Day 2. The work made during this afternoon session will be directed by the student’s own preferences in terms of colour, content and style – with ideas, guidance and support provided on a 1:1 basis.

Some finished examples will be presented and discussed at the start of this session. This will give some direction and an understanding of what participants can achieve by the end of Day 2.  Additional demonstrations will be given as appropriate to support the group. There will be a round up discussion at the end of the day.

Skills summary – gaining confidence, self-directed printmaking, experimentation, developing ideas, troubleshooting, understanding colour. Opportunity to extend practical skills using more complex paper masks, stencils, image transfer, text, different print papers.

Day 2

The focus of Day 2 is to explore ideas on how to use your prints to create finished pieces along with tips and techniques on how to integrate prints into mixed media work. Participants can focus on one area if they wish to take away a completed piece of work. The other option is to try out a few different ideas during the day. Participants will be given a materials list and asked to bring in a suitable surface support to complete their project(s). Presentation and demonstrations will take place at the start and as required throughout the day, with suggestions and guidance provided on an individual basis.

There will be a round up discussion at the end of the day and time for Q&A.

If you fall in love with Gel Plate printing as I did, you’ll want to get your own plate and brayers. But until you’ve discovered just how exciting this technique can be, you can use Carol’s equipment for the workshop.

Why attend Carol’s workshop?

After one day of learning Gel Plate printing, I was hooked and just had to book Carol to run a workshop in Whittlesford. Carol is knowledgeable and an excellent tutor. She explains everything clearly and makes sure everyone feels in control of their process.

This workshop is suitable for artists of all levels. To find out more about Carol, visit her website.