Hello there! I’m Harriet. As the current intern at New Brewery Arts, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to do a taster in one of the courses that they had running; I thought I might share my experience with you.

Having never done any printing at all before, I was excited to try out the art of collograph. I joined a class who were coming into their final week of Printmaking with Christine Felce, and who were about to move onto lino printing with another tutor (Beth Jenkins) for the last five weeks of the course.

I was soon acquainted with the friendly class of four and, after a brief introduction, Christine got me to grips with the actual process of collograph, from the different etching techniques employed to create a textured printing plate, to the practicalities of sealing my plate with varnish, and inking it up ready for printing.

I was then left to crack on and, after making the design for a small practice plate, Christine guided me on rolling the ink and then the printing press—getting it moving was a proper workout!

The course was very much run on a “there-if-you-need-me basis”; whilst we were given plenty of leeway to take our project in whatever direction we wished, Christine—and the other tutees—were always at hand to offer advice and help when needed. This was especially great for me, where being an absolute beginner did not affect the rest of the class at all, and vice versa.

What I loved about the workshop was the ability to progress so far in such a short amount of time. Even though I was only printmaking for a couple of hours, the rapidity of collograph meant I was really able to play about and experiment with different methods of inking, and quickly see results despite being a complete novice.

The relaxed setting, and being surrounded by passionate, inspired people meant that I came away with a significant body of work through which I could really see my development, yet at the same time leaving me wanting to do more.

Not bad for a day’s work - thanks, New Brewery Arts!