Mezzotint Design & Edition Workshop (2 day)

Turn a prepared mezzotint plate into a finished artwork and edition.

Take your mezzotint practice further and create your own finished print.

This workshop is designed for students who already understand the basic mezzotint process and want to focus on design, image-making, tonal development, and edition printing.

Your plate will be prepared in advance, allowing you to skip the time-consuming process of rocking the entire plate and spend your workshop time developing your image.

Working on around an A6-A5 size mezzotint plate, you'll transform your chosen design through scraping, burnishing, and careful tonal control. You'll then ink and print the finished plate to create an edition of your own mezzotint prints.

From Image to Edition

You will learn how to:

• Develop a design suitable for mezzotint

• Transfer and work with your chosen image

• Plan areas of light, shadow, and deep black

• Use scrapers and burnishers to develop your image

• Create subtle gradients and detailed tonal transitions

• Refine highlights and fine details

• Prepare your plate for printing

• Ink and print your finished mezzotint

• Produce an edition of prints to take home

Special Themes

We will periodically offer themed sessions exploring specific subjects, such as animal and pet portraits.

Mezzotint is particularly suited to subjects with rich tonal variation and fine detail, making it beautiful for capturing fur, eyes, textures, shadows, and subtle changes in light.

You are not required to follow the class theme. You're welcome to bring your own design and create a different subject, provided the image is suitable for the mezzotint process.

Who Is This For?

This workshop is ideal for:

• Students who have completed our Mezzotint Fundamentals workshop

• Printmakers with previous mezzotint experience

• Artists who already understand the basic tools and techniques

• Anyone wanting to create a finished mezzotint artwork and edition

What You'll Take Home

You'll leave with:

• Your completed larger mezzotint plate

• A finished edition of your prints

• Experience developing a complete mezzotint artwork from design through to printing

Important

This is not a beginner skills class. We will not spend the session teaching how to rock a plate or covering the basic use of mezzotint tools.

If you're completely new to mezzotint, we recommend starting with our Mezzotint Fundamentals: Beginner Workshop before booking this class.

Bring Your Own Design

You are encouraged to bring an image you'd like to work from. Designs should have a strong range of tonal values and be suitable for translation into mezzotint.

If you don't have a specific design in mind, themed workshops will provide suggested subjects and reference material to help you get started.