Introduction to Relief Printing
January 16 – February 6, 2025 | 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: High Museum of Art, Blue Workshop, Greene Family Education Center
Registration Required
Not a member? Join today!
The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art on view in the museum’s galleries and special exhibitions, hours of expert instruction, and additional access to a Friday afternoon open studio during the run of the class.
The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art on view in the museum’s galleries and special exhibitions, hours of expert instruction, and additional access to a Friday afternoon open studio during the run of the class.
Explore relief printing: learn to cut and etch into wood and linoleum surfaces and use line, tone, and texture to create expressive designs. Participants will also study safe cutting and carving techniques to make stamps and experiment with incorporating color in complex compositions.
Week 1: Begin with an introduction to the class and an outline of relief printing methods that will be explored. Then, practicing safe carving methods, create a small design using a variety of lines, shapes, and visual textures.
Week 2: Make prints based on intricate or simplified designs using one or two colors. Practice cutting away with different size gouges and knives. Experiment with a variety of sharp objects to make marks.
Week 3: Create prints using multiple colors of ink. Develop strategies to maintain consistency and learn to control inking through effective use of brayers. Make a design and begin carving a block or matrix to create a larger print.
Week 4: Print, sign, and number a small edition of prints before we conclude our time together with a discussion about our work and a reflection on the different techniques we have learned.
About Studio Classes
Studio Classes enable you to expand your art-making skills through guided, step-by-step instruction with expert teaching artists. Over multiple weeks, you will learn alongside other creative adults and delve deeply into the artistic process, explore new techniques, and build your practice.
This is an introductory-level Studio Class; it is designed to accommodate all levels of skill and talent. If you have never taken a printmaking class before, this is a great place to start. You will learn new skills that you can carry forward and build on in your artistic practice.
The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art on view in the museum’s galleries and exhibitions, hours of expert instruction, and additional access to a Friday afternoon Open Studio during the run of the class.
About Your Instructor
Jaffia Royes is a visual artist and art educator who lived and worked in New York City for seventeen years. As an educator, she has worked with various art organizations, museums, and schools and has taught artists of all ages, including portfolio development for those entering art and design colleges and universities. While Jaffia’s primary medium for over two decades has been oil painting, she began developing a body of work in clay a few years ago as a creative way to house her ever-growing plant collection. Her passions for art and plant life allow space for her to practice mindfulness, serenity, and self-care, which she brings into the classroom and hopes to encourage through her teaching.
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