Description
Saturday and Sunday 2 & 3 August | 2025 | 10.00 – 4.30 | 6 places only
£130 Full/Keyholder member | £150 Ordinary Member | £170 Non-member
BIG Safe Etching at SPW offers the printmaker a safer alternative in etching with the same level of creative opportunities as traditional materials without exposure to hazardous chemicals. For the beginner, BIG provides an accessible process for spontaneous and diverse mark-making. For the experienced printmaker, BIG provides a medium for consistent, excellent results.
This is a comprehensive introduction to the etching process and will include hard ground, soft ground, aquatint techniques using BIG grounds.
Baldwin’s Ink Ground (BIG) a Safer Alternative Etching Ground
There are many alternatives to the traditional etching ground on the market, many of which advertise themselves as the safer alternative. This may be the case but from my experience this is often to the detriment of quality and practicality. This common problem has put many printmakers off from trying alternatives, preferring to stay with the reliable time honoured system. Did you know that a traditional etching ground contains arsenic, lead, mercury to name but a few toxic elements which can not only be breathed in through your airways but also absorbed through your skin. With ‘Big’ I feel I have not only provided a non toxic alternative but also a ground which is far more versatile. Because the main constituent is an ink it allows the artist printmaker to experiment with many different effects on their etching plate. Techniques ranging from soft and hard ground, photo etching, marbling, relief etching, sandpaper aquatints and coffee lift are but a few which can be explored. Big has been used at the School of Art University of Aberystwyth since 2002 and has been adopted in many other private and educational print workshops around the world. Trefeglwys Printmakers provides courses covering all the techniques which can be achieved with ‘Big’. If you would like to know more about this exciting ground or would like to try some out you can contact me through my email or just give us a ring.
About the Studio
There are some facilities for making a hot drink, microwave if you would like to bring along your lunch.
We are close to the main shopping centre and supermarket.
Parking is free all day outside the studio on Sundays only. 3 hour parking is available outside of the controlled city centre zone. There are also multiple long stay car parks in the town centre.
PLEASE NOTE | If you are not a member and are considering more workshops with us, you might like to consider joining as an ordinary member for £25 and enjoy considerable savings on further workshops. Once you have joined you can book in straightaway at the reduced rate. For a two-day workshop you will pay £150 instead of £170. Additionally you will be able to use the workshop on open access sessions to pursue work independently.
Our Cancellation Policy can be found here.
