Printing onto plaster with Tracy Hill

Fantastic local artist and teacher Tracy Hill introduced 6 people to the world of printing onto plaster in our intaglio studios. This versatile technique allows printers to create a wide range of print, painterly and relief effects in plaster, and can be used with intaglio plates, collagraph and silk screen printing.


Making mountboard moulds to frame the intaglio plates


Moulds of mountboard are secured around the inked intaglio plate, and then wet plaster poured in and left to set. Once the plaster is touch-dry, you can continue to work with the ink, smudging or removing it with your fingers or using a craft knife can reveal clean, fresh plaster and create new layers in your work. You can also screen print onto the plaster to make the most of the relief effects created by an etched plate. 


Screen printing onto the dried plaster


The printing side is a two man job

Securing the edges of the blocks with masking tape

Stay tuned for pictures of the finished results, and check out Tracy Hill's website to see her artwork using the same techniques.


If you're interested in booking a place on a course, or hiring out our studios, call our lovely Tickets and Information team on 0151 702 5324. Happy printing!