Workshop
BIG INK at CCP
The Center for Contemporary Printmaking is pleased to welcome the traveling BIG INK workshop back to our studios in March 2025!
Saturday or Sunday, March 22 or 23, 2025
Class size 16, All Levels – Beginners Welcome!
$340
Registration Deadline: January 6, 2025
This blended learning workshop will teach you how to make a woodblock print of epic proportions! First, you carve a design at home following BIG INK’s online master course. Then, you meet the BIG INK team at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, CT, and we print your finished carving on The Big Tuna: our custom-designed giant mobile printing press. Take this opportunity to work at an ambitious scale (from 24 by 36 to 40 by 96 inches) and see your woodblock professionally printed!
No prior printmaking experience is necessary, and we encourage individuals of all skill levels.
Class access begins after you register. The earlier you sign-up, the more time you’ll have to carve!
Registrants must attend one in-person printing day, either March 22 or March 23, which BIG INK assigns following the registration deadline. There are 16 slots available over the 2 days, and the registration deadline is January 6, 2025.
ABOUT THE COURSE
You’ll have a minimum of two months to create your carving while following an online course led by instructor Lyell Castonguay. Work at your own pace and gain a comprehensive understanding as he draws, carves, and prints a 24 by 36-inch woodblock. Course videos cover the following subjects —
✔️ Recommended materials
✔️ Simplifying photo-based designs
✔️ Image enlargement
✔️ Small image transfer
✔️ Using carving tools
✔️ Creating textures
✔️ Tool honing
✔️ Dry, wet, and press proofing
✔️ Fixing mistakes
✔️ Utilizing power tools
✔️ Making a custom display and more!
ABOUT THE PRINT DAY
You and your fellow workshop participants will meet at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking on your assigned day. We print three impressions per participant. Lend a helping hand by holding paper or hanging prints. It is a chance to create friendships. In addition, the printing days are open for public viewing. Invite friends and family to celebrate your artistic accomplishment!
We support an inclusive community of people that come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have never carved a woodblock, while others have participated multiple times.
Additional Information about the BIG INK workshops can be found on the BIG INK website.