Hand Printing Happiness™
Begin your printmaking journey from home and discover the freedom, serendipity and joy of hand printing.
Are you sick of making reems of gel plate papers? Want to make successful, layered, complex works on paper?
Maybe you’ve already tried printmaking, but despair of ever having the time or patience to do it regularly?
Perhaps you’ve dipped your toe in the printmaking ocean, but found it too pre-planned, figurative or process driven?
Hand Printing Happiness is an online, 10 week printmaking course, that will teach you home printing techniques, from playful, loose, hand mono printing, to intentional, beautiful prints and beyond- and all from home, with no printing press.
It is a self-paced video course, with new videos to watch every week, access for a year, plus a supportive online community and several live Q&A sessions, it will gently guide you through setting up your printmaking studio at home, to making complete, finished artwork to elevating your art practice after the course.
During the course, you will:
Move beyond making endless collage fodder, to making finished, framable art on paper that you love.
Create and use lino, collograph and drypoint etching printing plates.
Feel confident printing by hand in your own home print studio
Print in a joyful, expressive way, rather than pre-planned and process driven.
Allow your print curiosity free rein without having to pivot your practice or learn complex new processes
Be initiated into the most exciting bit of art that printmakers don’t tell you about – the reveal!
Discover a library of ideas to infuse print into your art practice.
Elevate your process AND outcomes
What’s included?
- 10 weeks worth of video tutorials covering everything from setting up your home print studio, to printing with printing plates to taking print into your art practice beyond the course.
- 1 years access to the video content.
- Access to a private Facebook group to share work, ask questions, get feedback and support.
- Access to live Q&A sessions (and the recordings if you can’t make them live).
- Comprehensive materials and stockist list.
Take a look at the video below for a taste of what’s in store.
Here’s how the journey will go:
Module 1- Weeks 1 – 3- Getting Loose!
The first weeks will see you set up your home print studio and set yourself free of rules as we let the mark making juices flow with hand monoprint.
Similar to gel printing, this expressive and layered approach to making art will loosen your practice, allow you to start enjoying and playing with constraints, and elevate some of your prints to gestural, painterly, finished pieces as well as produce lots of beautiful drifts of colour and texture ready for use in Modules 2 and 3.
Module 2- Weeks 4-7 – Plating Up!
Where we start to step beyond the playful, and print with collograph, lino and drypoint plates by hand. Combining the beautiful marks these plates can make with your spontaneous monoprint skills and papers from the previous module, you will step into your printmaking stride and produce stunning works on paper.
You’ll start to see how many variables there are within the plate-making and print-making processes – seriously, you could spend a loooong time playing with these processes and skills.
Module 3- Weeks 8-10 Paper Wings- Let’s Fly!
This module will take you from finishing prints ready to be framed to integrating print into your practice. From touching up etchings to completely transforming a print to jumpstarting your sketchbook and mixed media work.
I say keep EVERYTHING you make- in this module you’ll see why, there are so many possibilities for your prints (even the ones you don’t like!)
Praise for my courses and teaching from previous students:
I’m Ruth and I’m your guide on the journey. I’ve been printing at home, by hand, for over 20 years now and I’ve been teaching for only a little less.
I started in my tiny bedsit with glass from an old picture frame, a few old tubes of oil paint, a roller and some tissue paper, and since then I’ve grown in confidence, skill and boldness to produce art on paper that I now sell through events, galleries and online.
I’ve always loved the marks and textures of printmaking, the smell of ink gives me a little thrill- and the best part (that printmakers like to keep to themselves)- the reveal as you peel your paper away from your surface!
I’m a firm believer in DIY and the low-tech, and I want to guide you to push your boundaries, find creative flow, and create art that you love.
What do I need to take part?
Though there a few things you may need to buy as you progress through the course (a roller, printing paper and etching ink), it’s likely that you’ll already have most things if you make art. There are always ways to improvise or find things at home that will work too- I always let you know when you can do that.
FAQ’s
Do I need printmaking experience?
No you don’t. If you’ve printed before, you may take up the basics more quickly and be more familiar with the concepts, but one of the advantages of hand printing at home is the accessibility it provides.
What will be different from your YouTube videos?
All the videos on the course are much more in depth and cover all techniques step by step. The videos are better quality than my YouTube videos and the course carefully leads you through an ordered, intentional journey.
Will I need to keep up?
It is a self-paced course, that will be available to you for a year, so you can watch the videos and make prints as and when you like. The videos will be released each week (with a reminder email), as the content will be easier to digest in a certain order and, ideally, after trying out the techniques each week. However, if you’re unable to print each week that isn’t a problem- one of the joys of online self-paced courses is that YOU choose the pace!
How long will I have access to the videos?
The videos will be available to you for a year after 22nd May 2025.
What level is this course suitable for?
This course is suitable for beginners, especially if you’re willing to dive in and have a go! However, it may help to have some experience of making art, whether that’s mixed media, Gelli plate printing, working on paper, or painting.
Will there be a way to share work and interact with other participants?
Yes, there will be a Facebook group for all participants to share work, ask questions (I’ll be in the group throughout, answering questions), get feedback and support.
Will I get one to one feedback on my work?
No, this is a largely video based course. However, I will be in the Facebook group each day to answer questions and look at work. You can also submit questions (with images if you like) for the live Q&A sessions.
I do Gelli plate printing- will this be the same?
No, and the course doesn’t cover gel plate printing. However, the first section of the course is all about hand mono printing with a harder surface- this is very similar to gelli plate printing. If you have a Gelli plate and wish to use it, please do. Just be aware that I won’t be teaching specific gel plate techniques, tools or materials.
I’ve bought one of your instant access/self-paced courses before- will this cover the same ground?
There will be some crossover, as this course will need to cater for those who haven’t taken these courses, or never printed before. However, these are all new videos, and this course will go well beyond my current courses, including working with several different types of printing plates, mixing and matching monoprint, printing plates, chine colle (collage), and mixed media work.
Do I need to be able to draw or paint?
No, not necessarily. A basic knowledge of colour, composition and tone is helpful, but there will be videos covering these topics too.
Do you provide refunds?
I don’t provide refunds, as you will have access to the course content once enrolled. Please read the information carefully before enrolling. Please feel free to ask me any questions before enrolling – here. You can see my teaching style on my free YouTube videos (though the videos on the course are more detailed and show more) or on my shorter, self-paced video courses, always available – here.
Do I need all the supplies?
Not necessarily. Most of the techniques require minimal equipment, tools and materials, and there are often home-found alternatives. There are a couple of techniques (such lino printing and drypoint printing) that will yield better results by using printmaking paper and inks. These occur in the middle of the course and you’ll be given advance notice to buy these if you need to (be aware that some online retailers may take several weeks to send orders). If you cannot get these, then there are alternatives to try. The materials list and suggested stockists can be accessed here.
How can I join the course?
This course will only happen once a year, and enrolment will only be open between 3rd and 19th May 2025. Join the wait list below to be notified when enrolment opens.