Jasmin-Nicole Amoako and Khadijah Morley editioning linocuts.

Courses

Education Courses to experience and learn printmaking

Open Studio offers printmaking courses, private instruction (see below), tours and demos throughout the year.

We run a variety of education courses in Fall, Winter and Spring, ranging from 6-week core courses (screenprinting, etching, lithography) to one-day special topic workshops. The vast majority of our courses are suitable for beginners with no experience required. Our courses are small and intimate with a capacity of 6 maximum participants (unless otherwise specified).

Please browse our shop to learn more about different printmaking techniques including collagraph, etching, letterpress, linocut, lithography, monotype, photopolymer gravure, screenprinting, woodcut and many more. Not sure where to start? Check out our print glossary.

Click below to explore our current offerings!

Print Courses

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Introduction to Screenprinting – 6 weeks
Mondays, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Instructor: Samsam Elmi (she/her)
Price: $405 (materials included)

Translate your hand drawn or digital artworks onto paper in this introduction to screen printing. Learn how to prepare halftones for film output, coat and expose screens and the manual rhythm of printing. Participants will come away with a small edition of multicolor prints of their own creation.

Introduction to Etching – 6 weeks
Tuesdays, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Instructor: Daniel Cardoso (he/they)
Price: $405 (materials included)

Working with copper plates and acid-resistant grounds to create images of textures and lines, participants will come away with a small edition of hand-printed etchings. This class is perfect for anyone who likes to draw.

Introduction to Stone Lithography – 6 weeks
Tuesdays, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Instructor: Joy Wong (she/they)
Price: $405 (materials included)

From bold lines to subtle detail, stone lithography offers a wide range of mark-making possibilities. Participants will learn to draw and paint onto the surface of a finely ground limestone, which is then chemically processed before printing. Perfect for anyone who enjoys drawing in graphite or charcoal.

Introduction to Photolithography – 6 weeks
Wednesdays, 6:30pm – 9:30PM
Instructor: Heather J.A. Thomson (she/her)
Price: $405 (materials included)
(class capacity: 4 participants)

Photolithography combines the printing process of traditional stone lithography with digital outputs. Instead of drawing directly onto limestone, artists can use photographs, digital images or drawings to create a matrix on a light sensitive aluminum plate. Participants will learn how to create digital outputs for photolithography, expose & develop their plate, and hand print their image using a lithography press. This workshop is perfect for anyone interested in combining photography and printmaking.

CMYK Screenprinting – Weekend
Saturday – Sunday, 11am – 5pm
Instructor: Meggan Winsley (she/her)
Price: $355 (materials included)

Participants will explore all the basics of screenprinting while learning about the CMYK process to reproduce full-colour images. You will learn to use Photoshop to make halftone separations and rebuild their images by printing four tightly registered layers. This workshop is perfect for anyone interested in combining photography and printmaking.

Letterpress – Weekend
Saturday – Sunday, 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Instructor: Phoebe Todd-Parrish (she/her)
Price: $310 (materials included)

Attention typographers and designers, this course is perfect for you! Learn to design, set and print vintage type and image blocks on our iconic Vandercook press. Participants will come away from this workshop with crisp, hand-printed greeting cards, posters or other creative text-based artworks.

Monotype with Watercolour – One Day
Saturday, 12:00PM – 4PM
Instructor: Loree Ovens (she/her)
Price: $190 (materials included)

Participants will be introduced to the process of using watercolour to create prints both on and off press. It is a low cost technique that can easily be set up in a home studio.

Private Instruction

A more flexible and more personalized option

Can’t Find a Course You Like? No worries! We also offer private instruction tailored to your specific interests and needs so you can embark on a personalized printmaking journey.

  • We pair you up with an artist-instructor who would tailor a curriculum that meets your learning goals with an estimated number of hours it would take to complete.
  • Costs are $42 per hour. One 4-hour (minimum) session would come to $168.
  • Material fees are extra. If one of your goals is to continue printing for yourself in the future, your instructor will guide you through acquiring relevant supplies. Otherwise, material fee would be $20 per session (this fee may change depending on printmaking medium). 
  • Extra charges would apply should additional hours be required (session time is measured by half-hour, rounded up).
  • Scheduling would be set up between you and your instructor according to mutual availability.
  • Please note that Open Studio remains a workspace that prioritizes the safety of our members, instructors and students so we’ll continue to require the wearing of masks in the studio at all times.

Contact studio@openstudio.ca to sign up.