N2N Gallery is proud to launch a new series of masterclasses with Ukrainian artist Oksana Stratiychuk, a master of printmaking, displayed in museums and galleries around the world and in private collections in Europe, Asia and America.

This is the second time Oksana Stratiychuk is coming to Abu Dhabi to teach the UAE residents a fascinating printmaking technique: drypoint.

Drypoint originated in the 15^th century in South Germany and it belongs to the intaglio family. The technique refers to an image that is incised into a plate (or “matrix”) with a hard-pointed “needle” of sharp metal or diamond point. Traditionally the plate was made of copper, but nowadays acetate, zinc, or Plexiglas are also commonly used. Like etching, for an artist trained in drawing, drypoint is easier than engraving, as the technique of using the needle is closer to using a pencil than the engraver’s burin. The advantage of this technique is that the metal scrapings on either sides of the lines, known as the burr, holds a dense film of ink which prints as a rich, velvety black.

Joining the 6 days masterclasses, you can think of it as an etching without the acid, or engraving with an etching needle. The soft, feathery lines of drypoint lend themselves to playful illustrations or expressive sketches, which can then produce an edition of prints. As mentioned above, traditionally drypoint is done on copper plateswith a diamond- or carbide-tipped needle. It is then inked (as in all intaglio methods) and cleaned, leaving ink only in the crevices. The force of the printing press then squeezes out the remaining ink and the image is transferred onto the paper – this requires tremendous pressure that cannot be applied by hand (hence the necessity of a press). Drypoint is most often used with other printmaking techniques.

During the masterclass Oksana will show not only the technique but also a variety of printing capabilities from color to a wide range of different textures. The metal plate will be replaced with a Plexiglas as working with plastic requires less physical efforts.

Course Structure:

The masterclass will take place: from 14th of May – 19th of May 2016, having the following structure:

Day 1:  Introduction to the technique, drawing and sketching on A4 size paper. Under the supervision and guidance of the artist the students will start drawing a sketch on paper, following the composition and the perspective rules.

Day 2& Day 3:Engraving on plastic

Day 4: Printing black and white prints

Day 5: Printing in colors using rollers, brushes, masks and other tools

Day 6: Exercising different printing techniques by applying additional forms of cardboard

Additional information:

Drypoint, however, is too delicate technique for producing multiple images: only a small number of good impressions, no more than a dozen, can be taken from the plate. In old times for artists who wished to create a large number of high-quality impressions from the same plate, this medium had limited appeal. A well-engraved plate can produce several hundred impressions, at times even a thousand, while a woodblock can generate many more. Therefore, with the exception of the fascinating Housebook Master (German, active ca. 1470–1500; also known as the Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet), Renaissance artists rarely made use of drypoint. The great German printmaker Albrecht Dürer produced three drypoints, including the evocative Holy Family (19.73.51), at a time in his career when he was particularly interested in painterly effects.

Dutch seventeenth-century painter, Rembrandt, was the first artist to fully exploit the potential of drypoint, both alone and together with other intaglio processes. In the nineteenth century, when, in a revolt against the mass production characteristic of the age, artists often preferred to produce a small number of handmade images rather than hundreds of identical ones, drypoint again found favor, often in combination with other techniques. The process has become again popular among contemporary artists, who usually work in very small editions.

Master classes duration: 14^th of May – 19^th of May 2016

Timings:

Part 1: Saturday 14^th of May

Morning group 10.00 to 13.00 / Evening group 15.00 – 18.00

Part2: Sunday 15^th of May to Thursday 19^th of May

Morning group 10.00 – 13.00 / Evening group 6.30 – 21.30

Part 3: Saturday 21^st of May – Students Exhibition at N2N Gallery – Al Ain Tower

Registration:

To confirm your participation, please provide us the filled registration form and proof of payment for the course by 10^th of May2016.

Course fee:  2350 AED / person (including supplies)

Bring with you to the class:

1. Apron to protect clothing
2. Soap
3. Kitchen towel
4. Plastic bag for rubbish

*Please note that paint might drop on to clothing in the process of painting, wear something that is allowed to get messy