Print Club London

I was given a voucher for The Print Club’s beginners workshop for Christmas and attended on Saturday the 21 February 2015. I had be itching to try my hand at screenprinting for some time, so I was really looking forward for the opportunity to spend an afternoon in the workshop and design something that was meaningful to me– my colossal expectations mercifully weren’t quelled. The workshop ran from 11:00– 16:00 on a Saturday afternoon and we were a group of about ten people. We had three technicians who were very enthusiastic, informed and approachable guiding us through every stage of the printing process — in fact, it transpired that I owned one of their prints! The workshop was spacious and even when we had to cluster into smaller spaces to apply emulsion or expose our prints, we did this in small groups and were never rushed. The technicians clearly instructed us and demonstrated techniques to ensure that even the more unconfident students (i.e. me!) could produce a print that they were delighted with.
We prepared our designs in advance and brought the PDF files along on a USB stick– it was exciting the see the variety of designs on the day and each one evolved into an impressive final print. Some were simple hand drawn logos or characters, some were text-​based and some were photographs representing various levels of artistic ability. We printed one layer on this workshop, so we had the option of choosing one colour or two (where we could blend them for a graded effect). Most people opted to do a blend because the choice of colours was overwhelming and the end result looked marvelous.
We each left with six copies of our print, so this is a great course to get in the diary before Christmas– these make great gifts, especially if your design is personal or meaningful to you in any way. It’s a homemade gift that anyone would be thrilled to receive– especially as its from such a limited print run and each one is unique. Honestly, all of my prints look incredible thanks to the help of the technicians and my classmates– I have ordered a frame and I’m so excited to get a copy on my wall so the bragging can commence (apologies to friends in advance).
At £50, this workshop is great value and you leave with an example of your own work, so it’s extremely gratifying. All materials are provided and just being in the printing environment is inspiring– I was immediately thinking about some more designs. One of the technicians will explain how joining the print club works, where you can access the facilities 24 hours a day and even sell your work on the website. It’s good to have a portfolio of ideas ready, as membership costs a monthly rate of £100 and you will need to purchase your own supplies. It would definitely be something I would consider to pursue as a hobby in the future.
The beginners workshop was an amazing afternoon spent with a good group of classmates and affable technicians– I felt we got so much from the introductory course and am so thrilled with my final prints. This is a great gift for anyone– nobody will be hindered based on their artistic ability. I can’t recommend it enough as a fantastic taster of the world of screenprinting.