Book a Printmaking Workshop - Isle of Bute

Linocuts Made Simple

You don't need to be able to draw. You don't even need a finished picture in mind. All you need is curiosity about what a blade can do.

Linocut has a reputation for precision and patience — careful lines, a clear image, hours of careful cutting. This workshop takes a different route in. Instead of starting with a picture, you'll start with the tools themselves: two V-blades, two scoop blades, and one wildcard, each capable of a completely different mark. Play with them long enough, and you'll discover a whole vocabulary of pattern and texture you can call on whenever you need it — at home, in your own work, at your own pace.

Dates

This series of half day workshops Friday mornings on:

• March 5th

• March 12th

• March 19th

• March 26th,

• 10:00 AM - 13:00 PM

• Will you be coming on your own, or bringing a friend (or friends)?

Mailing list discount
Subscribers get 10% off if they book before December 31st 2026. Book early if you want your preferred date, as places are limited to a maximum of four. Sign up here , then email me for your discount code before booking.

If this course dates don’t suit you get in touch to discuss options.

Format

This runs as four half-day workshops, giving you time to move from mark-making into blind embossing and colour inking.

Please read the Booking and Cancellation Policy before you book.

Drawing skills are not essential.

Two techniques, two days, one growing pile of pattern to play with. This workshop brings gelli plate printing and linocut together, so each one feeds the other — and by the end, you'll have a body of work that's entirely your own to build on. You will be encouraged to explore mark making with linocuts first to build your mark making skills and then to make a small plate for the following day that follows a theme of your choice which you will caryy through to day two of gelli-plate printing, building up a stock of printed papers, marks and textures — that you can begin combining in ways you unexpected ways. It's playful, hands-on, and a great way to see how far a small set of simple techniques can stretch.

Dates

This weekend workshops:

• April 10th and 11th, 10 AM - 16 PM

• Will you be coming on your own, or bringing a friend (or friends)?

Mailing list discount
Subscribers get 10% off if they book before December 31st 2026. Book early if you want your preferred date, as places are limited to a maximum of four. Sign up here , then email me for your discount code before booking.

If this course dates don’t suit you get in touch to discuss options.

Format

This runs as a two-day workshop, structured to move you from mark-making through to combining techniques:

• Day one, morning: linocut mark making, patterns and textures —

• Day one, afternoon: applying the mornings explorations in a themed plate to carve out for the following day. We will make a start on gelli-plate printing so you have some prints to work with on day 2.

• Day two, morning: blind embossed linocut with gelli-plate paper collage

• Day two, afternoon: a variety of printmaking and gelli plate printing combining overprinting on gelli plate prints, collage, and simply printing your linocut,

Because the two days build on each other, this workshop is run over two full days rather than as a shorter session.

Please read the Booking and Cancellation Policy before you book.

Workshop Details

Dates:

• Saturday and Sunday,

• May 8th and 9th 2027

• Will you be coming on your own, or bringing a friend (or friends)?

Mailing list discount
Subscribers get 10% off if they book before December 31st 2026. Book early if you want your preferred date, as places are limited to a maximum of four. Sign up here , then email me for your discount code before booking.

If this course dates don’t suit you get in touch to discuss options.

Time: 10:00 am - 16:00 pm

Location: 16 Academy Road, Rothesay, PA20 0BG

Materials: All included.

A Summer Workshop in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute

Discover the spontaneous and expressive world of monotype printmaking in this immersive monotype workshop, held in my lovely garden studio in Rothesay. This unique printing media—often described as "painting with ink"—produces one-of-a-kind prints that combine the directness of painting with the distinctive qualities of printmaking.

Please read the Booking and Cancellation Policy before you book.

Mailing list discount
Subscribers get 10% off. Sign up to the mailing list, then email me for your discount code before booking.

Workshop Details

‍Dates:

• Thursday and Friday, 16th & 17th September 2027

• 10:00am – 4:00pm daily

Mailing list discount
Subscribers get 10% off if they book before December 31st 2026. Book early if you want your preferred date, as places are limited to a maximum of four. Sign up here , then email me for your discount code before booking.

Dates doesn't suit?

• Get in touch — and we can discuss what would work for you. Read more about how I plan my workshops →‍ ‍

Core Workshop:

• 2 days

Location:

• 16 Academy Road, Rothesay, PA20 0BG

Materials:

• All included

Extend Your Stay:

• Add one or more extra days to keep experimenting — a great option for more experienced printmakers wanting to push the technique further. Ask for details.

Course Description:

A collagraph is a printmaking technique where texture, not just image, takes centre stage — and there's no better way to learn it than by building your own collagraph plates which can be interloccking or stand alone. Join me for a weekend of hands-on exploration in my garden studio on the beautiful Isle of Bute, off Scotland's west coast.

Over the weekend you'll build your own set of collagraph plates — each one a distinct shape filled with its own texture, built up from materials like PVA glue, tile grout, sealant, fabric, carborundum, tissue and textured wallpaper. The twist is that every plate is designed to interlock, like pieces of a puzzle. Print them individually, layer them, or arrange them side by side, and you can build an almost limitless range of compositions from one small collection of plates. Along the way you'll also learn inking techniques to bring out the texture and depth in every print.

Whether you've never touched a printing plate before or you're an experienced artist looking for a fresh way of working, this workshop is built to meet you where you are. Beginners will leave with new technical skills and a body of work, while more experienced printmakers may want to stay on a little longer — optional extra days are available to keep experimenting and push the technique further. And then there's Bute itself: easy to reach from the mainland, easy to disconnect in, and the perfect backdrop for a few days of slowing down and making things with your hands.

Please read the Booking and Cancellation Policy before you book.

Mailing list discount
Subscribers get 10% off. Sign up to the mailing list, then email me for your discount code before booking.

Collagraph Printmaking with Fire – Two Day Workshop

Peter Wray, a master printmaker, showed me a technique that transformed my practice. Using a blowtorch and controlled burning, you'll create organic textures, burnt edges and dramatic marks. They give your prints an immediate, powerful presence. This is collagraph like you haven't seen it before.

Choose Your Dates

• TBC. If you want to do this workshop in 2027 suggest a date.

• Format
  It can be a series of half days, weekdays or weekends, get in touch and we'll find one.

• Maximum of three people.

• All materials, inks, cleaning supplies, a basic paper allowance and mount board are included.

Mailing list discount
Subscribers get 10% off if they book before December 31st 2026. Contact me early if you want to secure dates you prefer. Sign up here , then email me for your discount code before booking.

Where
Sithean Studio, 16 Academy Road, Rothesay, Isle of Bute PA20 0BG. It's my garden studio, overlooking Rothesay Bay.

Stay On for More
Two days gives you a solid introduction to the full collagraph process. Extra days let you go further.

Extra tuition days: £100 per person per day, materials included.

• Day 3: viscosity inking. Inks of different consistencies create striking colour and tonal effects in a single pass through the press. You can combine this with monotype layers for something unexpected.

• Day 4: multi-plate and layered printing. Combine your plates from the workshop, print them together in jigsaw configurations, or build up layers for a more complex image.

Independent studio days. Prefer to work on your own, with or without some input from me? Prices start from £15 for a half day. See the Studio Hire page for full details.

Extra days depend on my schedule, and the nearer the workshop, the less likely I am to be free. Please email me first to check availability. Once confirmed, you can book extra tuition days here.

Please read the Booking and Cancellation Policy before you book.

Workshop Details

Choose Your Dates

• TBC. If you want to do this workshop in 2027 suggest a date.

• Format
  It can be two half days, a weekday or on a weekend, get in touch and we'll find one.

• Maximum of three people.

• All materials, inks, cleaning supplies, a basic paper allowance and mount board are included.

• Time: 10:00 am - 13:00 pm or 10:00 am to 16:00 pm

Location: 16 Academy Road, Rothesay, PA20 0BG

Materials: All included.

Mailing list discount
Subscribers get 10% off if they book before December 31st 2026. Contact me early if you want to secure dates you prefer. Sign up here , then email me for your discount code before booking.

A Summer Workshop in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute

Discover the spontaneous and expressive world of monotype printmaking in this immersive monotype workshop, held in my lovely garden studio in Rothesay. This unique printing media—often described as "painting with ink"—produces one-of-a-kind prints that combine the directness of painting with the distinctive qualities of printmaking.

Please read the Booking and Cancellation Policy before you book.

Product Description:

These extension days are available to participants who have completed one of my weekend workshops and want to go further. Each additional day builds directly on what you've made during the weekend — your plates, your prints, and where your work has taken you.

Important — please check availability before booking.

Extension days are subject to my availability on the days following your workshop. Email carol@carolnunan.co.uk before booking to confirm your preferred day is available. The closer you are to your workshop date, the less likely a space will be available — so get in touch early if you think you'd like to extend.

What's included:

£110 per person per day, including inks, cleaning materials and a basic paper allowance. Additional or specialist papers are available to purchase in the studio from £2 to £6.50 per full sheet, or bring your own.

What the extra days cover:

Each extension day is shaped around where you are in your work and what will be most useful to you individually. Techniques covered across Day 3 and Day 4 include:

• Multi-plate and layered printing — combining your plates from the weekend, printing them in jigsaw configurations or building up layers to create more complex images

• Viscosity inking — using inks of different consistencies to create striking colour and tonal effects in a single pass through the press

• Monotype integration — combining collagraph with monotype layers for something genuinely unexpected

• Colour development — exploring more nuanced approaches to colour, tone and layering beyond the introductory colour session on Day 2 The exact focus of each day will be agreed with you on the morning, based on your work and what you'd like to achieve.

How to book:‍ ‍

Email carol@carolnunan.co.uk to confirm availability for your preferred day

Once confirmed, return to this page and select Day 3 or Day 4 from the options below

Add to cart and complete your booking You'll receive a confirmation email once your booking is complete

Not sure what to select, or prefer not to book online? Just email me and I'll take your booking directly and send you a payment link.

Please make sure you read the small print before booking.