School Pop-Up Workshop

School halls turned into working print studios

Our School Pop-Up Workshop is built for classrooms, halls and art rooms that need a practical print session without the school having to source the full kit. We bring carving tools, soft-cut and lino blocks, brayers, inks, barens, drying space and paper, then set the room for a clean working flow. The session can be shaped for younger learners, senior art students or mixed groups, with clear steps for safe carving and printing.

The workshop gives learners a proper introduction to relief printmaking. They learn how to transfer a sketch, cut a simple block, roll ink evenly and print a clean image by hand or on a press where the venue allows it. Each group works at a pace that suits the class size and the available tables, with enough room for drying sheets and handling wet prints without smudging the stack.

What the session usually includes

Every school booking is planned around the age group, the number of learners and the room you have available. We can bring a focused starter session for first-time printmakers or a fuller class that includes carving, registration and edition printing. The setup is practical and tidy, with materials laid out for short demonstrations and supervised workstations.

• Lino or soft-cut blocks for beginner carving
• Safe carving tools, including gouges and V-tools
• Water-based block inks, with oil-based inks on request where suitable
• Brayers, barens, paper and clean-up materials
• Printed examples that show positive and negative space
• Guidance on registration, edition marks and drying methods

How the workshop runs on the day

We start with a short introduction to block printing and the difference between lino, soft-cut and the finished print. Learners then plan their image, trace or transfer it to the block and carve away the areas that will stay white on paper. Once the blocks are ready, the inking stage begins and the class moves into test pulls, small corrections and final editions.

For schools with older learners, the session can go further into edition practice, ink mixing and printing consistency. That includes how to keep pressure even, how to avoid over-inking, and how to line up second colour layers when a simple registration system is being used. Where a press is part of the set-up, we can demonstrate press printing alongside hand printing so learners see both methods in one visit.

Paper, ink and studio control

Paper choice matters in relief printing, especially when a class is working with wet ink and different hand pressures. We bring papers suited to school sessions, from sturdy cartridge and printmaking papers to sheets that handle a cleaner press pull. The exact paper stock depends on the activity, the expected drying space and whether the work is being framed, stored flat or taken home on the day.

• Water-based inks for easy clean-up and classroom use
• Oil-based block inks where a deeper print finish is required
• Drying racks or flat drying tables where the venue has space
• Protective covers for tables and shared work surfaces
• Waste control and tidy pack-down at the end of the class

Schools near the coast often deal with humidity that slows drying, so we plan the paper stack and handling method with that in mind. In inland venues, the same session can dry differently and needs a slightly different table flow.

Bookings, timing and pricing approach

School Pop-Up Workshop bookings are usually priced around group size, the length of the session, the materials used and the distance to the venue. A small art room class, a full grade session and a multi-class programme do not need the same set-up, so we shape the quote to the actual brief rather than forcing one format across every school. Travel, extra consumables and a more technical print layout can all affect the final figure.

Lead time depends on the school calendar, the number of learners and whether the workshop is tied to a term project, arts week or a single off-timetable visit. For schools in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Bellville or Somerset West, we look at access, room size and the number of tables before confirming the materials list. The session plan then follows the room we are given.

After the last print goes up to dry

Once the session ends, learners are usually left with a clear understanding of how to continue printmaking with simple tools and a basic block. We can talk through how to store blocks, clean brayers, keep gouges safe and flatten prints that curl after drying. If the school wants to build the activity into an art department programme, we can also advise on repeatable class structures and the right paper and ink choices for future sessions.

For schools that book multiple grades or a full programme, we can separate the session into stages such as drawing, carving, inking and printing across different groups. That helps the staff manage the room while learners move through the process without rushing the block or the paper.

What makes this format work in schools

The strength of a pop-up print workshop is that it gives learners a real print studio experience without turning the school into a permanent workshop space. Tables, tools and printing method are scaled to the venue, whether that is a compact art room in Woodstock or a larger hall in Pretoria. We keep the process direct, with enough structure for safety and enough freedom for each learner to make a distinct edition.

• Suitable for adults, students, families and mixed school groups
• Works as a single lesson, a double period or a longer arts programme
• Can include beginner carving or a more advanced edition print session
• Useful for art departments that want hands-on printmaking across a term

Some schools use the workshop as a first exposure to relief printing, while others bring it in as part of exam preparation or a broader creative arts plan. Either way, the focus stays on real printmaking tools, clear steps and a finished print the learner made by hand.