Hart School: Risograph Workshop with Tommy Brentnall

Risograph printing is a simple tool for replicating artwork and producing print editions that are both affordable and environmentally friendly. At our printing studio we use recycled papers and soy based inks for all of our prints. The students were taught how their original drawings can be transferred into stencils within the machine and then printed in single coloured layers.

By experimenting with multiple layers they were able to build complex and detailed prints by overlaying different colours and textures. This was a great way for our students to understand the theory of colour combinations  as well as layer seperations which can be used for other printing methods.

Once our students had experimented with their printed outcomes they then took part in a book binding workshop with resident artist Servane Vignes. She taught traditional book binding methods for the students to combine there printed pages into a hand bound reference book.

I loved my experience teaching at Hart School! I had been helping out at Hart Club in the run up to the school, so it was a real privilege to get to be involved/see how it turned out in person! I’ve never done workshops before where the line between student & facilitator were so blurred, It was a really relaxed space and felt like everyone was working together, rather than one person teaching a group. The whole experience felt like breath of fresh air in comparison to a traditional art school/college environment.

Tommy is an illustrator working across design, radio and printmaking. He is interested in image making, worldbuilding, sci-fi/speculation, and using alternative print methods/machines. He runs a monthly radio show on RTM.fm called Soft//Quest

Hart School is a 3 month Arts programme that is designed to be free, inclusive and accessible. This opportunity is open to adults of all ages and prioritises those who are typically excluded from similar opportunities due to financial barriers and lack of specialised support for disabled artists. Hart School is an intensive summer school where students and teachers work in a radically inclusive, non-hierarchical, collaborative learning environment that supports participants to develop confidence in their creative practice.

We provide highly specialised and supported learning with a ratio of one facilitator per two learners. With a superstar team of educators and industry professionals, students are guided through demonstrations, talks, studio visits and weekly meetings with an Art Therapist.

This is art school – with a difference! One that focuses on enabling and empowering some of the most creative but marginalised people in our society.