Sustainable Printmaking Revealed: Anthotyping Workshop with Elizabeth Shores

On Friday, March 15, 2024, the Visual Arts and Visual Communications Design (VACD) study program hosted a workshop on anthotyping, a non-toxic technique for creating prints using plants. The workshop was facilitated by Ms. Elizabeth Shores, an artist who teaches critical theory at the College of New Jersey and Digital Art and Drawing at Rowan University in the USA.

Ms. Shores guided the workshop participants through various non-toxic techniques, including natural dyeing, natural watercolor making, and natural printmaking using plants. Initially, students were introduced to these techniques and the step-by-step process involved. Subsequently, they ventured around the Campus to learn how to identify plants and collect them.

Upon returning to the classroom, participants collaborated to create an anthotype emulsion from the gathered plants and materials. They then applied the emulsion to paper, colored it, and crafted collages using the collected materials. Finally, they exposed their prints to sunlight, resulting in the creation of light-sensitive photographs incorporating plant elements.

The workshop emphasized the importance of sourcing pigmented materials from everyday life rather than discarding them, highlighting the concept of foraging for artistic materials.