DRAWING CENTER STUDIO

Illuminated Forms:
Exploring Light & Texture Through Scratchboard Drawing
A 3-day Intensive Workshop with Kate Samworth


December 6 - 8, 2024 (Friday- Sunday)

Friday, 6-10pm, Public Demonstration
Saturday, 10am - 5pm, Workshop
Sunday, 10am- 5pm, Workshop

(1 hour lunch break each day on Saturday and Sunday)

Early Registration Deadline: November 15, 2024

[ WORKSHOP IS CLOSED ]

Next up is Emil Robinson in March 2025

Tuition:

Early Registration (through November 15): $448 (Student Rate: $380*)

Regular Registration (ends December 5): $560 (Student Rate: $476*)

* 15% discount student rates offered only with valid academic student i.d. We will contact you to obtain verification in advance of the workshop.




Description:

This three-day workshop will provide an immersive introduction to the art of scratchboard drawing—a distinctive engraving technique that allows for exceptional detail and a broad range of textures. Unlike traditional drawing methods, scratchboard uses a subtractive process to remove black ink to reveal the white surface beneath, creating high-contrast and dynamic compositions.

As Manifest anticipates the creation of its fully equipped printmaking studio focusing on stone lithography, etching, and other relief methods, courses like this one serve as preparatory training for potential future work in printmaking.

In this workshop, you will experiment with lighting arrangements to create dynamic still-life compositions that highlight the interplay of light and shadow, explore various tools and techniques to refine your mark-making and focus on creating depth by mastering value contrast and atmospheric perspective.

Participants will have the option to bring their own subject matter or select from a variety of objects provided, including classical casts, natural specimens, and still-life arrangements from the Manifest collection. Throughout the workshop, participants will examine masterworks in scratchboard, analyzing what makes them successful, and experiment with a variety of tools to create intricate textures and develop a personal approach.

Key Workshop Objectives:

• Experiment with the selection and lighting of an arrangement of objects, controlling light and shadow to create dynamic compositions
• Develop a personal style of mark-making through exploration of tools and
  techniques
• Create depth within a composition through control of value contrast and atmospheric perspective

Class Size: Maximum: 15

Materials List:

(download/print PDF here)

Level of Study: This class is suggested for individuals with some drawing experience. Basic observational drawing skills are expected.

AREA ACCOMMODATIONS FOR THOSE TRAVELING TO ATTEND

For those traveling to Cincinnati to attend this visiting artist workshop, there are many exciting or practical options for accommodations. For a special stay within a mile of Manifest's new facility, we would recommend checking with The Clifton House Bed & Breakfast* (https://thecliftonhouse.com), The Gaslight Bed & Breakfast (https://www.gaslightbb.com), or Six Acres Bed & Breakfast (http://sixacresbb.com). Alternatively, the 21c Museum Hotel is in the heart of downtown just four miles from our location (link). Many other common hotels are within a few miles of our location as well.

*We have confirmed that the Clifton House will honor a special discounted rate for Manifest workshop participants when rooms are available.

LOCATION: Unless otherwise specified, all courses are hosted at Manifest's new facility at 'M1' in Clifton at 3464 Central Parkway (see map and directions below). Manifest's new facility provides multiple studio classrooms, private lesson space, a darkroom, a film processing room, and a multi-purpose lecture and class meeting space as well as on-site parking, grounds, and exterior spaces in which to relax, discuss, and make art. The studios are outfitted with professional equipment, furniture, and study aids.

Map to Manifest's M1 Studios   |   Studio Calendar   |   Darkroom Calendar

Manifest's new home on Central Parkway is a historic 1932 structure ideally suited to the various programs of the Manifest Drawing Center (and future Manifest Gallery). Even now, mostly unchanged from 90 years ago, it serves as a playful collaborator in our educational mission. Students and guests are inspired by both the content of our programs, and the spaces in which they occur.

Works by Kate Samworth

About the instructor:

Kate Samworth has been teaching art since 1996. She is an illustration instructor at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She has studied and taught observational painting and drawing at the New Orleans Academy of the Fine Arts and earned a degree through the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Samworth is an exhibiting artist and published illustrator. She is represented by Le Mieux Gallery in New Orleans, LA, and has exhibited across the US and abroad. Her first book won the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers and she has illustrated books for NYT best-selling authors Lulu Miller and Laura Lippman. Her work has been published in a variety of magazines and she was nominated by the American Society of Magazine Editors for Best Print Illustration in 2024.

Samworth's work weaves together her interests in folklore, natural history prints, and ecology. She finds inspiration in observing small daily changes in nature and researching the history of illustrating the natural world. Curiosity has led her to volunteer on organic farms in Turkey and Spain, work with a hiking guide in Brazil, and spend months painting landscapes in Portugal.