Portraiture Monoprinting Masterclass

**Early Bird Offer** Get 15% off if booked by 30th September 2026. Join us for an inspiring four-night Portrait Monoprinting Masterclass at Cober Hill, nestled in the picturesque North Yorkshire countryside. Led by Chloe Barnes, winner of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2025 and the first printmaker to take the title, this residential offers an immersive introduction to portraiture through monoprinting for artists of all levels. Chloe is known for a distinctive, high-stakes process. Working with oil-based etching ink on an aluminium plate, she builds a portrait as a unique monotype - one impression, one chance - then develops the print with glazing and soft pastel. With a printmaker’s nerve and a portraitist’s eye, Chloe's work combines likeness and atmosphere to sumptuous effect. Chloe will guide you over three structured days through the art of capturing a face and onto the craft of printing it. What is monoprinting? Monoprinting (also called monotype) is a form of printmaking that produces a single, unrepeatable image. Ink is worked onto a smooth plate then transferred to paper through a press. Unlike an edition of identical prints, each monoprint is unique. Marks can be rolled, wiped, drawn into, or lifted away before the pull. The result sits between painting, drawing, and print: immediate, slightly unpredictable, and full of texture. It is an ideal way to explore portraiture, because the plate forces you to commit, simplify, and leave room for accident. Day 1: Introduction to Monoprinting and the Portrait Chloe will introduce the tools of monoprinting — rollers, cloths, brushes, etching ink, and paper — and the basic gestures of rolling, wiping, and drawing into the ink. Day 2: Observing the Sitter The focus turns to portraiture. You will practise looking: proportion, planes of the head, the weight of a feature, and the quieter cues that give a face its character. Day 3: Colour, Layering, and Finishing the Print Drawing on Chloe’s own approach, you will experiment with glazing, pastel, and further mark-making to deepen mood and presence. The aim is not a perfect copy of a face, but a print that feels inhabited. Residential Details This masterclass includes a full board four-night stay in your own en-suite room at the scenic Cober Hill retreat, just outside Scarborough, and includes all materials and equipment. Check-in: From 3pm, Monday 25th October 2027 Check-out: By 10.30am, Friday 29th October 2027