Join printmaking and drawing specialist Sam Marshall as she returns to South West France for a week of experimentation with linocut and drypoint, creating beautiful artworks inspired by your surroundings.
About this course:
Spend a week immersed in drawing and printmaking in the peaceful surroundings of Atelier Clos Mirabel, in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
This retreat is designed to gently guide you from sketchbook to print, building confidence in your drawing before translating your work into both drypoint and linocut. Whether you’re returning to drawing after a break or looking to deepen an existing practice, the emphasis is on exploration, play, and developing your own visual language.
We begin with simple, accessible sketchbook exercises, helping you loosen up, observe more closely, and enjoy the process of drawing without pressure. As the week unfolds, these drawings become the foundation for your prints, moving through experimental drypoint into more considered linocut work.
Along the way, you’ll be introduced to a range of materials and approaches, with plenty of time to experiment, make mistakes, and discover what excites you. There is a strong focus on individual guidance, so you can work at your own pace while being supported throughout.
By the end of the week, you’ll have a body of work that reflects your time here, along with the tools and confidence to continue your creative practice at home.
All of this sits within the rhythm of the retreat: shared meals, time to rest, and space to think, draw, and reconnect with your creativity.
Drawing and Printmaking Retreat – Programme Outline
Saturday
4.00 – Check-in from 4pm onwards. Guests arrive, settle in and explore Clos Mirabel.
6.00 – Welcome drinks and dinner.
Sunday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce.
10.00 – 1.00 Introduction to the week with Sam, beginning with gentle sketchbook exercises to build confidence and ease into drawing. Sam will share her sketchbooks and talk about developing a regular drawing practice. Depending on the weather, we will work outside or indoors with still life, focusing on observation and mark-making.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel.
2.00 – 4.00 Continued drawing using a range of materials including coloured pencils, crayons and marker pens. Exploring composition and more playful mark-making.
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4-course dinner in the Manor House.
Monday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast.
10.00 – 1.00 A second day of sketching, developing observational skills and focusing more on composition. Working outdoors, on location or from still life, building drawings that may translate into print.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch.
2.00 – 4.00 Further exploration of materials and approaches, encouraging more confident mark-making and identifying drawings to take forward.
6.00 – Aperitifs before dinner.
Tuesday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast.
10.00 – 1.00 Introduction to drypoint printmaking. Beginning with experimental Tetra Pak drypoint to understand the process, before moving on to drypoint plastic and aluminium plates.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch.
2.00 – 4.00 Continuing drypoint work, developing plates and producing prints with individual guidance. Group discussion to share outcomes.
6.00 – Aperitifs before dinner.
Wednesday – Free Day
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast. Free time to rest or explore the local area.
6.00 – Aperitifs before dinner.
Thursday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast.
10.00 – 1.00 Introduction to linocut. Exploring carving tools through small test blocks, experimenting with inking and printing, and introducing the etching press for relief printing.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch.
2.00 – 4.00 Developing a final design from earlier drawings and beginning to carve lino with guidance on composition and translation into print.
6.00 – Aperitifs before dinner.
Friday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast.
10.00 – 1.00 Continuing linocut, refining carving and printing final pieces. Opportunity to experiment with colour, layered blocks and elements of monoprint.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch.
2.00 – 4.00 Final printing session and preparation for an informal exhibition. Individual tutorials with Sam on continuing your creative practice at home.
6.00 – Aperitifs before a celebratory dinner and exhibition in the Manor House.
Saturday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast. Departure (Check-out 11am).
The Art Studio, offers a spacious open plan layout of 75 m2. It is available at all times during your stay. Click here for more information.
Non-participating guests: we are more than happy to welcome non-workshop guests, accompanying partners, family or friends. There are plenty of activities to experience around Clos Mirabel, that will make your holiday unforgettable Click here for more information.
