Started in 2012, Fanoon Center for Printmedia Research operates as the only print publishing program in the Gulf. The program collaborates with local, regional, and international artists in the publishing of editions, experimental unique prints, artist books, installations, and the realization of research projects within an expanded definition of printmaking.
As well as personal studio space, Painting and Printmaking students can also make use of the following facilities:
Painting Studios are equipped with homasote walls for stapling canvas or paper, and a ventilation system and exhaust fan, where Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Painting classes are taught. A shared multipurpose studio is also located between the Painting and Drawing studio where students have access to their own personal studio space.
The Drawing Studio is equipped with homasote walls for stapling canvas or paper, flat files for storing drawings, drawing boards, easels and drawing horses.
The etching studio is outfitted with a ventilated acid room, for the safe use of ferric and nitric acid. The acid room is equipped with a rosin box and two vertical ferric acid tanks that can house plates up to 18” x 24”, and 24” x 36”. The etching facility is capable of supporting a wide range of intaglio techniques, and is furnished with a 40” x 72” Takach etching press, 26” x 39” 17-gauge copper, stack dryer, hot plates, heated plate-wiping stations, and a variety of Charbonnel inks and grounds.
Housed in the same facilities as etching, the lithography studio is equipped to accommodate analogue and photographic aluminium plate printing. The studio includes a 34” x 60” Takach lithography press, numerous leather and composition rollers, large glass work surfaces, and a wide range of Handschy inks and modifiers. The studio also utilizes a solar system to generate distilled water for printing.
The screen-printing studio is a fully equipped studio, comprised of four beds with a maximum print area of 20"x30" and one bed with a maximum print area of 60"x40". All beds can print on a range of substrates up to a depth of 2.5" and varying mesh sizes on all screen sizes means the facilities can accommodate a range of inks and substrates. The studio also has a large enclosed exposure unit to compliment the size of the largest screen-printing bed. The studio uses the TW graphics water based ink system and includes pigments, gloss and matt extender bases, thinners, varnishes, tinters and powders.
The digital print facilities include large and medium format Epson printers complete with a wide range of printing substrates including fine art and photographic papers, digital etching and Japanese papers, canvas, self adhesive vinyl, backlit film and transparent media for photographic stencils. The studio is also equipped with an 8’ x 8’ light table, Roland 36" vinyl cutter, Roland 16"x24" digital rotary engraver, Wacom drawing tablets, High Resolution Epson film and print scanners and Epson Computer to Plate (CTP) imaging system.
The Painting and Printmaking program has a variety of book binding equipment intended for special class projects, cross-departmental workshops, and artist books created through the PAPR publishing program. Equipment includes an 18” Challenge guillotine, two nipping presses, three maple finishing presses, a maple fan-glue press, and a variety of hand tools.
As well as an impressive array of facilities within the department, students, faculty and visiting artists also have access to VCUQatar’s specialist facilities which include