Printing Without Ink Workshop

Asma Hashmi is leading a one-day printmaking workshop at the Ashmolean Museum on Wednesday 18 November, from 10.30am to 4pm. It's all about blind embossing, a technique that creates raised, textured designs on paper without using any ink. Instead of ink, you press your designs into thick, dampened paper using an etching press, and the result is a print that works with light and shadow rather than colour.

Hashmi is a print-maker, and the session is a practical one: you'll be working with the press yourself. You'll draw inspiration from objects and images in the Museum's collections, so you're not starting from a blank page—there's plenty around you to look at. The full day follows the popularity of previous shorter sessions, and the longer format gives you more time to experiment and refine your ideas rather than rushing through a single attempt. You don't need any prior experience to join in.

The workshop is part of the Ashmolean's Love & Legacy season, a run of events for autumn and winter 2026/7. It's held in the Ashmolean Learning Studio on Beaumont Street, OX1 2PH. The day runs from 10.30am to 4pm, and it costs £135 per person; booking is essential.