Leaves and layering
Botanical gelli printmaking
Enrol
| Standard: | £40 |
| Concessions: | £36 |
Please book a ticket to attend this course which will take place in the Roden Centre for Creative Learning.
Tickets include entry to the National Gallery. Please arrive in good time to access the building and find the event.
Bookings close 10 minutes before the event begins.
Concessions are for full-time students, jobseekers, and disabled adults.
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About
Explore drawing, printmaking and natural texture as you create multi-layered gelli prints inspired by plants, fruit and foliage in the National Gallery Collection.
The session begins in the Gallery, where you’ll draw directly from works in the collection, looking closely at how artists have used plants, fruit and natural forms to create rhythm, symbolism and visual richness – from Carlo Crivelli’s sculptural cucumbers and fruit to the dense natural textures woven through Hans Holbein the Younger’s 'The Ambassadors'. These drawings will form the visual starting point for your printmaking.
Back in the Clore Art Studio, you’ll work with gelli plates to experiment with layering colour, shape and texture, transforming your drawn motifs into vibrant, multi-layered botanical prints. The first part of the studio session focuses on building compositions using stencils, drawn shapes and flat colour. In the second half of the evening, you’ll introduce natural materials – leaves, stems and botanical forms – using their textures to create depth, variation and surprise.
Throughout the session, you’ll explore how images evolve through repetition and layering, learning how to pull, rework and combine prints as part of an open, playful process. By the end of the evening, you’ll leave with a small series of richly worked gelli prints that echo the Gallery’s long fascination with nature, surface and abundance.
This session is suitable for all levels of artists. All materials are provided, and your work is yours to take home. Handouts with extra resources will be provided in advance of the session.
Your tutor
Alex Bowie is a Scottish visual artist with a background in socially engaged art, arts education, and the therapeutic use of the arts across community, education, and healthcare settings. Fascinated by colour, shape, and materials, she explores these elements throughout her practice. She joined the National Gallery in 2024 as an 'Art Road Trip' Facilitator and now works here as an Artist Educator. Previously, she was School Programme Manager at Dulwich Picture Gallery and has delivered creative projects for organisations including the Brixton Project, The Art Room, MacRobert Arts Centre, and The Citizens Theatre. She currently also manages the Power of Play project at Young V&A.