Heat Press Print Project

Generous funding from Oxford Decorative and Fine Arts Society (Oxford DFAS) has enabled a ‘heat press print project’ to be realised at the Oxfordshire Hospital School. A heat press was kindly donated by students from Carterton Community College, to the Hospital School, based  at the Children’s Hospital. A number of fundraising initiatives, organised by the students, enabled them to purchase the press which they presented to the staff and pupils. This was the starting point for an exciting exploration into printing with a heat press. Following  successful bids, Oxford DFAS kindly funded  two five week print projects which were led by local artist Claudia Figueire

Pupils have been inspired and taught by Claudia during weekly workshops. The lessons were run like drop-in sessions, adapting to the pupils’ medical needs where necessary. Some pupils received individual tuition at their bedside if they were unable to attend the workshop in the classroom.

The course taught about the possibilities of the heat press – a very hot flat iron, much like a sandwich toaster! Pupils created permanent prints on textiles using collage and later digital techniques. Encouraged to use limited collage materials, pupils created self-portraits on bags; book inspired pictures on pillow cases; animal designs on tiny teddy t shirts and monograms for kit bags. The designs were made by cutting out textured and coloured papers which had been printed on speciality paper. The challenge was flipping their designs over to face the fabric and then placing the designs under the heat press – sometimes this meant walking down the wards and corridors with precariously placed paper! The effect of the prints were greeted with smiles of wonder and amazement that these simple paper shapes and a quick wait of 45 seconds under the press could create permanent texture and form. The reveal was the most joyful moment of the sessions!

Throughout the course Claudia trained the school staff in how to use the heat press and how to print and collage images and designs. She enabled the children to create more complex designs, and in the last two sessions collage was swapped for felt tip drawings that were then scanned in and printed digitally, culminating in the creation of stunning repeat pattern designs.There is currently a display of pupils’ work in the atrium at the Children’s Hospital on LG2.