Print and Stitch Cyanotypes with Mel Anderson and Deirdre Prochilo

Join Mel and Dierdre to discover the magic of sunlight, shadow, and stitch. In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore the art of cyanotype printing — one of the earliest photographic processes — using paper, fabric, and found materialsto create striking blue-toned prints.

You’ll learn techniques such as contact printing with natural and everyday objects, drawing on glass or transparency, using paper stencils, and working with photographic negatives to create layered, dreamlike imagery.

Once your prints are developed and dried in sunlight, you’ll bring them to life through stitching and embroidery, adding texture, colour, and personal narrative. The combination of print and thread transforms each piece into a tactile story — a dialogue between light, material, and imagination.

2 Days - 1 day printmaking with cyanotype materials (exposure outside in full sunlight) and 1 day working with textile embellishments in the form of embroidery basics.

Target Audience: All levels and ages. Note: children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult workshop participant.

Equipment and Materials that will be provide:

Majority of equipment will be provided including:

Cyanotype chemicals and sample materials.

Glass/perspex, bulldog clips and boards for exposure (needs to be done outside).

Tape, sticky tape, found objects.

Various uncoated papers and fabrics using Natural fibres (cotton, wool, silk, linen etc). Markers for transparencies.

Threads, needles, hoops and sewing templates.

Participants to bring personal or found objects to expose. scissors, Paper for stencils, sticky tape.

Day 1: 10am-4pm
Day 2: 10am - 2:30pm

Book your ticket there are limited spaces (Maximum 12 in the Class): Book HERE

$225 per person - Non Members

$195 per person - for ERAS Members

or $220 become a ERAS member (includes workshop ticket)

Book online at https://www.trybooking.com/DIJZI

Please note that spots are limited so bookings are essential.

Bio of Teachers:

Mel Anderson is a multi-disciplinary visual artist and teacher working across ceramics, photography, cyanotypes, printmaking, and digital media. Grounded in process, her practice is guided by intuition — following heart and hands to create confessional artworks rich in metaphor and symbolism.

Her work is deeply personal and introspective, often incorporating found materials to weave allegorical stories and layered visual narratives. With a particular focus on the cyanotype process, Mel transforms objects, drawings, photography, and digital imagery into prints and mixed-media works. Densely composed and instinct-led, her practice seeks to tap into the collective unconscious, allowing meaning to emerge through making rather than planning.

Deirdre Prochilo  is a Deniliquin-based, self-taught artist who has been creating art in one form or another for over 40 years. Her creative journey has included ceramics, fine needlework and pastel work, and for the past 10 years she has developed a strong passion for quilting. Deirdre has never been one to colour between the lines. She enjoys adapting traditional techniques and blending mixed materials to bring her ideas to life, often leaving people asking, “How did you do that?” Inspiration comes from the world around her, with found materials and inland environments often finding their way into her work. Her art is bold, vibrant and textured, and is constantly evolving. Deirdre loves the challenge of starting with nothing and seeing where the creative process takes her, with each finished piece inspiring the next. For her, art is about exploration, creativity and having a go.