Letterpress III: Experimental Image Making 2023

Event Info

This two-day, in-person workshop takes place at CBA on Saturday and Sunday, February 18 and 19, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

  • Saturday, February 18, 10:00am–4:00pm
  • Sunday, February 19, 10:00am–4:00pm

Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on February 10, at 11:59 pm.


About the Workshop:

This in-person class at Center for Book Arts is taught by instructor Sarah Nicholls.

Do you want to expand your printing vocabulary? Do you want to open your eyes to new ways of making images on press? Do you want to work more intuitively and playfully with letterpress? Then this workshop is for you.

We will start this class with some printed inspiration from the Center’s collection of artist books, then work on a series of exercises aimed at expanding our printing experience. In the process we will get a hands-on refresher on both the fundamentals of presswork, and on the wide variety of options available to printmakers on a cylinder press. We will explore monoprinting, pressure printing, modular printing, printing from wire and rule, stenciling, masking, printing from found materials, and more. Bring a sense of adventure and a love of color and texture.

Press time will be shared to maximize the opportunity to create experimental works. By the end of the weekend everyone will go home with a suite of prints.


Required Materials:

All staff, artists, students, and guests are required to show proof of vaccination upon entering CBA and must wear a mask covering the nose and mouth at all times. If you have a medical or religious exemption, please email corina@centerforbookarts.org. Required Materials:

  • pencil
  • apron (we have some to share) or wear something you don’t mind getting inky
  • gloves for cleanup
  • materials for pressure printing: thin fabrics with texture, stickers, lace, bubble wrap, etc. Bring what you have and we will test it out.
  • exacto knife or olfa knife

All other materials will be provided by Center for Book Arts at no additional cost.


About Sarah Nicholls

Sarah Nicholls is an artist, printmaker, and writer whose work combines language, image, visual narrative, and time.

Her ongoing projects on climate change, urban ecology, and the history of science and technology include a series of letterpress pamphlets as well as participatory programs like guided urban/nature walks.

Nicholls’ limited edition artist’s books are in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, Columbia University, and Stanford, among others.


All images courtesy of the instructor.

Class size is limited to ensure an optimal participant to Instructor ratio. Register now before spots fill up! Registration for this workshop closes on February 10 at 11:59pm. Participants are required to comply with CBA’s Covid-19 health and safety measures.

Registration is closed. Return to all Classes.

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