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Letterpress I: Hand Typesetting
Sarah Nicholls
5-Day Section (A+B)
July 16-20, Monday-Friday, 10 am-4 pm
In this 30-hour core course Learn the basics of hand typesetting and the contemporary practice of letterpress printing. We will cover the essentials of good presswork including inking, and impression and move on to discuss typefaces, paper, incorporating illustrations and adding color.
Find out more »Chromatic Wood Type Weekend
Lee Marchelonis
July 21-22, Saturday, 10 am-4 pm
In the mid 1800s multi-color or chromatic wood type was all the rage. Designers like William H. Page created striking new letterforms and colorful modifications of existing ones. These days, that type is rare but we will explore making our own multi-color designs based on the antique wood letters in the Center’s collection. The course will cover: design strategies, methods for identifying antique type, sizing blocks for accurate registration, linoleum carving, color mixing (by eye and through layering), and printing. Each student will come away with blocks & samples of their own creation, as well as a specimen sheet featuring chromatic type created over the course of the weekend by all participants.
Find out more »Letterpress II
Roni Gross
July 23-27, Monday - Friday, 10 am - 4 pm
Following a short review of press operation and printing techniques, we will raise your printing skills to the next level. This class is designed to support students who have taken a letterpress class and want to work on their own projects in a structured and supportive environment. Students interested in producing a small edition of artist books, a series of posters or prints, a suite of invitations or other printed stationary, or other projects, will be assisted along the way in troubleshooting their inking, impression, and finishing skills.
Find out more »Exquisite Corpse
Sarah Nicholls
July 28-29, Saturday and Sunday, 10 am-4 pm
Named after a Surrealist parlor game, the Exquisite Corpse is a method for collectively assembling a collection of words and images. Over the course of a weekend, we’ll work collaboratively to create an improvisational, surrealist artist book. Using the Center’s extensive collection of wood and metal type, ornaments, and images, we’ll assemble a visual narrative, while practicing the fundamentals of good letterpress printing. Each student will add their contribution to a sequence, in response to the work of their fellow printers, and everyone will go home with a copy of the bound final product. For beginners and the more experienced alike.
Find out more »Transforming Hanji
Aimee Lee
August 4-5, Saturday & Sunday, 10 am-4 pm
Let us count the ways that hanji—Korean handmade paper—can be transformed in this workshop by using ancient East Asian techniques. Students will learn an array of skills related to joomchi (paper fusing and texturing), jiseung (paper cording and twining), and shifu (paper thread woven into cloth). The hands-on experience of slicing, spinning, crumpling, and weaving different types of hanji will be complemented by insights on the history and folklore of paper in Korea and beyond. Everyone will leave with samples, new skills, and a better sense of paper manipulation possibilities.
Find out more »Intro to Letterpress: Business Cards
Sarah Nicholls
August 11, Saturday, 10 am-4 pm
Curious about letterpress but not sure if it’s up your alley? Come to this one-day workshop and get your feet wet. You will learn how to set type, lock up a form, and print an edition on the Vandercook proof press. Walk away with your very own business cards!
Find out more »Pressure Printing
Beth Sheehan
August 25-26, Saturday, 10 am-4 pm
This two-day workshop on the Vandercook press will explore the use of pressure printing and layering to create imagery for a broadside or simple book structures. Discussion and demos will focus on the effects of various materials and textures on this alternative letterpress printing process, as well as page layout and color theory. This class is suitable for beginners as well as students looking to expand on their letterpress experience.
Find out more »Hand Typesetting Basics(Letterpress I A) Nights
Sarah Nicholls
Nights Section (A):
September 18- October 16 Tuesday Evenings, 6 -9 pm
In this 16-hour beginner’s course in letterpress printing, students will learn the basics of hand typesetting, printing on the Center’s Vandercooks, and the process of editioning. Can be combined with Letterpress I (B) to qualify for studio rental in our Printshop.
Find out more »CMYK Photopolymer!
Elizabeth Castaldo
September 20 - October 18, 5 Thursday Evenings, 6- 9 pm
CMYK printing, sometimes called four color process, is like magic happening before your eyes. CMYK refers to the four colors used: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, which are printed in layers to create a full color image. With each layer more information is added to the print, more colors appear, and then with the printing of the final layer, voila, you have a full color image! On the Vandercook we can make prints like this using photopolymer, which has the potential to hold an incredible amount of fine detail. For Letterpress, this process is considered experimental, but with some prior planning and good registration practices, one can create beautiful full color images that will integrate seamlessly with other letterpress work. In this 5 day workshop students will learn the process of printing full color photographic images on the Vandercook. We will go through every step from preparing your image files, to strategies for tight registration, color mixing, and, of course, printing. Prior letterpress experience is helpful but not required.
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