Screenprinting for Tree Huggers

F Climate Change… I’ll Drink Dirt

Feeling guilty about the amount of resources you use to make your art? Do you want to be a more environmentally friendly artist? Do you wish that screenprinting didn’t require so much water? Heather Anderson of This New Forest is here to help! Using a tried and true clean up method used in various printshops throughout the country, artists can dramatically reduce their use of water.

In this community pay-what-you-can workshop, printmakers will learn the most water-efficient ways to make prints through designing and printing a short run of experimental abstract prints using markers, stencils, and photocopies to create their imagery. Plus, students will have the opportunity to experiment with water-soluble inks, generally brush up their printing skills, and meet like-minded environmentally aware artists.

Anyone who has basic screenprinting experience is welcome to enroll in this workshop. A donation of any amount will secure space in this community workshop.

Risography 101 (August 2017)

The Risograph is an automated duplicator from Japan that efficiently produces offset-like photocopies. Though not originally intended for artistic application, the machine has recently gained traction (and notoriety) in small-press culture for its distinct footprint and efficiently as well as being rather finicky.

This workshop will walk students through the fundamentals of Risograph printing for making books and fine art prints, and familiarize students with techniques to best reproduce their imagery. Students will become acquainted with the mechanics of the printer and learn basic maintenance, including how to change the master roll and a drum’s ink tube. Lastly, students will learn how to best design for the Risograph, taking into consideration ink drying time, ink density, paper options, registration, and patience. Everyone will leave with a three-color collaborative print produced throughout the workshop and authorization to continue making Risograph prints at Spudnik Press Cooperative.

Risography 101 (Sept 2017)

A Risograph is an automated duplicator from Japan that efficiently produces offset-like photocopies. Though not originally intended for artistic application, the machine has recently gained traction (and notoriety) in small-press culture for its distinct footprint and efficiently as well as being rather finicky.

This workshop will walk students through the fundamentals of Risograph printing for making books and fine art prints, and familiarize students with techniques to best reproduce their imagery. Students will become acquainted with the mechanics of the printer and learn basic maintenance, including how to change the master roll and a drum’s ink tube. Lastly, students will learn how to best design for the Risograph, taking into consideration ink drying time, ink density, paper options, registration, and patience. Everyone will leave with a three-color collaborative print produced throughout the workshop and authorization to continue making Risograph prints at Spudnik Press Cooperative.

Printmaking Foundations: Screenprinting, Relief, Etching (Sept 2017)

For anyone who wants to be creative through printmaking, our Foundations class introduces first time printers to the wide variety of resources and equipment at Spudnik Press Cooperative. Students will experiment with three unique printmaking processes throughout the six weeks. With each printing process inducing its own aesthetic, this class offers abundant opportunities to elevate sketches and designs through print and to understand the basic concepts that bridge the many types of printmaking at our studio.

Screenprinting is a form of stencil making that is used to print fine art as well as posters, cards, t-shirts, and more. Relief prints are created by carving an image into wood or linoleum, adding ink to the surface, and transferring the inked image onto paper. Etching, also known as Intaglio [in-tal-yoh], is a family of printing techniques in which the image is incised into a metal plate. Artist can scratch into plates with needles, or can draw through a ground and etch drawings into a plate.

Together, these processes range from experimental to exacting, bold to subdued, and unpredictable to calculated and can open new possibilities for artists, writers, and folks who want to learn a new way to make art. Printmaking Foundations can act as either a general introduction to everything Spudnik has to offer, or a refresher course for artists who have previous experience.

Screenprinting Explorations (Sept 2017 – Saturday AM)

Most people are fans of screenprinting whether they know it or not. Screenprinting is an art form known for its bold graphics and versatility. A close cousin of stenciling, screenprinting is easy to learn, yet hard to master. Our eight-week class provides adequate time for new printers to complete a range of projects on paper and fabric, gradually increasing in complexity and nuance. With the ongoing support of a pro to help trouble-shoot along the way, students will be familiar with dark room exposure, mesh count, screen tension, ink consistency, and registration.

In addition to developing A+ printing skills, this class will help students develop their imagery, be it hand-drawn illustration or digital files, to successfully translate to print. By the end of the class, students will know their way around the print shop, and be well equipped to continue printing independently at Spudnik Press Cooperative.

Risography 201: From Prepress to Publication (Sept 2017)

Risography 201 provides an in-depth and hands-on opportunity to better understand not only the mechanics of the risograph machine, but how to develop projects that take advantage of these mechanics.

Through each student completing their own project using their own designs, students will practice creating separations for multicolor images, setting up files for print, and ultimately executing the print. By looking at various printmaking styles, methods for designing for print, and industrial printmaking practices, students will find the ways that works best for them to adapt their artwork for risography. Plus, students will become familiar with cool print jargon like “imposition”, “duplexing”, “color profiles” and “channels”!

During the five week class, students will create a collaborative print that focuses on registration, trapping and color mixing as well as a personal project that could be a short booklet, a small series of fine art prints, or other paper object.

Previous experience operating a Risograph machine is required. If you do not have experience printing at Spudnik Press, please check with staff prior to registering.

Letterpress I: Wood and Metal Type (Sept 2017)

Letterpress printing has been making quite an impression since about 1440 when Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type. A mechanical press prints from type, either cast from metal or carved from wood, to crisply transfer ink to paper. Letterpress printing creates a tactile and inviting debossment in the paper. This “punch” makes this art form a popular choice for greeting cards, business cards, invitations, broadsides, and a wide range of printed ephemera.

While letterpress printing began as a commercial process, today artists, designers, typographers and illustrators are continually finding new ways to approach the art form. Letterpress I: Wood & Metal Type uses a range of projects to familiarize students with letterpress printing, typography and the history of the art form.

Spudnik Press Cooperative houses over 120 drawers of type, two Vandercook presses, a Line-o-scribe proofing press, and three platen presses, all of which are available for students to use.

Students will jump in on day one by browsing Spudnik’s unique collection of type and using a composing stick to hand set their first line of type. From there, projects will increase in scope to introduce more advanced project planning, technical considerations and creative approaches to printing. Students will learn new fun vocabulary words like reglets, quoins, chases, and leading. After setting type, students will become acquainted with our printing presses and learn to lock-up type, set pressure, mix and modify ink and safely operate the machines.

Throughout the class students will acquire the technical skills needed to be authorized to printing independently at Spudnik Press and the creative skills to produce inventive and alluring prints for years to come.

T-Shirts & Totebags Screenprinting Workshop (Sept 2017)

Convert your own drawing or design to a collection of hand-printed wearable items in this energetic and informative one-day workshop. Printing an assortment of t-shirts or totebags is practical, fun and incredibly gratifying.

Students will bring to the workshops with a bold black and white drawing, a high-contrast photo, or a digital design. While .AI or .PSD files are great, we welcome students to bring anything from text typed in Microsoft Word to photocopies. After students refine the artwork (as needed) to be “print-ready”, student will use a pre-coated photographic screen and mix their own custom ink color. Everyone should bring five items of their choosing to print. As long as they are fabric and flat, we can help you print on it! Shirts, tote bags, tea towels, bandanas, and thrift store jean jackets will all work great. Leave with a sample for an Etsy store, a surprise gift for a friend, or an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags!

Relief Tester & Refresher (Sept 2017)

Relief printmaking (also known as block printing) is a graphic and versatile form of printmaking that dates as far back as 500 BC. Similar to stamping, images are carved in reverse onto a block that is then inked and sent through a press.

Beginning with a graphic image, a motif, festive patterns and stylized hand lettering, students will learn how to visualize and create a design and that will work well as a print. In the first three hours of the workshop, students will complete this simple small-scale project, moving through each step of the relief process from image transfer to carving to printing. In the last two hours, students new to the medium are welcome to stay and create additional prints of their image. Students with prior intermediate experience are encouraged to use the last hours to address questions related to setting up the press, multiple plate registration, planning more complex plates, even and consistent inking, etc.

This workshop is designed to let people test out a new craft or refresh skills from a prior class. Students who want to learn the full range of what relief can do should enroll in our 8-week Relief Printmaking class.

Papermaking (Sept 2017)

Papermaking can be used as a catalyst for bookmaking, printmaking and drawing, as well as an art form all in its own. During this workshop, participants will learn to make unique handmade paper sheets using pulp made with both natural fibers and recycled paper. After forming basic sheets of paper with a mould and deckle, students can explore paper texture, stenciling, and debossing through couching their sheets on various surfaces.

Everyone will be able to customize their project by adding “inclusions” to their sheets like scraps from prints, photographs, drawings, petals, or thread.

Are you a printmaker? Relief printmaking plates can even be used to emboss paper and push the sculptural element of papermaking!

Everyone will leave the workshop with a set of 5+ sheets of handmade paper and a foundation in low-tech non-toxic papermaking that is infinitely expandable and requires limited access to special facilities, and can be incorporated into classroom settings.

This is a wet process, so dress down for this workshop. Please bring along scrap prints, old printmaking plates, clippings, etc. to experiment with.

Relief Printmaking (Sept 2017)

Relief printmaking is a graphic and versatile type of printmaking that dates as far back as 500 BC. An image is carved in reverse onto a block, which is then inked and sent through a press. The tools are basic but the possibilities are expansive.

Relief Printmaking empowers students (both first-time printmakers and experienced printmakers) to plan, carve, and print relief blocks. After looking at lots of examples, both historical and contemporary, students will begin their relief printing adventure with a playful low-pressure “Speedy-Cut” block. Throughout the class, students will move on to carving both linoleum and wood with a variety of carving techniques that exploit line, shape, contrast, and texture.

On the press, students will learn how to mix ink, handle paper, register multiple colors, and finesse pressure to produce a set of prints that employ lessons from throughout the class.

Do you want to try out relief printmaking before signing up for the full class? Our Relief Tester & Refresher is happening on Sunday, September 24.

Screenprinting Explorations (Wednesday Morning Session)

Most people are fans of screenprinting whether they know it or not. Screenprinting is an art form known for its bold graphics and versatility. A close cousin of stenciling, screenprinting is easy to learn, yet hard to master. Our eight-week class provides adequate time for new printers to complete a range of projects on paper and fabric, gradually increasing in complexity and nuance. With the ongoing support of a pro to help trouble-shoot along the way, students will be familiar with dark room exposure, mesh count, screen tension, ink consistency, and registration.

In addition to developing A+ printing skills, this class will help students develop their imagery, be it hand-drawn illustration or digital files, to successfully translate to print. By the end of the class, students will know their way around the print shop, and be well equipped to continue printing independently at Spudnik Press Cooperative.