September 24 | Monotype Printing 101 (1 Day)

This class is free or you can pay what you can as a donation to Spudnik!

Monoprinting is an exciting form of printmaking that favors organic, gestural, textural, and ephemeral marks and imagery. This process is an incredibly immediate, intuitive, and playful way of exploring printmaking. It is well suited to people new to printmaking and artists who typically work with paint, mixed media, or drawing.

This workshop will introduce students to the basics of monotype printing. Throughout the workshop, students will discover ways to create unique prints while learning about the properties of ink, paper, pressure, and how they interact to be able to explore the process of monotype on their own. Printing techniques will include additive and reductive processes, stenciling, and ghost printing. Each student will make three prints to explore these processes.

September 25 | Risography 101 (1 Day)

The Risograph is an automated duplicator from Japan that efficiently produces offset-like prints in a variety of saturated colors. Though not originally intended for artistic application, the machine has gained traction (and notoriety) in small-press culture for its distinctive effects and efficiency—as well as for being rather finicky.

This workshop will walk students through the fundamentals of risography for bookmaking and fine art printing. Students will learn techniques and best practices for reproducing imagery, giving consideration to ink density, drying time, paper choices, registration, and patience. 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. Everyone will leave with an individually designed two-layer print.

Students will receive risography authorization and an Open Studio coupon, redeemable for one complimentary Open Studio session within the following 60 days. 

September 26 | Professional Practices for Artists (VIRTUAL)

Would you like to build more of your livelihood around your art practice, or get your work out into the world more? Catch all 4 sessions from our Professional Practices for Artists virtual workshop series!

Topic for the September 26 session:

Writing for Yourself, Writing for Your Audience:

The Artist Statement, Bio, and CV

Professional Practices for Artists is a series of online stand-alone workshops that focus on different professional skills and practices that working artists depend on for entrepreneurship in the real world — helping you make a good start on your goals!

This class costs $20 for non-members and is free for members! Not a member yet? You can sign up as a Spudnik Member here.

Studio Access Training: Screenprinting

Studio Authorization is always required prior to attending your first Open Studio or becoming a Keyholder. Experience is required for all Studio Access Trainings. Authorizations are free or you can pay what you can as a donation to Spudnik!

Please take some time to read and ensure that you meet the minimum requirements stated below.

What Are Studio Access Trainings?

Studio Access Trainings ensure that those with have prior experience from school or another print studio will be proficient and confident using the equipment in our studio.

What you can expect:

These sessions are NOT lessons, but specifically for makers who already have thorough experience with similar equipment. 

Minimum Requirements to Become Authorized:

• Have recent experience with the equipment you would like to use (within 2 years)
• Have thorough experience with the equipment you would like to use (8-week class or equivalent; Experience required varies based on process and equipment).
• Be comfortable working independently.
• Demonstrate safe and clean printmaking or art-making habits.
• Demonstrate respect to our staff and our equipment.

If you do not meet these requirements, please enroll in a class that includes authorization or schedule a series of private lessons. 

Studio Access Training: Screenprinting

We will share Spudnik’s guidelines and protocol for the entire process from image prep to screen reclamation, with a focus on care and maintenance of tools and supplies. The authorization will address paper printing, and fabric printing by request (including using our t-shirt press and heat press).

In studio projects will allow participants to review preparing images, making films or stencils, selecting and coating screens, using our vacuum table exposure unit and washout booth, setting up a print station, and reclaiming screens for future use.We will address printing technique as it relates to properly using the equipment, and how to best share space in a high-traffic area of the shop. We will also cover how to reserve screens and special equipment, use shared materials, and clean up properly.

September 27 | Screenprinting Refresher/Authorization (1 Day)

This class is free or you can pay what you can as a donation to Spudnik!

This refresher/authorization workshop welcomes students with previous screenprinting experience who are feeling out-of-practice or fuzzy regarding the finer points of the process, or who have never printed at Spudnik before, and want familiarity with our facilities and offerings. Students should have already completed a one-day workshop or full class, although it need not have been at Spudnik. We also welcome printers that would like support working through a particularly complex project or reoccurring printing issue.

Teaching Artist Rob Kelsey will review an assortment of skills such as selecting the best mesh count, applying the perfect coat of photo emulsion, troubleshooting and diagnosing exposure and printing issues, ink mixing, registration, and screen reclamation. Equally as importantly, we will address how to consider these technical factors and limitations when designing a project for printing.

During the workshops, each student will expose a screen, and work with peers to print a two-color image designed to hone nuanced printing skills. Students are welcome to bring specific questions about their next project.

To help build printing confidence at Open Studio sessions, students are invited to return within the week to put their freshly acquired knowledge to use. Through this workshop, students will not only brush up on old skills and become authorized to print at Spudnik, but are sure to walk away with new morsels of useful information regarding the art of screenprinting.

September 29 | Letterpress Refresher (Vandercook)

This class is free or you can pay what you can as a donation to Spudnik!

This is a 4-hour refresher course for printers who are familiar with the letterpress process, especially those who have worked with Vandercook proof presses before.

In this course, students will review typesetting, Californian case, Vandercook 4 &/or SP–25 for locking up the type, spacing, using our letterpress furniture, and more. Other items that will be discussed include adjusting the roller heights, tips on color mixing, cleaning, and general studio policy.

Students will get authorization to use our letterpress equipment (Vandercook 4 and SP-25) independently after this class. During the class, they will also be able to create a poster using wood type, metal type, ornaments and other printing blocks available at the shop.

October 2 | Basic Relief Printing (1-Day)

This class is free for members! Not a member yet? You can sign up as a Spudnik Member here.

Relief printmaking dates as far back as the 7th century and is considered the oldest form of printmaking. An image is carved into a block of wood or linoleum, which is then inked and pressed to transfer the image. The tools are simple and approachable, but the possibilities are expansive.

In Basic Relief Printing, students will plan, carve, and print a linoleum block. The class guides students through the process of transferring an image onto their block and techniques for creating line, shape, contrast, and texture. By the end of class, students will print their images by hand, taking home a small edition.

October 3 | Screenprinting Explorations (8 Weeks)

Screenprinting is an art form with a sometimes daunting degree of possibility. From bold graphic shapes to delicate and detailed halftones, almost any image you can think of can be created with a screen and some ink. So where to begin? 

In Screenprinting Explorations, students will be walked through the steps necessary to pull a successful print in a variety of styles and with increasing complexity. At every stage, students will be encouraged to experiment and explore, pushing the techniques and trying new things. Our eight-week class provides adequate time for new printers to complete a range of projects on paper and fabric. Along the way, students will become 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.

October 8 | Risography Explorations (4 Weeks)

The Risograph is an automated duplicator that efficiently produces multi-color prints with a distinct look and feel. Combining some of the best elements of photocopiers, screenprinting, and offset, risography can be an exciting medium for comic artists, writers, illustrators, designers, book artists, and more. 

Our Risography Explorations class teaches students to work with our machine. Beginning with a multi-color print, students will be introduced to risography techniques and mechanics. From there, they will create their own zine, mini-comic, or broadside to continue exploring the possibilities of the process. Students will also learn a variety of simple book forms that they can use for their independent project. 

Throughout the four weeks, students will learn best practices for designing and creating risograph prints, taking into consideration ink density, drying time, paper selection, and registration. Risograph machines are known for being rather finicky—students will also practice basic maintenance and troubleshooting, including how to change ink, reset and replace the master roll, and fix paper feed issues.

In addition to gaining authorization to print independently at Spudnik Press, students will have access to Open Studios for the final two weeks of the class to work on their projects.