May 30 | Multi-color Screenprinting: Jigs, Tabs, and Registration

Note this class skips June 20th and will conclude on June 27th

Color changes everything. This class is built for artists ready to take on the precision demands of multi-color printing — some experience is helpful, but not required.

From artwork separation to ink layering, students will work through the full multi-color workflow. Special focus is placed on registration — the make-or-break skill of multi-color printing. Students will get hands-on experience with jigs and registration tabs, learning how to choose the right setup for the job and achieve consistent alignment across every pass.

By the end of this class, students will walk away with a completed multi-color print and the technical foundation to print independently in Open Studio.

June 1 | Screenprinting Refresher & Authorization (4 Hours)

Note: Experience is required to take this refresher class.

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.

The class 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.

June 2 | Monotypes & Collographs (6 Weeks)

Monotypes & Collographs is a hands-on introduction to two expressive printmaking processes that emphasize texture, gesture, and experimentation. This class is ideal for beginners as well as artists working in painting, drawing, mixed media, or sculpture who want to explore printmaking in an approachable, playful way.

Students will create monotypes by working directly on plexiglass plates using additive and subtractive techniques, layering color, stencils, and ghost prints to build dynamic images. The class also introduces collographs, where textured plates are constructed from found materials and printed in small, varied editions.

Throughout the course, students will make many prints while learning how ink, paper, and pressure shape the final image. By the end of the class, participants will complete a small body of work that combines multiple techniques and reflects their individual style. Students will leave comfortable using the etching press and eligible for studio authorization at Spudnik Press.

June 8 | Intro to Screenprinting (4 Weeks)

Screenprinting is an art form known for its bold graphics and versatility. It is approachable, yet has many facets to explore and master. This foundational class introduces all the basic skills to get someone new to the process up and running, creating art on both paper and fabric.

A selection of projects will give students the opportunity to produce prints from hand drawings, digital designs, and photographic or found imagery. Students will become familiar with the full process — from selecting the right screen, to darkroom exposure, ink mixing, printing, and reclaiming screens. With support from an experienced printer, students will practice printing and, equally important, troubleshooting.

By the end of this class, students will know their way around the print shop and be authorized to print independently through Spudnik Press’s Open Studio program.

June 23 | Intro to letterpress (8 Weeks)

This course is the perfect introduction to letterpress printing. From its creation by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century until the 19th century, letterpress printing was the norm for printing text. Its use persisted in books and various applications until the late 20th century.

Letterpress printing evolved from simple platen presses, where paper was pressed onto an inked form, producing beautifully imprinted text and images. Over time, the flat platen was replaced by a roller in the flat-bed cylinder press, streamlining the process.

This course is the perfect introduction to letterpress printing, a centuries-old process that shaped the history of printed language. From its invention by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century through its continued use into the 20th century, letterpress has remained a powerful and tactile way to print text and images.

Over Eight weekly sessions, students will learn the fundamentals of letterpress printing, including hand-setting metal and wood type, understanding inks and paper, and safely operating platen presses. Instruction covers composing with a stick, adjusting letter and word spacing, building type forms, and printing with consistent impression. Students will also learn essential press skills such as locking up in a chase, basic make-ready, registering multiple layers, and proper press cleanup.

This hands-on class is ideal for creatives, designers, writers, and anyone interested in language as a visual and physical medium. No prior printmaking experience is required.