Posts Categorized: Sunday

May 25 | Bookbinding 101 (4 Hours)

This workshop focuses on styles of bookbinding that are low-cost yet dynamic, and well suited for poetry chapbooks and portfolio books. Students will learn how to choose materials and create simple book structures that best highlight the content within their book.

The lessons will address the logistics of organizing poetry or artwork into a book form, explore the book as a vessel for information, and how material choices can inform how the book is read. While the workshop will create blank books, each style of binding will begin with standard 8.5” x 11” paper to allow your poetry or artistic content to be easily printed from a common inkjet or laser printer. 

Students will complete four sample books: Two pamphlet stitch varieties, a perfect bound book, and a more elaborate Japanese stab binding.

In addition to learning hand skills, the class will discuss the history of chapbooks, their role in publishing over time, and ways to share and sell chapbooks. If you have writing or images you would like to promote, this is a great workshop to jump start your self-publishing!

June 1 | Risography 101 (4 Hours)

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 4-hour 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 within the following 60 days. The Open Studio coupon is worth 4 hours of studio time (valued at $35) to work independently and continue what you have learned from the class. 

June 8 | Intro to Letterpress Printing (6 Weeks)

Note: This 6-week workshop will skip June 15 and will therefore conclude on July 20.

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.

In 6 weekly sessions, students will develop foundational skills including hand setting metal and wood type, basic mechanics and proper use of presses, overview of materials (ink and paper), and community studio etiquette.

Students will learn how to set type with a composing stick, including adjusting letter and word spacing, building up type, and printing type with consistent impression. They will learn to print on our platen presses, including locking up in a chase, basic make ready to improve impression consistency, registration of multiple layers, and cleaning the press.

This class is appropriate for letterpress printers unfamiliar with presses, as well as graphic designers, writers, and anyone interested in exploring language as a visual mediums.

June 29 | Intro to Screenprinting (4 Weeks)

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

A selections of projects will offer students the opportunity to produce prints from drawings, digital designs, and found or photographic imagery. Students will become familiar with the full process from selecting the right screen for the job, to dark room exposure, to mixing inks, to printing, to reclaiming the 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 continue printing independently at Spudnik Press  through our Open Studio program.