June 7 | Scratch & Press: A Three-Part Youth Printmaking Series

For ages 11–14 · 3 sessions · All skill levels welcome
Sundays 9am-12pm (June 7, 14, and 21)

Get your hands inky and your prints analog. Over three sessions, you’ll explore three completely different printmaking traditions — each with its own tools, materials, and magic. From screen printing your own wearables on day one, to scratching metal plates and pulling intaglio prints, to running paper through a letterpress — this series is designed for curious, bold makers who want to learn how images are made.

Session 1
June 7 9am-12pm
Screen printing — wear your work
Start by screen printing an apron you’ll use for the rest of the series — then keep the press warm with t-shirts, tote bags, and whatever else you bring to print on. You’ll learn to expose a photographic screen, mix custom ink colors, and pull clean prints through the mesh. Walk away with wearable art.

Session 2
June 14 9am-12pm
Drypoint etching — scratch, score, and print

Learn the fundamentals of intaglio printmaking by drawing directly onto a metal plate with a steel needle. Drypoint is immediate and expressive — the burr your tool raises holds ink in ways that produce rich, velvety lines unlike anything you can get from a brush or pen. You’ll learn plate wiping and printing technique, and leave with a finished plate and a set of prints.

Session 3
June 21 9am-12pm
Letterpress — texture, pressure, and the printed page

Finish the series on a machine that shaped the modern world. Using stencils and low-relief collages — cut paper, string, netting, plant material — you’ll create richly textured prints by running them through a letterpress cylinder. The varying thickness of your materials determines how much ink transfers to the page, producing nuanced, one-of-a-kind impressions up to 19″ × 25″. Experiment with hand inking and multi-layer compositions to tell a story, build an illustration, or just see what the press can do. 

June 8 | Intro to Intaglio, Etching (6 Weeks)

Please note that this class does not meet on June 22, so willl conclude on July 20.

Intaglio printmaking emerged in Europe well after the woodcut print, with the earliest known surviving examples being undated designs for playing cards made in Germany, using drypoint technique in the late 1430s. Engraving had been used by goldsmiths to decorate metalwork, including armor, musical instruments and religious objects since ancient times. Scholars and practitioners of printmaking have suggested that the idea of making prints from engraved plates may well have originated with goldsmiths’ practices of taking an impression on paper of a design engraved on an object, in order to keep a record of their work, or to check the quality.
In our 6-Week Intro to Intaglio course, beginners to experienced students will benefit from learning etching techniques, drypoint techniques, and plate wiping techniques as they move onto familiarizing themselves with intaglio printing. By the end of the multi-week class, students will finish an etching with multiple proofs of their plate in various stages.

With the completion of this class, students will not only produce an edition of prints that reflect the skills built throughout this class but receive authorization in etching at Spudnik.

July 11 | Text // Image-Etching + Letterpress (8 Weeks)

Intaglio etching and letterpress printing are two of the oldest printing techniques in the world, both dating back to around the 15th century. Etching, engaging the basic concepts of using resists and acids to create surfaces that are inked and printed, has been employed by artists for hundreds of years to create images, tone, and mark making. Letterpress, utilizing a raised inked matrix (often movable type) and a variety of machines to create consistent prints, revolutionized literacy and the spread of information throughout the last several centuries and is still not only relevant, but a highly sought-after and important method of printing in the modern age. 

Students of all skill levels will learn through this class both the basics of intaglio printing, incorporating the use of resists, acids, and inks to etch lines and tone into copper and produce images, as well as the basics of letterpress, learning the mechanics of the letterpress machine, typesetting, registering, and producing editions. Students will combine these two traditional printing methods to achieve prints that explore layering, language, composition, and image making. Each of the 8 weeks will involve becoming comfortable and knowledgeable in both methods, and will focus on two main projects. Students will be encouraged to work independently between classes. Students completing this class will become authorized to print at Spudnik through our Open Studio program.

July 24 | Studio Access Training: Relief, Monoprint, Intaglio (2 Hours)

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: Relief, Monoprint, Intaglio

This authorization focuses on press safety.

Within relief printmaking, this session will address the basics of block carving with a focus on the tools and resources available at Spudnik Press and how various carving styles or approaches might affect the printing process. While printing with a press will be reviewed in detail, printing by hand will be addressed on request.

Within monoprinting, this session will address using plexiglass as a matrix, working with water- and oil-based pigments, and mark-making and stencil-making tools on site.

Moving to the printing process, this session will address setting pressure, blanket care, registration methods, paper selection, working with wet paper (water baths and damp packs), and drying/flattening prints. Regarding ink, this session with review modifiers, ink care, and cleaning expectations.

For intaglio artists,  the training will focus on personal safety, care and maintenance of tools and supplies, and best practices for working with intaglio printing at Spudnik Press.

As with all our Studio Access Trainings, we will also cover equipment available to check out and press reservation policies.