Letterpress Printing Workshops at Base Press are intended to introduce participants to letterpress printing (literally pressing letters and images into paper), a centuries-old method of relief printing. Using the vintage letterpress equipment and an impressive collection of antique wood and metal type and cuts of Base Press, participants can enjoy a creative, engaging, hands-on experience. The intention is simply to share the love of letterpress printing and to foster playful creativity. Workshops are open to anyone with an interest, some curiosity and a desire to work with their hands. In this all-encompassing digital world in which we live nowadays, sometimes it’s just nice to go analog. All materials are supplied and no prior experience in art, design, or printing is required. Email for details and arrangements.
Workshop No. 1. Intro to Letterpress via Werkman Method
Hendrik (H. N.) Nicolaas Werkman (1882–1945), was an experimental Dutch artist, typographer and printer who was shot and killed by the Gestapo in the closing days of World War II. He utilized a method of “collaging” on press—almost like stamping—using letterpress type and equipment to make monoprints. In this beginner Workshop participants will be introduced to letterpress printing using this “collage” method.
Workshop No. 2. Intro to Letterpress with Legos
Bet you didn’t know that you can print with Lego pieces. Yep, you sure can. When you mount a thin Lego base to an existing base, this allows the Lego pieces to be “type high” (the .918 inch height that all type and images must be to print with a letterpress). In this beginner Workshop participants will play around with flat Lego pieces to create compositions, collages, patterns, etc. and print with them.
Workshop No. 3. Beginner Bookbinding
In this beginner Bookbinding Workshop participants will be able to bind their own journal/sketchbook with multiple 8-page signatures, endpapers and covers. Potential binding techniques to be covered may include the coptic binding, link stitch, pamphlet binding and meander binding with added bonus to make simple paper boxes.
Workshop No. 4. Advanced Bookbinding
In this advanced Bookbinding Workshop, when participants bring in their own hand-sewn books (see beginner Bookbinding Workshop above) we will make case-bound—or hardcover—books. It is very exciting to see your hand-sewn and bound book come to life and truly look like a real book.
Workshop No. 5. Advanced Ornamental Bookmarks
In this advanced Workshop, participants will be able to design and print their own bookmarks. Participants will work with the metal ornaments of the Base Press type collection (including a good selection of 12 and 18-point metal ornaments, along with 24, 36 and 48 point) to design a 2” x 7” bookmark. At the end of the Workshop we will “job together” the bookmark lock-ups of each participant and print them all together, to make a collection. Optimum capacity of 5 for this Workshop.
Workshop No. 6. Advanced Poetry, Protest & Song Lyric
In this advanced Letterpress Printing Workshop, “Poetry, Protest & Song Lyrics,” participants can design their own broadside of poetry, song lyrics or protest statements. Working as a group, participants could decide in advance to work with a particular poem or song lyric. We will break down the poem or song lyric to simpler parts or sentences, and participants will get a chance to typeset the lyric using wood type from the Base Press collection. In the end, we will lock together several lines of the song or poem and execute a collective print that several people participated in.