Thursday, August 28, 2014

Letterpressing with Love

Besides working on orders and new inspired stones over the summer, I have also been working on my paper line for the fall season!
Since taking my two printmaking courses in the winter and spring, I have fallen in love with the medium. I am back at Martha Street Studio, with ideas galore and trying to put them into print!  

The second course I took at Martha Street was letterpress and I have become a little obsessed with it.   Letterpress is the oldest form of print in which raised letters or surfaces are inked and pressure is applied to make prints on paper. Designs have to be composed and set. Ink has to be mixed and paper folded and lined up.
 The manipulation of one letter at a time, the centering and setting of the design and the inking and pressing of each card is powerful and beautiful and joyful.....most of the time! I have been using vintage photo plates, making polymer plates with our own designs and using vintage and antique wooden and lead letters to create a variety of art cards.
Below are a few pictures of the studio and some plates. Next week I will show more of the results of my week of printing on my blog and facebook!
xo
Some of the tools of the trade.



a bunch of lead type that needs to be sorted
Drawers full of type
"Furniture" for holding the plates/type in place

Mixing inks- Isn't this a beautiful color?
This is a platen press...
This proofing press is set up with plates, type and furniture.

A sneak peek at some new cards!

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