Exploratory Techniques Sampler Book

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COLLECTIVE PROJECT PROMPT

As an introduction to letterpress fundamentals, we will be setting up both Vandercooks to do a series of demos that you each will participate in. Printing on the same size paper for each technique, we will explore 1) handset type, 2) pressure printing, 3) collage printing using wood type and a frisket, 4) photopolymer plates and 5) alternate lock up. Afterwards, we will fold and bind your experimental practice prints into a collaged book.

Grading
18 points:
3 Conceptual development/Problem Solving
4 Composition + Design
4 Craftsmanship
4 Quality + Quantity
3 Contribution to Critique

Timeline
8/26: Introduction + Writing Poetry Lines
8/28–9/18: In class Demos + Printing
9/23: Book Construction + Critique

TECHNIQUES COVERED

1) Hand Set Type
We will each write a line for an Exquisite Corpse poem— a collaborative poetry game that traces its roots to the Parisian Surrealist Movement. An Exquisite Corpse is created by multiple people, each of whom traditionally writes a line on a sheet of paper, folds the paper to conceal it, and passes it on to the next player for his or her contribution. In order to write a poem, participants need to write a structured line using adjective-noun-verb-adjective-noun. You will each compose one line, set in 12 point type on a 30 point slug. We will play around with the order and print them together as a group poem.

Exquisite Corpses produce surprising—sometimes absurd—yet often beautiful poems. As an example, the following is an Exquisite Corpse using our sentence structure adjective-noun-verb-adjective-noun.

          Slung trousers melt in a roseate box.
          A broken calendar oscillates like sunny tin.
          The craven linden growls swimmingly. Blowfish.
          A glittering roof slaps at crazy ephemera.

2) Pressure Printing
The second technique involves printing from a low relief collage that impresses the texture of your collage onto a thin sheet of Japanese paper. You will be designing your own plate and printing it on sheets of Kitikata paper. See examples and more info here.

3) Collage Printing with Wood Type and Frisket
We will work together to create designs using a variety of wood type specimens, overlaying them in different colors and isolating certain areas using a cut frisket shape.

4) Photopolymer Plates
In a group demo we will go through the steps of making a photopolymer plate, and then print them together in a couple different colors, so there will be opportunities to overlay and experiment. You might consider printing some of these with other sample prints we've been making to see how you can personalize your print designs. See examples and more info here.

5) Alternative Lock Up
After learning a bit about the proper ways to set type, it's fun to see how you can break the rules and create wonky and illustrative typographic text and images. You might consider printing some of these with other sample prints we've been making to see how you can personalize your print designs. See examples and more info here.

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