Sunday, October 18, 2015

Letterpress learnings

It's so funny. My main learning after my second bout of letterpress printing was - print in the morning and not in the afternoon.

No, it's not the weather, or the light, or the temperature, or my mood. It's the fact that I got so carried away that I went on and on and on into the dark and had to run across to the house apologising to Barry that I knew it was dark; I knew it was dinner time, but I just had a few more runs to do and then clean up and then I could re-join the real world?!?

So I think it can be officially noted as a bit of an addiction.

And so I figure, printing in the morning helps me avoid missing out on dinner. The things we learn.

I decided to try out my Adana table top press and see how it worked. We got on very well. It behaved, I understood what to do and it wasn't too tricky at all. You know how sometimes you feel like you are winning?

I inked her up and went to town! These two photos are courtesy of Barry. Using the rollers to spread the ink across the platen plate.


The studio space in an awful state of untidiness, hoping to resolve that soon.


 I decided to try a different style of type and whilst working with the same "word" "poems" I had written about clouds, try to print some much smaller pages that might be attached to the wall, rather than drifting from the ceiling.

The first three lines locked up in the chase.


As I stepped down from the full 'poems" and long drifty pages, I chose three lines of two words that came out of each 'poem'. I didn't plan this, I just thought it might be nice to reduce them to their essence a bit and see if they still hold.

After proofing, I printed on some lovely Khadi paper.




Then I had to run and get some of my handmade paper and print on that as well




And then some goyu to see what would happen.


Total chaos ensued but by the end of the day/night I had quite a few sheets printed.


I went even smaller, with a single line of two words on a page, but that will have to wait for another day

Tomorrow is the closing date deadline for the Regional Marks exhibition - I have entered a few pieces and shall see how we go.

12 comments:

  1. love these zephyrs of celestial blue

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely. Beautiful words.
    Sandy in the UK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sandy, I was pleased some sort of sense held as I reduced the 'poems' further...go well.

      Delete
  3. I know how it is when you are carried away....I would be too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is the most wonderful of feelings and experiences isn't it Dana? Go well.

      Delete
  4. ....and then you have to clean up the press before you can leave the studio..... and who knew it would take so long??? good grief its almost dawn!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep - another excellent reason to start printing in the morning! Laugh.

      Delete
  5. Losing all sense of time is the ultimate joy ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a magical place and space to find yourself fin isn't it Liz? Amazing how time simply moves by so swiftly...and then you pop your head up to breathe and look round and whoops!

      Delete
  6. I love all that apparent chaos around your workspace... a clear sign of such immersion in the task of printing that everything else is immaterial! What is the typreface Fiona? Along with the ink colour it's perfect for the poems and looks right being in lower case only. Good luck with the submission and keep up with the early starts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aaarrgh! So much chaos Lesley! I am hoping as we take the work to Noosa tomorrow that surfaces will magically re-appear, I can clean things and then re-arrange and breathe deeply. Still total immersion is also great! My type detective books are over at the studio shed but I shall hunt it out for you L! Go well.

      Delete

I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.