January 20| Monotype Printing 101 (4 Hours)

Monoprinting is an exciting form of printmaking that favors organic, gestural, textural, and ephemeral marks and imagery. This process is an incredibly immediate, intuitive, and playful way of exploring printmaking. It is well suited to people new to printmaking and artists who typically work with paint, mixed media, or drawing.

This workshop will introduce students to the basics of monotype printing. Throughout the workshop, students will discover ways to create unique prints while learning about the properties of ink, paper, pressure, and how they interact to be able to explore the process of monotype on their own. Printing techniques will include additive and reductive processes, stenciling, and ghost printing. Each student will make three prints to explore these processes.

January 23 | Intro to Screenprinting (4 Weeks)

Screenprinting is an art form known for its bold graphics and versatility. It is an approachable art form, yet has many facets to explore and master. This foundational screenprinting class introduces all the basic skills to get someone new to the process up and running, creating art on both paper and fabric. 

A selection of projects will offer students the opportunity to produce prints from drawings, digital designs, and found or photographic imagery. Students will become familiar with the full process from selecting the right screen for the job, to dark room exposure, to mixing inks, to printing, to reclaiming the screens. With support from an experienced printer, students will practice printing and (equally important) troubleshooting.

By the end of this class, students will know their way around the print shop and be authorized to continue printing independently at Spudnik Press through our Open Studio program.

In addition to gaining authorization to print independently at Spudnik Press, students will have access to Open Studios to work on their projects.

January 23| Studio Access Training: Conrad Press-Relief, Monoprint, Intaglio (2 hours)

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.

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

January 25 | Experimental Zinemaking (4 Weeks)

The shapes and forms of books can be as wildly varied as their contents. A few simple concepts like folding, sewing, and gluing can be combined and stretched and iterated upon to make something wholly new but still recognizably “a book.”

Over 4 weeks, students will not only learn how to bind classic and experimental bookforms, but also how to use the Risograph to print the content of their books quickly and stylishly.

No experience is needed in either Risography or bookbinding, simply a creative spirit and a readiness to experiment.

In addition to gaining authorization to print independently at Spudnik Press, students will have access to Open Studios to work on their projects.

January 26 | Risography Explorations (4 Weeks)

The Risograph is an automated duplicator that efficiently produces multi-color prints with a distinct look and feel. Combining some of the best elements of photocopiers, screenprinting, and offset, risography can be an exciting medium for comic artists, writers, illustrators, designers, book artists, and more. 

Our Risography Explorations class teaches students to work with our machine. Beginning with a multi-color print, students will be introduced to risography techniques and mechanics. From there, they will create their own zine, mini-comic, or broadside to continue exploring the possibilities of the process. Students will also learn a variety of simple book forms that they can use for their independent project. 

Throughout the four weeks, students will learn best practices for designing and creating risograph prints, taking into consideration ink density, drying time, paper selection, and registration. Risograph machines are known for being rather finicky—students will also practice basic maintenance and troubleshooting, including how to change ink, reset and replace the master roll, and fix paper feed issues.

In addition to gaining authorization to print independently at Spudnik Press, students will have access to Open Studios to work on their projects.

January 26 | Screen Refresher (4 Hours)

Note: Experience is required to take this refresher class.

This refresher & authorization workshop welcomes students with previous screenprinting experience who are feeling out-of-practice or fuzzy regarding the finer points of the process, or who have never printed at Spudnik before, and want familiarity with our facilities and offerings. Students should have already completed a one-day workshop or full class, although it need not have been at Spudnik. We also welcome printers that would like support working through a particularly complex project or reoccurring printing issue.

The class will review an assortment of skills such as selecting the best mesh count, applying the perfect coat of photo emulsion, troubleshooting and diagnosing exposure and printing issues, ink mixing, registration, and screen reclamation. Equally as importantly, we will address how to consider these technical factors and limitations when designing a project for printing.

During the workshops, each student will expose a screen, and work with peers to print a two-color image designed to hone nuanced printing skills. Students are welcome to bring specific questions about their next project.

To help build printing confidence at Open Studio sessions, students are invited to return within the week to put their freshly acquired knowledge to use. Through this workshop, students will not only brush up on old skills and become authorized to print at Spudnik, but are sure to walk away with new morsels of useful information regarding the art of screenprinting.

January 26 | Intro to Intaglio, Etching (6 Weeks)

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. Further lessons on intaglio can also be explored through booking Private Lessons so students can work on more specific projects with an instructor.

January 27 | Intro to Letterpress Printing (6 Weeks)

This course is the perfect introduction to letterpress printing. From its creation by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century until the 19th century, letterpress printing was the norm for printing text. Its use persisted in books and various applications until the late 20th century.

Letterpress printing evolved from simple platen presses, where paper was pressed onto an inked form, producing beautifully imprinted text and images. Over time, the flat platen was replaced by a roller in the flat-bed cylinder press, streamlining the process.

In 6 weekly sessions, students will develop foundational skills including hand setting metal and wood type, basic mechanics and proper use of presses, overview of materials (ink and paper), and community studio etiquette.

Students will learn how to set type with a composing stick, including adjusting letter and word spacing, building up type, and printing type with consistent impression. They will learn to print on our platen presses, including locking up in a chase, basic make ready to improve impression consistency, registration of multiple layers, and cleaning the press.

This class is great for creatives, graphic designers, writers, and anyone interested in exploring language as a visual medium.

In addition to gaining authorization to print independently at Spudnik Press, students will have access to Open Studios to work on their projects.

January 29 | Riso 101 (4 Hours)

The Risograph is an automated duplicator from Japan that efficiently produces offset-like prints in a variety of saturated colors. Though not originally intended for artistic application, the machine has gained traction (and notoriety) in small-press culture for its distinctive effects and efficiency—as well as for being rather finicky.

This 4-hour workshop will walk students through the fundamentals of risography for bookmaking and fine art printing. Students will learn techniques and best practices for reproducing imagery, giving consideration to ink density, drying time, paper choices, registration, and patience. Students will become acquainted with the mechanics of the printer and learn basic maintenance, including how to change the master roll and a drum’s ink tube. Everyone will leave with an individually designed two-layer print.

Students will receive risography authorization and an Open Studio coupon, redeemable within the following 60 days. The Open Studio coupon is worth 4 hours of studio time (valued at $40) to work independently and continue what you have learned from the class.

January 31| DIY Letterpress Cards (1-Day)

Join us for this fun, social workshop to see what letterpress printing is all about. During this workshop, you’ll be able to design and print your own greeting cards using vintage type and a traditional Vandercook press. The rich, tactile quality of ink pressed into paper will leave an impression on the lucky recipients of your handmade cards!

Each attendee will be able to choose from a variety of fonts in our collection. With these fonts, they will learn how to set and print their own short saying, phrase, or statement to create a professional and one-of-a-kind set of cards. Our Teaching Artist will share what moveable type is, how it works, why it’s so special, and how its invention changed the world.

This one-day workshop combines an overview of letterpress printing and its unique history with hands-on making. It is a great way to try out a new craft and find out if you would love to learn the full process.

January 31| Intro to Monotype Printing (4 Weeks)

Monotyping is printmaking in a very pure form: the transfer of ink to a singular image that cannot be duplicated. Monotypes are unique, precious, “one-of-one” and the process of creating them is ripe for experimentation, play, and working quickly through ideas and iterations.

In this 4-week class, students will learn techniques in both oil-based and water-based inks that resemble everything from delicate watercolor to chunky fingerpaint and fine ballpoint pen. Participants will also learn to work with “ghost” prints and templates to create variable editions, as well as unique and collaborative prints as a class.

Come surprise yourself and each other with the possibilities of this generous and flexible medium!

In addition to gaining authorization to print independently at Spudnik Press, students will have access to Open Studios to work on their projects.

February 1 | Screenprinting: T-shirts & Totebags (1 day)

Convert your own drawing or design to a collection of hand-printed wearable items in this energetic and informative one-day workshop. Printing an assortment of t-shirts or tote bags is practical, fun and incredibly gratifying.

Students should come to the workshops with a bold black and white drawing, a high-contrast photo, or a digital design. While Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop files are great, students can also bring a Microsoft Word file or a high-contrast photocopy. After students refine the artwork (as needed) to be “print-ready”, students will expose their image onto a pre-coated photographic screen and mix their own custom ink color.

Everyone should bring five items of their choosing to print. As long as they are fabric and flat, we can help you print on it! Shirts, tote bags, tea towels, bandanas, and thrift store jean jackets will all work great. Leave with a sample for an Etsy store, a surprise gift for a friend, or an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags!