Printing Workshops at Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum

Spring was about as a dozen designers, artists and printers gathered at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers, WI, the first weekend in March to expose themselves to the new processes and techniques of letterpress printing in a one day workshop. Sometimes, on the weekends in the winter, the Museum gets a bit chilly. But once these workshoppers got started, their enthusiasm and creativity warmed up the print shop nicely!

I had the joy and privilege of assisting Jim Moran with this workshop. He is the Museum’s Director, Master Printer, Jack of All Trades, Living Tome of Sometimes Obscure Knowledge, and Dry Wit to Boot. He started the group off with a tour of the Museum, as many of the students had never been to the Museum before -- they’d only seen it at the movies. Seeing the vast collection and how it was made can familiarize you with the space and get ideas popping.

The tour included a stop at this month’s exhibit at the Museum of poster work from Mohawk Press at the Western New York Book Arts Center, where Jim had also put out a selection of Hatch Show Print posters. Excellent fodder for printmaking! Both sets of posters show its best to embrace color and get it on the paper and to consider every inch of paper-spread the ink out!
A brief but information-packed introduction to mechanics of working in the shop, that covered the best habits for pulling type, mixing ink, locking type quickly in sign press beds, inking blocks, layering blocks and color on the paper, cleanly running the presses . . . what else? Many details – take the workshop to find out more!

The group was amazing to watch in action. From song lyrics and poetry, to abstract forms created with layers of blocks and ink and abstractions of everyday language layered and technicolored, everyone pursued distinct ideas and aesthetics and did not hesitate (too much). That bears repeating as a bit of advice: when given the freedom to work with such a great set of materials, don’t hesitate (too much). Just go go go!

Though there was a great selection of cuts from the Globe Collection, these printers were characteristically oriented – lots of wood type, large (over a foot high) and small (less than ½” inch high), was used on paper and cloth. Jim offers a unique fabric printing technique that is both effective and fun.

Fueled mid-day by pizza and homemade brownies, the group kept going all afternoon, really getting a lot of good ink on the paper. Jim continued offering techniques to add yet more color and depth to the printers’ works, and I worked tandem: more ink is more than likely going to be better, especially with letterpress printing and especially when you are trying it for the first time. Then you can reflect on what you’ve done, and determine how to either move it around to be more effective, or even perhaps take a bit away, and go into your second print session that much more print-wise.

Since the workshop, I have heard that wood type has been procured by workshopper(s), there may be a few more people in the market for a sign press (or another press? Jim demonstrated the use of the C&P motorized platen press, which is quite an expression of coordination and timing that never fails to awe anyone; and I was sharing as many Vandercook tips and tools as I could) . . . find out where all the inspiration and excitement was born—get to a Hamilton workshop soon! For more information about upcoming workshops, or to create one for your own group, contact Jim Moran at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum, jim.moran@woodtype.org.

More photos on flickr.