Print-a-Thon
This event is a shared workshop time for anyone to bring in their current printing project (screen, block, letterpress, etc.) projects to share ideas, tips, techniques, or to get troubleshooting help on their projects. Supplies for basic small-scale printing projects are typically available for purchase (ink, paper, carving blocks, etc) from Paul or Astrud, who typically host the event. Astrud typically brings her small etching press for anyone who has a block to print or has taken the Laser Etched Woodcarving class and would like to print their plates. Please e-mail to sign up in advance for a one-hour time slot on the etching press with either Astrud (existedbean@gmail.com) or Paul (flyingprintmonkeys@yahoo.com).
Steamroller Printing Event – GO BIG OR GO HOME
The Printmaking SIG is a regular participant in a Steam Roller Printing Event in Deep Ellum or at DallasMakerSpace. While these "larger than the average bear" wood blocks could be printed via more conventional block printing techniques, an actual steamroller is used as the press for the Steam roller events.
For the Spring event, block sizes ranged from 24" square up to 30"x 48".
Watch the calendar for information regarding the spring edition of the event.
Print Exchange
To be announced!
Classes:
The printmaking classes are all designed to be as approachable to new printmakers as possible, where the goal is to not require prerequisites for any of the classes. However, each of the classes is categorized as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. You are more than welcome to jump in to an advanced class as your first class but please be aware that the more advanced classes may gloss over some more basic printing principals.
Beginner Classes
Screen Printing Basics: Printing on Paper
This class will review the tools and supplies needed for screen printing at the Makerspace or at home. We will concentrate on techniques oriented towards poster and fine art printing, but the lessons learned are also useful for printing on t-shirts or other fabric. Topics covered:
- Screen mesh, mesh count, the effects of mesh count, and how to choose a screen based on your project
- Theory behind getting art onto a screen, and how to prep art for a screen
- Understand the application of stencils, drawing fluid, and screen filler to achieve the results you want.
- Learn to clean up and reclaim screens both with the tools at the Makerspace and at home.
Activities:
- Hands on demonstration to include pulling a multicolor print, using water-based inks on paper.
- You will be able to take home your own hand printed poster!
Class Materials:
Please see the committee driver for PDF and Power Point for this class
Screen Printing Basics: Printing on Cloth
This class will review the tools and supplies needed for screen printing at the Makerspace or at home. We will concentrate on techniques oriented towards poster and fine art printing, but the lessons learned are also useful for printing on t-shirts or other fabric. Topics covered:
- Screen mesh, mesh count, the effects of mesh count, and how to choose a screen based on your project
- Theory behind getting art onto a screen, and how to prep art for a screen
- Understand the application of stencils, drawing fluid, and screen filler to achieve the results you want.
- Learn to clean up and reclaim screens both with the tools at the Makerspace and at home.
Activities:
- Hands on demonstration to include pulling a multicolor print, using water-based inks on paper.
- You will be able to take home your own hand printed poster!
Block Printing Basics: Relief Printing
- Learn about different substrates for carving and printing images such as linoleum, wood blocks, plastic erasers, styrofoam, cardboard and others. Learn about the various cutting tools available for carving at home or at the Makerspace.
- Learn about different inks available for printing. In the class, we will be printing with water-based inks. Carve and print a small plastic block using lino-cutters.
- Cut a foam-core registration plate for accurate printing. (registration technique). Perfect for handmade postcards, notecards, scrapbooking and fabric printing.
- This is a great class for anyone who is new to printmaking or is an experienced printmaker - and everyone in-between!
Letterpress Basics
Topics Covered:
This class is a hands-on class with demonstrations when applicable.
- Learn safety, how to use the letterpress equipment
- How to create a simple letterpress lockup form
- What materials are used to create the lockup form
- How to insert the lockup form into the letterpress
- How to ink the press up and print a personal initial card
Activities
During the hands-on portion, you will learn by participating in the handling of the tools to create a letterpress lockup form.
Each student will create small cards with their initials printed on them using the letterpress.
All attendees will examine a letterpress lockup form, inspect each component necessary to create a lockup form, and print a personalized card with wood type initials.
The completed project will be a printed card the student can take home with them.
Intermediate Classes
T-shirts and totes
Learn the basics of plastisol ink screen printing on a T-shirt and Tote bag.
Learn how to pull a print, and make a T-shirt and tote bag with the DMS logo. This class clears you for single color printing on the multi screen presses.
Students will
- +Review the tools and supplies needed and avail at the Maker Space
- +how to clean a screen & tools
- +mediate screen problems
- +prep the ink, thinning if necessary
- +apply ink
- +use the heat flash
- +clean up
Making Screens from scratch
This class will teach you how to cut and assemble a frame as well as stretch and attach a screen to make your own screen for printing. We will be using the woodshop to demonstrate how to make the frame, however, woodshop basics class is still required before using the equipment. Topics Covered:
- Screen mesh, mesh count, the effects of mesh count, and how to choose a screen based on your project.
- Mesh colors, sizes, and types.
- Types of screen frames, and methods for attaching the screen to different frame types.
- Methods of building screens
Activities
- Demonstration of how to use the wood shop tools to cut rails for building a screen frame. Note: Woodshop basics is required before using the woodshop equipment, this will only be a demonstration and will not be hands-on.
- Using tools and learning methods for to construct a frame from the rails
- Stretching and attaching a screen to the frame
- You will have your very own screen to take home with you!
- You will also receive your own Speedball Red Baron squeegee for printing with your new screen!
Screen Printing in 3D – Anaglyphs
This class will teach the basics of anaglyphs, commonly known as the 3D images that you wear the red/blue glasses for, and how to screen print them. This will cover methods for creating and playing with the 3D effect, as well as some of the other common anaglyph color combinations and their benefits. Printing will be done for use with blue and red glasses, and you will be given a pair to take home. Topics Covered:
- How we perceive 3D objects, and how the glasses let us see flat images in 3D
- 3D depth planes, and how to change the perceived depth of an image
- How to photograph objects to convert them into true 3D images, i.e. not single plane 3D
Activities
- Pull a multi-color single-plane 3D anaglyph
- Pull a multi-color true 3D anaglyph
- You’ll get to take home your own posters and a pair of 3D anaglyph glasses!
Advanced Classes
Screen Mono-printing
In this class we’ll print an image that can only be printed once, unlike most printmaking where there are multiple originals. You will need a **CLEAN** screen, or a brand-new screen from the “screens from scratch” class. Topics Covered:
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Activities
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Gelli plate Mono-printing
In this class we’ll print an image that can only be printed once, unlike most printmaking where there are multiple origionals. You will need a **CLEAN** screen, or a brand-new screen from the “screens from scratch” class. Topics Covered:
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- Integer nec odio.
- Sed cursus ante dapibus diam.
Activities
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- Pellentesque gravida pharetra est quis consequat.
- Morbi scelerisque massa ut sem dignissim maximus.
Plexiglass Mono-printing
In this class we’ll print an image that can only be printed once, unlike most printmaking where there are multiple origionals. You will need a **CLEAN** screen, or a brand-new screen from the “screens from scratch” class.
Topics Covered:
- Monoprinting is a form of printmaking that has lines or images that can only be made once, unlike most printmaking, where there are multiple originals. Use your brand new "Screen from Scratch" or **CLEAN** screen to play with the Monoprinting process.
- Learn about and experiment with the waterbased materials applied directly to the screen.
- Use acryiclic medium to release the image onto Canson Printmaking Paper, watch your image evolve over multiple printings.
Complex Cloth – Screen Printing
This is a two-part class to create your own custom piece of printed fabrics with pop culture inspired designs. your fabric will be created using multiple fabric printing techniques including discharge, clear, and dye attractant inks via screen printing, as well as over dyeing and tie-dyeing techniques, relief/block printing, and fabric painting. The first session will cover dye-attractant, clear ink, and dyes. The second session will use discharge ink and traditional ink to finish up the piece. This class is fairly advanced and covers more advanced topics. This is class is fairly light on lecture and much more focused on the process of printing. There are a lot of choices to make and the class goes by faster than you may think. While this is beginner friendly, it is suggested to have first had at least a screen printing basics class to get the most out of this class. Topics Covered:
- Methods for mounting cloth for printing.
- Clear (plastisol) ink printing and setting.
- Die attractant inks.
- Discharge inks and bleach, and their effects on fabric.
- Dying and tie-dying techniques.
- Methods for printing on cloth.
Activities
- Pull prints using multiple types of ink (dye attractant, clear plastisol, discharge, traditional)
- Design and print a unique piece using a wide range of theme-based screens, which is yours to take home!
Multi-color Printing – 4 images from one screen
This class will teach you how to print a four-color image using four different images on the same screen. This will help you get the most out of your screens for small to medium sized pieces by doing it all with one screen. This gives you less screens to burn, less screens to clean, and helps maximize your workspace. While still beginner friendly, this is a very labor-intensive class that is more focused on the mechanics of pulling prints than lecture. When finished with this class, you’ll know exactly why Andy Warhol called his studio the factory. Topics Covered:
- Basic color theory for selecting complimentary colors for the print.
- Effects of layering ink.
- Techniques for registering both the paper and screen for repeatable prints
- Methods to ensure that you get the best pulls on your work pieces
- Ensuring that a print is dry for printing another color
Activities
- Pulling multi-layered screen prints
- Work as a print team while switching positions to maximize both the number of prints while maintaining consistency
- Basic grading of print quality and consistency
- You get to take home a number of four color prints!
Super-Secret Class
We have a super-secret class that is in progress and will be sure to post updates on talk!
