The Early Summer School
The Early Summer School
An intense four-day course, designed to allow art directors, artists, designers, printmakers & students to work closely with wood letter & metal type, letterpress materials & printing equipment.
The Early Summer School
offers its participants a unique opportunity to develop an understanding of typography & design through the use of the traditional materials & processes used in letterpress.
The workshop is typographically driven – you will be introduced to the fundamental procedures of metal type setting & wood letter composition & through a simple series of exercises: begin to explore the possibilities of letterpress techniques & visual ideas; experiment with ink & understand the basics of printmaking paper.
Over the four days you will develop, design & hand-set a series of printed pieces that explore graphic ideas & visual solutions; explore composition, hierarchy, scale & colour; examine the importance of the history of design, typography & printing in the context of the outcome. the history of the book & the poster are examined for a specific ‘unbound’ project.
Workshop Programme
Day One
10:00 – 17:00
1. Workshop introduction
2. Workshop tour
3. Measurement systems
4. Methods & organisation of work
5. Workshop practice with wood letter
6. Creative typographic exercise
Day Two
10:00 – 17:00
1. Designing with letterpress
2. Proofing Type
3. Working with the Galley Press
4. One-day project wood letter brief
5. Designing, setting & printing
Day Three
10:00 – 17:00
1. Three-day project brief
2. Research & design application
3. Workshop practice with metal type
4. Mixing Inks & Colour Theory
5. Designing & hand-setting the project
Day Four
10:00 – 17:00
1. Three-day project brief
2. Research & design application
3. Understanding Printmaking papers
4. Printing the project
5. Final discussion & feedback:
(with visiting consultant)
Workshop Curriculum
The complete curriculum will be covered in
The Early Summer School
Methods & Organisation of work
workshop limitations
workshop organisation & rules
Basic elements & tools
in hand setting practice
printing types
word spacing material
leading
furniture
composing sticks
galleys
Measurement systems
the point system
picas
standard line
Workshop work
type cases
the lay of the double case
methods of setting
Method of proofing
tying-up
imposition
chases
building the forme
using the proofing press
make-ready
cleaning materials
Corrections
correction signs
correction to the metal
Printing presses
lever joint presses
platen presses: clamshell & parallel
cylinder presses
Paper
raw materials
standard & non-standard sizes
trimmed / untrimmed
paper weight (gsm)
Ink
the Pantone system
mixing ink
colour theory
Bibliography
key texts
Fees
The four-day workshop is £ per person. There are a maximum of 5 places in each workshop. This keeps the classes focused & intimate.
Full payment will secure a place (& is fully refundable*). Please Pay here (& select The Early Summer School). Purchase Orders can be raised & a receipt will be issued on payment.
*Cancellations must be 5 days before the beginning of the workshop otherwise a heavy penalty of 50% will be retained! This might sound a little brutal & we understand that things can often change but last minute cancellations can effect the other students & the dynamic of the classes.
The Summer School
The Summer School
An intense four-day course, designed to allow art directors, artists, designers, printmakers & students to work closely with wood letter & metal type, letterpress materials & printing equipment.
The Summer School
offers its participants a unique opportunity to develop an understanding of typography & design through the use of the traditional materials & processes used in letterpress.
The workshop is typographically driven – you will be introduced to the fundamental procedures of metal type setting & wood letter composition & through a simple series of exercises: begin to explore the possibilities of letterpress techniques & visual ideas; experiment with ink & understand the basics of printmaking paper.