Letterpress is where printmaking and my dive into bookmaking started for me.
It might be a love of old machinery, or the calm that comes from unplugging and working directly with ink and printing blocks.
Whatever the origins, I know there is an element of serendipity that exists in the analog art world, something more difficult to find when working on a computer.
The tactile nature of the medium, the papers. The sound of the press… it is a different world.
Like many of my images, the idea for this greeting card started as a photograph. Printed in two colors, it embodies the graphic simplicity that can arise when working with ink and paper.
The Technique
Whether it is wood type and linocuts, polymer plates, or handset metal type, letterpress always makes a relief print: the parts that are at the right height are inked and printed; those that are lower are not. And always viewed in reverse.
While a member of the artist cooperative at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, I was lucky to have access to a variety of letterpress equipment, a good collection of metal type, and a great community to support whatever I might want to make.
Whether it is something serious or silly, I’ve found letterpress to be a great way to print.
Expressive, contemplative printing and a wonderful finished product.
My Mighty Journey
Color blending, considering the properties of wood and stone under pressure, and the power of Bondo are all in a days work on the My Mighty Journey project. I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to assist with this special project, which I documented in a Tumblr blog I created for the project.
Based on the text of author John Coy, in these photos I am assisting world-renowned illustrator and printmaker Gaylord Schanilec in creating the sixteen letterpress relief prints that will illustrate this unique children’s book, My Mighty Journey, written in the first-person perspective of St. Anthony Falls.
The falls began in today’s downtown St. Paul over 10,000 years ago, then journeyed upstream 12 miles to its current location in Minneapolis, all the while carving out what would become the bluffs of the Mississippi. We now know this as the most scenic part of the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area. Indeed, a mighty journey!
Similarly, a mighty journey for those of us involved with the project, which started in June 2015 and continued well into 2019.
Printing from materials found along the banks of the Mississippi, we’ve explored rotten wood and bark, limestone and brick, fresh plant leaves, and rubbings of ancient spear points.
I encourage you to learn more and follow the project’s progress on the My Mighty Journey Blog, which I maintain to document the exciting “discoveries” we make along the way!
Some Other Letterpress Examples
The letterpress discussion continues with recent little projects.
