Photograms

This one-day workshop introduces you to one such ‘cameraless’ process the Photogram. This technique produces a shadowy negative image that is obtained by placing objects directly on photographic paper or other light-sensitized surfaces in the darkroom and then exposing it to light, in this case, using an enlarger. Through the control and placement of simple geometric forms/ objects, you are asked to explore the dynamics of composition: the relationship between positive and negative objects and space, variations in scale and the space between the objects.

Working within a format of 8” x 10”, aim to create a series of FIVE photograms exploring the following attributes of visual form: 1. structure (formal, balance, symmetrical, asymmetrical) 2. chaotic (informal, visual noise, irregular grouping, layering) 3. movement (active, time-based)

Test strips

This is a process I’ve used in the past, so I knew the basics. Test strips are a mandatory part of the process, as every machine is different due to age and the manner in which it’s been used. We started with just a plain test strip to get the basic idea of what timings and aperture we would be going for, and then moved on to test strips using acetate and tracing paper to gauge how the light would affect the patterns we were going to use.

Using some basic patterns and the shapes we used in our screen printing workshop, I created various test strips that somewhat resembled the compositions I was planning on using. I wanted to make sure that I utilised the shapes at hand to my best ability to represent the ideas we have been given in the brief; structured, chaotic, and movement.

To create the illusion of movement, we were shown a method in which we moved the shapes around on the plate between exposures to create the shadowed effect shown on the left here.

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Movement (left), Chaotic (right).

Rather than just having these shapes, I also decided to keep a static and orderly component to the composition to contrast nicely. My need to make a stable composition is why I don’t think my attempt at chaos was too successful. Just turning one of the lines to away from being parallel with another hurt me inside, but I feel that after I finished, in comparison with my attempt at order, it was at least somewhat successful.

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Order Negative (left) and Order Positive (right)

I decided to take some inspiration from an album cover I’ve always been intrigued with for this one shown below. I wanted order, but I didn’t want it to be boring, which in and of itself is hard to do. I then decided to see what it would be like inverted, and began the process of making it into a positive print (shown to the right). The process involved upping the aperture on the machine and holding the negative print face down against the new paper. This didn’t go entirely to plan as the paper lifted somewhat, resulting in a slight blur, but the effect I wanted is still there.

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Examples of Man Ray’s work.

After the workshop I wanted to re-research an artist I had looked into a long time ago when I first made photograms, the famous Man Ray. Using objects to block out light on photograph paper is a technique pioneered by Man Ray, adopted by many and used throughout the art world since then. His compositions are what impress me the most; using random household items to create such an interesting canvas isn’t an easy thing to do, but he accomplishes it perfectly.

Overall, I can see myself using this technique again in the future for simple compositions that require basic shapes or items, but past that, I’m not too sure how useful this would be. It’s interesting for what it is, and maybe further experimentation will make it more useful to me.

Bookbinding

maze fold book

“This series of workshops offers an introduction to bookbinding. You will explore various construction techniques using folded as well as single sheet pages and will learn 5 different sewing methods to produce different styles of books. You will follow a series of step-by-step practical demonstrations covering the basic principles of bookbinding techniques to build up your confidence and skills in simple bookbinding.

Over the 2 sessions, you’ll cover: • Basic principles of bookbinding • Simple handmade books using various binding techniques • Working with some of your screen prints, create one-off books or limited editions. • Dependant on time, the types of binding will include: simple pamphlet binding, pamphlet sewing onto a W-fold cover, stab binding, a maze book, and concertina/ leporello.”

This workshop was, by far, one of the most informative, and the one I can see myself utilising most in the future. There’s something about creating an object that you can hold in your hands and interact with that is just so satisfying.

We started with a simple method called Single Pamphlet Binding, wherein we used our screenprints made in previous workshops to create the covers. The process was an easy one. Only one signature was required, so you just have to fold a relatively small amount of paper in half and leave it to the side. You then cut a strip of much larger paper to fit the width of the unfolded paper and then some. After folding the cover in half, all that is required is a simple stitch to keep it in place within the cover, and to fold the excess cover over to create an inside cover.

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We then moved onto a slightly more complicated method, the W fold, which is basically two pamplets in one divided by a part of the spine. I liked this one as I felt it allowed for more detail and volume of pages. I also incorporated papers that I had already printed on inside to make it a more interesting flip through, rather than a sketchbook waiting to be filled.

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We then moved on to the lesser book like folds, such as the maze fold and stab binding.

Each of these were less impressive in my opinion, but quite fun for a few experiments. The stab binding is something that I immediately thought would be nice to use for swatches or scrap pieces from future experiments, such as photogram test strips and the like.

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Susie Wilson is an artist that comes to mind after these workshops. She works primarily with prints and binding them into books like the example above. In future, I’d like to use her unique techniques (such as pop and cut outs) in my own binding. In particular, I’d like to play with the shape of the books, as I feel so much more than the average rectangle can be done, as shown by Wilson in the example below. I plan on asking Ruth how this could be accomplished soon.

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Overall, I feel that being able to make books of your own design is an invaluable skill for Graphic Designers. What better way to bring your vision to reality than to make, by hand, the way in which it is represented? A method that was shown and explained to us was dos-a-dos, meaning back to back, in which two pamphlet books share one cover back to back. I intend on using this method to make my Zine alongside illustration, photography and letterpress.

Screen Print

Over the 3 days, you’ll cover: The fundamentals of the screen printing process. Familiarity of the print studio, equipment and tools. Group project development. Stencil and image-making. Coating screens using light-sensitive emulsion. Screen exposure process. Screen preparation. Ink mixing. A variety of screen printing processes and techniques.

Screen printing is a time consuming, messy process that I both love and hate. The results are undeniably charming and effective, but it just takes so much effort. The temptation to just make these images in photoshop and, in a sense, get the exact same result in half the time is overwhelming. But when compared side by side, the physical screen print is just better in an inexplicable way. Whether it’s the minute imperfections, or the effect of physical ink layering in an organic way, the screen print is just gorgeous.

Part 1 Working within your A4 process document, you are asked to draw 12 x 8cm squares (4 on each A4 page). Using only a series of black circles or squares positioned within the larger white square, you are asked to explore the following attributes of visual form (see example left): structure (formal, balance, symmetrical) chaotic (informal, visual noise, irregular grouping) movement (active, rythm, direction, asymmetrical) – upward, right, left

Part 2 Repeat the same series of exercises above, this time adding two further elements to your system: tone / shade (tint, gradation, transparency) texture (lines & dots) – here you can add some of your halftone patterns created in Photoshop.

The process started through using the halftone function on photoshop to make simple patterns that would work well on a screen. I made multiple layers (shown below) that I thought would look effective when layered on top of each other, only to later learn that only one layer would be transfered onto a screen anyway.

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Once they had been printed, we were taught the basics of screen printing. I was unfortunately quite ill at the time so didn’t get much physical work done, but I did return throughout the week to finish up.

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My main focus was on colour choice, as I wanted to make simple yet effective designs without cluttering the space. I feel that I achieved that well in the print above. The designer David Wolske inspired me in this aspect, as a huge part of his letterpress work is how colours overlap when wet.

Looking at these works in comparison, next time I make a screenprint I’d like to play around with pinks more. (David Wolske’s Bad at Maths no.3, Letterpress).

The next experiment was foiling, which was a tentative success.

I had luckily used a screen that was compatible with the foiling glue, so the process was quick. It was mildly successful, but the uneven heat of the domestic iron meant for a patchy coverage. In future, I’m hoping to invest in a laminator for a more even coverage.

Overall I enjoy screen printing, but it is just such a process, so I think rather than using it as an experimental tool in future, I’ll thoroughly plan before resorting to it for a final piece.

Letterpress Week Two

You will be provided with a word* (day 1) and some text taken from Failed It! (day 2). These will form the basis of your project work.

Before you begin type-setting, read the text provided; understand its basic meaning; break it into parts if necessary. Consider how could those parts relate to typographic forms and structures? Don’t just jump in: think first.

I was given the sentence “Something unexpected is far more memorable than perfection.” Yet again, as I had in the first workshop, I was given something a bit more subtle than my classmates, who had things akin to disasters and definitive mistakes. I wanted to make sure I stayed within the realm of “unexpected” and not just completely going off the chain, so I decided to go small yet different.

Reading “Failed It” by Eric Kessler taught me that mistakes can be subtle yet still change how something is read or interpreted. I wanted to break the flow of the sentence in an unexpected way without completely destroying it. At the time I didn’t understand the effectiveness of breaking up a word in such a way as I did below, but following research and a lecture on Gestalt Psychology in design, I realised that in breaking the continuity of the word Perfection, I had given it a new meaning. Whilst it was still one word, breaking it into three had effectively made the mind perceive it as three, which led to the staggered reading that I was going for whenever someone read my work out over my shoulder.

This paper we were provided with immediately caught my attention in the fact that it was quite literally a visual representation of the meaning behind my phrase. The fact that this statue has been manipulated into the imperfect and unexpected makes it far more memorable than if it had jut been normal image of a figure. I feel that I could have been more careful with the placement of my text, but I think it still worked rather well.

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The Designers use of Letterpress

Letterpress, to me, screams of my grandfather. He was a professional printer for his entire working life, constantly giving me misprinted children’s books and the like. I grew up loving the smell of printing ink and fresh paper, pushing past the clear plastic curtains to get into the huge factories.

So when we first stepped into the letterpress room, the first thing I did was snap a picture and send it to him. He immediately sent back a barrage of questions about what presses there were, how many font trays they had, and so many more questions I had no idea how to answer.

Basically, what I’m saying is, it never occurred to me to utilise these things in art. Letterpress was just how my Grandad printed books for his job. The realisation that I didn’t just have to put all of these little letters in line, perfectly, matching all of the fonts, blew my mind.

I began to research into people that utilised the creative side of these wonderful old machines. Technically, they are defunct in the design world, what with the birth of Adobe Software with every perfect font you could ever want, organised in every which way, but I think it is the imperfections that make letterpress such an alluring technique. It’s the same reason why I favour hand lettering over digital. Artists like Bob and Roberta smith have always inspired me with their slightly wonky and misaligned words. It hits home more than perfection does, it feels homemade and real, whilst I think that the same phrases in digital type would be easily glossed over; the words coming from a machine rather than a person.

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  Make Art Not War 1997 Bob and Roberta Smith born 1963 Presented by Tate Patrons 2007 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T12561

A sample of Bob and Roberta Smith’s work

Looking at this work, the personality behind these hand drawn words just jumps out. However, the imperfection could throw some audiences off, so I feel that wooden block letterpress is the comfortable medium between hand lettering and digital perfection. Letterpress immediately makes your design more personable than pure digital type. Of course, you can try to mimic the imperfection of wooden type through digital means, as evidenced in certain fonts. The first one that comes to mind for me is the font used on Green Day’s “American Idiot” album cover.

The effect just wouldn’t work as well if the type wasn’t trying to be imperfect. However, I do feel that if they had gone for the more organic feel of Letterpress, it would have worked even better. Whilst digital lettering has its place, I do feel that in most situations letterpress just feels better.

Letterpress has been making somewhat of a revolution in recent years. One of these reasons, I believe, is because of societies new found interest in anything retro. Nothing harkens back more to old design than letterpress work. Modern reinventions on printing made Letterpress printing defunct; in the eighties perfection became the goal. Then we achieved it through computer software, and we all back-pedalled. If everything is perfect, nothing is unique. We perfected audio files and streaming, so the record player in all its impracticality came back with claims of a more “authentic” sound. CGI became the basis in the animation industry, and suddenly hand-drawn and stop-motion animation is trendy and “true art”. We perfected digital type, yielding identical results every time, and people sought out the letterpress once more.

Another reason I believe that letterpress has made a resurgence is the idea of individuality. Despite making multiple prints from one set of type, none of them will be truly identical to the others. In this world of mass produced products, it makes sense for people to seek out one of a kind products. One of the major things that letterpress is used for is wedding cards and invitations, obviously because of that handmade special feeling that would make everything just a little bit more personal and special.

Many printing companies are starting in recent years that focus solely on letterpress. Neu Haus press was established in 1996 by Chris Chandler, uniting Letterpress and the music industry in design. The Garage Press was founded only in 2018, evidencing just how popular vintage letter-pressing is now. Georgina Estill, graphic artist of whom I adore, is almost entirely focused on Letterpress; the only exception being her hand drawn type. All of her work seems so deeply personal, and I have to accredit it to the hands on manner of manufacture. I feel that she accurately depicts the modern use of letterpress at a small, working scale.

Alan Kitching is the large time counterpart to the small time Letterpress user. He helped popularise the movement in design with his intricate colour mixing and overlaying. His work oftentimes seems chaotic, which I can find quite stressful in design. It has its place, but I often prefer approaches like David Wolske’s. Still unpredictable enough to be interesting, but ordered enough to make sense in my mind.

David Wolske’s “Angle Chase 02”

There are an awful lot of places to take inspiration from throughout the art of letterpress, and these are just a small compendium for me to use in future. I endeavour to continuously research topics like this to constantly broaden my research, and inevitably positively impact my work in consequence.

Letter Press Workshop

The letter press workshop was mostly about learning how to safely use the equipment, whilst also exercising creative muscles by finding unique and distinguished ways to portray the meaning of a select word through typography.

My word was “Flawed”, which whilst holding many potential ideas, I found was slightly less dramatic than other words given, like error or disaster. Whilst the meaning of those words implies a destruction, an entire offset to what the object was meant to be in the first place, “Flawed” simply implied a slight mistake.

Whilst I initially thought that this was a disadvantage, I soon saw that having a more subtle way of working could have its merits. I decided that for my first one I would use all of the same type, apart from one letter, which would be the words flaw. This worked out even better than I had hoped, as the larger A that I had chosen also had log dried ink on it, resulting in a warped and strange pattern no matter the pressure applied.

I then decided to play with that fact that when said aloud, it could mean “floored”. My grandfather was a professional printer, and he said that often the types of mistakes that they found in print were ones like these, words that were similar enough in sound being mistaken for each other in type.

I used a separate press to the rest of the class to make this print, as I needed to repeat a process multiple times and didn’t want to hog the main press. I used coloured ink, yellow for floored and blue for flawed, and made multiple exercise prints before layering them other eachother in a wet on wet application to imply that the darker “Flawed” was correcting the lighter “Floored” mistake.

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I first overlayed them quite closely, which I felt was effective in its own right, but because floored was such a light colour I feel that the full effect was lost. So I tried it again with a further separation to see how that improved it. I feel that the implication of correcting is lost, but in conjunction of the other print, it helps the viewer wee the actual word better.

There was one thing I intend on experimenting with in the future. The roller, when used, had the imprint of the type in the ink. I want to see if I could use this for some sort of reverse process, as evidenced in one of my prints when I upped the contrast digitally.

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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and absolutely intend on using these methods and this equipment in the future. The tactile physicality of it, with its tiny, unpredictable imperfections will always be more interesting to me than the perfect nature of digital type.