We’re proud to present a selection of letterpress prints from the talented members of our Official People of Print community. This method of relief printing has been used by our members for a wide variety of projects, from wedding invitations, to innovative and resourceful collages, with incredible results. Check out the projects below:
Rach Lloyd: Dada Poetry – Holy Hawking!
Holy Hawking is an experimental letterpress print based on a Dada poem. Printmaker, Rach Lloyd, created the poem using Tristan Tzara’s ‘cut and paste’ technique. “This print was really exciting to make, as I had a limited number of letters. I had to keep re-spacing and pressing the page, leading the sentence into the centre of the page,” describes Rach. The outcome is unpredictable and playful, adopting the same undermined processes of this style of poetry. She explains; “This experiment really helped me to think of letterpress as a piece of text but also a printed image, using the physical process of setting out the letters reminded me of the different ways I can use text, and to use letters as images.”
Papillon Press: Customised Wedding Suite
In 2021, Papillon Press started offering a wedding invitation printing service. Their first client was a family friend and her fiancé, whose wedding was a sweet outdoor affair at her family’s farm. Their task was to make invitations to match. The couple requested that they incorporated ferns, and the colours they liked were a sage green and a grey. So, they set off to start designing and finding materials. For the designs, Madeleine started with some layout sketches, and then went on to designing the logo to feature at the top of each invitation. After the design was finished, they settled on some “matcha” coloured envelopes, and then hand-mixed their vegetable-oil based inks to match perfectly. The designs were then printed on Neenah’s 100% Cotton paper in a very light grey, double thick, to achieve the lovely impressions in the paper. Papillon print all of their items one colour at a time, and with these they printed the green first! After the ink had dried, they adjusted the press and printed the grey. The final product was a set of 125 invitations with perfectly matching envelopes.
You can see a process video here.
Ingrid Ankerson: Letterpress Quilt #1
This paper quilt is made from letterpress test prints, experiments, mistakes, and old scraps Ingrid has collected over a recent period. Each square is 12×12 inches and assembled into a 36×48 inch quilt. Ingrid Ankerson is a graphic designer, illustrator, educator, and letterpress printer. She has a deep appreciation for the nuance of typographic forms. She enjoys exploring the potential of typography through repetition and subtle movement of small metal type on the bed of her Vandercook #4 press.
Wood Words Letterpress: Gymshark Together Campaign Motivational Poster
Part of the Gymshark TOGETHER collaborative campaign, this motivational poster was designed and hand-printed in the Wood Words studio using vintage wood type. The bespoke campaign artwork was based on the concept of human connection and created as a handcrafted letterpress print with authentic texture and a non-conforming typographic style.
Fireater: Ferris Bueller Poster
Independent letterpress workshop, Fireater, recently created this two colour letterpress print in one pull. The poster features a classic quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. “The lockup took some time to complete,” explains the printmaker, however, it is an open edition created with the option to attempt a 1/3 version using a smaller press and type.
Lemuette: Learning Letterpress
Printmaker Kari McDonald of Lemuette acquired a quantity of woodtype and metal type throughout last year, along with her first relief press and a Kelsey 6×10” letterpress. “The new and unknown tends to make me uneasy so I take a while to jump in – with letterpress that means I wasn’t printing yet,” says Kari. Thus, for Christmas she decided to use her woodtype to create name prints for her nieces and nephews and give them framed as gifts. “It’s been fun to try something new and I’ve even pulled my husband into helping me figure arrangements,” describes the printmaker.
Emily Pallett: Out of the Depths
During lockdown, Emily Pallett explored what it feels like to be isolated, both from her own perspective during the pandemic, as well as that of Oscar Wilde’s during his imprisonment at Reading Gaol. To do this, she created a letterpress Round and Round print that expresses her frustration with the ongoing virus situation, as well as a hand-bound book based on his cell door featuring letters inspired by Wilde’s De Profundis. The project was originally a site specific piece for The National Justice Museum in Nottingham, however this sadly didn’t go ahead due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Browse our membership directory in full at www.members.peopleofprint.com to take a look at more incredible work and services by our community. Want to become a POP Member and benefit from a heap of perks? APPLY HERE.
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Want to know more about our membership? Give us an email at members@peopleofprint.com.
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