Riso on the Moon

Claire Guyot is the founder of Riso on the Moon; a Risograph printing studio based in Toulouse, France, that started up six months ago, just after Claire completed her studies in Graphic Design.

Claire discovered Riso printing by chance. Her school in Toulouse had a one-colour machine, that was “quite old and temperamental”. “At this time, I didn’t know a lot about it, it was such a funny machine that a lot of students used for their projects, but without really knowing how to use it well” says the printmaker. But everything changed in 2018, when Claire had the opportunity to partake in a three-month internship at Risotto Studio in Glasgow. She describes; “It was such a wonderful and lovely experience, and I really discovered what Riso printing was like”. Claire learnt not only how to print, but also how a Riso studio works, how to deal with clients, and how to organise workshop. “These three months are still one of my best experiences, and at the end, I knew I wanted to do that for a living”.

Over the coming years, Claire hopes to develop an affordable Riso printing service. She states; “I would love Riso printing to be widely known about and accessible to as large an audience as possible”. However, she also wants Riso on the Moon to be a studio that doesn’t just advocate for perfection, as she loves “the small mistakes and misalignments that can occur when printing”, and how these approximations are a real part of the Riso process. “Of course, I do my best, but I think that, if people want to print in Riso, they have to accept that the process can’t be perfect. Therein lies its charm. I don’t want Riso to be as monotonous as classic mechanical printing processes.”

She also aims to develop the ecological side of Riso printing, planning on becoming as environmentally friendly as she can. Claire states; “As I just started, I am not completely efficient, I still waste too much paper. But I am planning on being as zero-waste as I can, because I think it is an important topic, as Riso printing is itself a really ecological process.”

Currently, Riso on the Moon print with a second-hand Riso MZ1070 (a two-drum machine). “It is a great machine to start printing with as a professional, because everything can be controlled digitally, and the alignment is quite accurate-which is a blessing with a Riso” says Claire. The studio has twelve drums (some new, and some second-hand), thus can print a variety of things, including faux-CMYK and metallic gold pieces, though Claire has come to realise that there is currently a “bit of trend for fluorescent orange”.

The studio prints everything from illustrations, to business cards, comics, and fanzines for a variety of clients. Claire also creates some designs herself, producing cards and posters, and is hoping to soon develop a range of stationery that will include notebooks and calendars. Going forward, and taking inspiration from what she learnt at Risotto Studio, Claire would love to start hosting workshops, introducing the printmaking process to those new to the technique, as well as thematic ones for people who want to learn more specific things.

Claire has always been interested in fantasy worlds, with realms, magic, and old legends inspiring her design work. Conversely, she also describes herself as “a very practical person”, with a science background, she loves science-inspired things, such as botanical plates, cabinets of curiosity, and natural phenomena. Thus, her illustration works combine the two.  “I am particularly fascinated by space, so it is something that I really enjoy exploring and using in my work. At the same time, I love witchy aesthetics so much; the moon, stones, medicinal and poisonous plants all provide inspiration.”

“I love Riso printing because of everything it allows. You can experiment a lot; with colours, grain, textures, superposition… And I really enjoy printing for people. Even if I studied graphic design with the meaning of being a designer, I realise now that I prefer by far printing, and other manual activities, then just creating in front of a computer. Printing is a practical job, more a craft activity than an artistic one, and I like that. I think that I really enjoy a more manual work than an intellectual or conceptual one.”

www.risoonthemoon.com
@risoonthemoon

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