My Letterpress Chronicles: Day 3

So I'm kinda late writing this post being that class is today in like 15 minutes. I'm waiting for my ride who decided to tell me that they were late once it became too late for me to make it to class on time. Hey why let them off the hook, they're driving me to class anyway....

Class last week Thursday, 21 June 2012 was AMAZING.  Step by step, we were taken through the journey of creating our very own PhotoPolymer Plates.  It is quite a process, but once grasped, there's no turning back.

I was running late to class late to class for the 1st time, (heading toward my 2nd time). -- But still, I wouldn't dare go through the entire class hungry.... LOL.. ---soooo right before class, I ran by Chipotle and got my trusty bowl made of brown rice, grilled chicken, lettuce and that tasty spicy red sauce my bottle of Poland Spring and I was off to class.



Of course the day I'm late, Mr. Faust began exactly on time and they were already at a paper cutter known as the guillotine, cutting our business cards down to size.  I caught the end and we all received our business cards.  After that, I finally got a chance to take a few bites, and next thing you know we're being called off to make our plates.  I was still hungry so it was kind of hard to put my bowl down, but I managed....lol

The Guillotine & Finished Business Cards.... 



So the process is kinda of long winded so I'm pretty sure you don't want me to type every single step.-- well I don't have to anyway.  After taking notes about every single step, I realized that the printed instructions were on the wall hanging above the PhotoPolymer Plate Maker... (GOOOOO ME!!!)

Anywho I have pictures of every step, all the way up to using the Photopolymer Plate. I hope you enjoy....

Transparency is needed to make the copies

After making 2 of the exact same copies of the selected image, this is what it should look like coming out of the copy machine

One copy is placed on the light table tape down the corners to minimize movement

Place a cut out of the 2nd copy of the selected image and place it directly over the image taped to the light table (They have to match as closely as possible)

The Big Thang here is the Exposure Unit you place the images in here in between two PhotoPolymer Plates

This is the PhotPolymer Plate after it finished drying

A set of completed plates. (there are 7 different images)

Here are the Directions, I placed them close to last because this is when I became aware of their existence...LOL

My Photopolymer Plate: I selected a wedding photo

This is a plate base that will make the Photopolymer Plates type high so we are able to use them to print

See...dnt they look great inked up.. :-)

Last But Certainly not least, the finished product!!!!

Till Next Time

Meagan

My Letterpress Chronicles: Day 2

......So, it was another awesome day of class last week Thursday.  The class was even better than the first.  It's seems, so far, that each class will build upon one another.  One reason this class was even better is because I wasn't hungry for 3 1/2 hours like I was during the first class.  

......While I sat waiting for class to begin (mind you, I was 30 minutes early) 7 minutes before 6pm, it dawned on me that while I enjoyed my first class immensely -- a gray shadow known as hunger hovered over it, taking some of the joy out of my experience.  Once the thought hit me, and processed, I jumped out of my seat, grabbed my wallet & my trusty Sensation 4G from Tmobile [which I absolutely adore]---and I headed out in search of something healthy, tasty and fufilling....(arghhh this weight loss journey...LOL)

......I made it downstairs, walked out of the building, turned left and headed for 6th Avenue aka Avenue of Americas.  There had to be something there. ---And WAH-LAH Chipotle!!!...Right on 6 Av between W21st and W22st, I found my haven. PERFECT. I ordered a bowl composed of brown rice, black beans, grilled chicken, some crazy spicy red sauce, and lettuce...(I resisted the tempting and o so tasty Tortilla chips that I wanted soooo badly)....added a Poland Spring water and I was good to go...

 

The Meal that made the hunger shadow Disappear!!!

.....So class started and Mr. Faust jumped right in and let us know that we would be printing our very own business cards.  I was ecstatic.  After printing our business cards, we were to move on using the photos that we brought in to create our very own photo polymer plate.  Note:  I called it a Palmer Photo Engraving Plate in my blog about Day 1.  So please forgive me.  Once again the correct term is Photo Polymer Plate.

.....As Mr. Faust began speaking about how we would go about making our business cards, he mentioned different types of font that were good for our business cards.  From what I was able to catch while taking notes, he mentioned: Universe, Clarendon, Furtura, and Century Expanded.  Once Mr. Faust completed his discussion about fonts, he handed each of us our very own composing stick.  We quickly recapped how to properly hold the composing stick and we were off...

The first line of my business card

at this point I had the composing stick facing the wrong way..smh...LOL

......I must admit that I was uber nervous and not confident about making my first business card on my own but once I began and got myself together, I had soooooooooo much fun.

.....I had already began building my card when I realized I was holding the composing stick improperly.  Thankfully the letters were correct.  Trust me, it takes time to place each individual letter plus proper spacing in place, so I was glad that this was an easy fix.  All I had to do was flip the composing stick.  

The proper way to hold a composing stick: Upside down, reading from left to right

.....For my card, I chose to go a little traditional.  I selected Century Expanded 24pt. for my top line (my name) and Futura 18 pt. for the rest of the card.  I was the last one to finish but, that's alright.  Once I finished composing my card, I was added with the rest of cards composed by the class. Mr. Faust wanted to only use one sheet of paper.  It totally makes sense being to the fact that business cards are generally small, so there was no need to waste paper.

Our cards ready for print on the Vandercook Universal 1

.....Each of us had the opportunity to print after Mr. Faust printed a couple of times.  I must say, even though I printed the same job a few times to get the roll technique going --- I can't ever see this getting boring, EVER.

Behold the Printed Product

.....It took a little longer than expected for all of us to finish so we didn't get to move on to the Polymer Photo Plates.   This coming Thursday, we are supposed to cut down our business cards and make our plates.  I can't wait for Thursday to get here!!!!

.....That's all folk....I hope you enjoyed reading about Day 2 of My Letterpress Chronicles...

'Til Next Time

Meagan

So I Began My Introduction to Letterpress Class at SVA....

Hey...people...first I would like to say...I apologize for taking 4ever and some days to post a new blog....between...work...my endo...and regular life...blogging and my card journey kind of took a hold....but I'm back... persevering and moving forward.

As mentioned in my first blog.  I am a greeting card maker..Mainly handmades but with a gift...if you truly love it...one must enhance their skill and try to learn as much as they can to add..........and add
....and add some more.....So to add to my skill....I have embarked on a new road in my journey.  I have always wanted to learn how to letterpress.  After searching and searching tirelessly for an internship or apprenticeship to teach my about the art of letterpress (without any luck) --- I finally came across a class {that I of course had to pay cash for} at the School of Visual Arts; also known as SVA ...Yes the money may have set me back and with my first class behind me, I already know that it was O so Worth it!!!

My class is being taught by none other than Dikko Faust of Purgatory Press...Like how cool is that..???..I am past excited and honored.  I must admit that I really knew nothing about actual letterpress itself.  I knew about some machines that were used but that's about it.  So with my eagerness to learn I sat in my first class Thursday, 7 Jun 2012 at 6pm a blank canvas.  I am glad to say I now have some specs of paint on me.

Last week we learned about Pica versus points, ligatures such as: ff, fi, fl, ffi, and ffl typeface, ascenders and descenders but my favorite part of course was the fact that I had my very first letterpress experience.  We were allowed to use the Vandercook Universal 1...and I must say I haven't been that excited in a really long time...It was sooooo amazing....

Today will be my 2nd class and we will have the opportunity to create our very own Palmer Photo Engraving     Plate.  I the photo I chose to create the plate is good enough....anywho..I'll get into Palmer Photo Engraving more after my 2nd class tonight.

For now...enjoy the pictures of my experience at my very first Letterpress class session... :-)

The Vandercook Univeral 1 --Up Close & Personal

The Vandercook Universal 1 --Taking a Step Back

Last But definitely not Least

My very 1st Letterpressed Material!!!!

Till Next Time

Meagan

How it All Began!!!!

Three years ago, I assigned my class the task of creating Mother's Day cards.  One of my students said to me "Ms. Meagan are you going to make one too?" I said "sure, why not."  So here I was doing something I hadn't done ever since I was a single digit, make a hand-made greeting card.  To my surprise, I loved it.  As I began building this card, I didn't know that it was opening the gate to so much more.

 I used two sheets of 8.5x11 paper.  One sheet for the cover and one for an insert.  I used yellow and purple paint on the inside and sprinkled in with gold glitter for a little shimmer.  There were hand painted butterflies and flowers and hand writing in gold.  Although I hadn't used any punches or cardstock the card came out pretty well.  After I was done all of my students seemed to be in awe, as for me I was completely shocked.. LOL..I had no idea where all of these ideas came from that landed into this Mother's Day card.  Finally the silence broke and my students gave me the most wonderful compliments about the card which in my opinion was miraculously created.  Then, through all of the compliments emerged this question "Ms. Meagan, are you going to give your card to your mother?"  Honestly, I hadn't even thought of that, but in between the spirit of the holiday and the looks on there faces (hoping I said yes) -- there could only be one answer, so I opened my mouth and told them exactly what they wanted to hear; YES!!!

Finally Mother's Day arrives.  I was completely nervous about giving my mother the card.  My mother and I are extremely close, so if anyone would be brutally honest it would be her.  I really wanted her to like it, and that feeling completely surprised me.  The moment of truth had arrived, giving my mother "the card."  Here I was, in my early twenties feeling like I was in grade school all over again.  I handed it over and my mother asked "did you make this card?" I shook my head yes and then, something wonderful happened.  My mother told me how much she loved it!!!... Talk about elated.  I didn't know what to do with myself.  I was past cloud 9.  From that day forth my mother informed me that I would always make her cards no matter the holiday and that she would no longer take any store bought cards from me.

At first it was a little weird.  So many thoughts ran through my mind; first one being, I was entirely too old to be sitting around making greeting cards for anyone.  Of course, my mother, overrides being anyone, so every holiday after, I continued to make cards.  As I began to make cards for my mother, I noticed how easy it came to me.  It was natural.  Not saying the work of building a card is easy, but the feel for it was.  The creativity never seemed forced, I had a natural ability and skill for it......

The more cards I made for my mother, the better I became.  Little by little, I was gaining skill and also being more honest with myself.  This used to be tomboy was a paper/design lover.  Yes..I got that off of my chest...lol...Now besides making cards for my mother, in my free time I would make samples.  Cards of whatever I was thinking or feeling at that particular moment in time....

As I began chipping away at what had become a new but most beloved hobby, I found out that this hold world of stationery existed and I never knew anything about it.  At this juncture, I finally began buying things like punches, textured paper, and the ever so used double sided tape...The more I began to learn about this industry the more I realized I had so much more to learn.

I took to my basic ideas, but decided that if I was going to be serious about this, I had to enhance my already given skill.  I took to youtube and free cardmaking classes.  I began to study techniques, cuts, and folds.  As I dug deeper into this industry that held my hobby, I realized that this "hobby" was more than just a hobby to me.  It is what I wanted to do with my life.

On many occasions in my life I have received greeting cards.  Some of them were printed, some hand-made and some e-cards.  One thing that rung true about all of them was that when I would receive any other them, I would smile...Thus, the task of owning my own custom design greeting company was born.

You are meeting me in the part of the story where, I finally have a blog page, and a twitter page and when I'm not as shy as I once was about my work.  You are meeting me in the part of the story where I am ready to share my gift.  Ready to put smiles on the faces of many...Ready to tell the stories we all live.

Granted, I am still a beginner, which makes this even better.  You get to watch me as I grow and you know what, I'm not ashamed that I haven't been doing this forever.  I love where I am.  I get to learn, be a mentee, make mistakes and learn from them.  I am more than willing to take suggestions and constructive criticism..

I am ready to share my work...I am ready to have my beginning!!!!.

Meagan

P.S.  I hope you enjoy watching and learn from this journey that I am on.....