Say It Solid! Make A Statement With Relief Printing

In this one-hour workshop the participants will create a relief print that makes an individual statement: using their own pencils and ball-point pens, they will emboss on a Styrofoam sheet an original image and a personal quote, and print it on paper using ink and brayer. Participants will be exposed to a brief history of printed materials, with close attention to the combination of text and image, especially in the light of social media’s cultural peculiarity of memes. They will brainstorm for a significant statement by gathering words and images from their own vocabulary and feelings. They will then experiment with a rudimentary but effective method of creating a print matrix by embossing the non-printing areas of the plate, rolling ink on it, and print it on a piece of paper by burnishing it on the inked surface. Participants will examine possibilities of layout for the work, and get feedback from their peers and the instructor about the clarity/legibility of the statement.

Program Artist:

Claudio Orso-Giacone