After checking your email to find the link to the reading (and reading it), please respond by explaining how it helped you to better understand letterpress printing. Also, please say why you think artists and designers have become so interested in it over the last decade.
Having been taught of the Gutenberg Press since AP Euro in High School, I never associated it with the art of letter press for some reason. While this article helped clarify certain aspects of printing such as setting and locking, I was able to better comprehend the method of letter press through the hands-on in class demonstration. This article truly showed the difference between the organic prints and more machine organized styles. This demonstrated the countless possibilities of letter press in the form of final appearance due to different methods.
ReplyDeleteArtists and designers have become more interested in letter press due to its beauty and old charm. The letter press method holds many aesthetic positives compared to modern printing. An example of one of these positives would be the attention to detail such as embossing of the paper or the uneven ink across the text. There is a romantic aspect of the idea that each print is handmade and unique in its own way.
I really got a sense as to how the letterpress works with the in class demonstration and so far, although I messed up when running that first page through the press, I thought it was really cool. I've never used a letterpress before and I had no idea of what it could do. I really like the look of the old letterpress prints and, like you said, all the little "mistakes" that make it the art that it is rather than something you could print with your computer. I do think it's rad (I'm trying to incorporate this adjetive into my vocabulary because I like that word and this seemed like a good place to put it) that you can do other design with the different plates, but I feel like the classic look and idea of the font is what makes it so unique. Like Kali also said, with the book I got to see the difference between the hand made ones and the more machine modern ones and I really like the former better.
ReplyDeleteI think there are several reasons that artists and designers have been interested in letterpress recently. Like everything, I believe that things come back and like some things from the past, such as the fad of wearing really bright colors, some people become really interested in it and begin bringing it back and suddenly everyone loves it and is using it. I really think however that it's the aspect of how personal it is and that it's hand made. Now we find most things are made in China or through a computer and we are completely fascinated with things that are hand made, so I think it's the same with the letterpress. I feel like people think that a letterpress print is more personal and unique than something made in China, which I completely agree.
I thought that this reading was very insightful to different ideas that could be produced using the letter press. Having already used the letterpress I am excited to try something new. I really enjoyed seeing and reading about the different places that work with the letter press. It is inspiring to see what other people have created using the press. Last time I used a lino cut with the press but after seeing so many brilliant examples of what could be done I would like to try a polymer plate.
ReplyDeleteI believe that artist have fallen in love with the press because of the handmade quality that it leaves behind. Now days so much of what is created is made digitally and we are so used tp seeing prints that have just been printed out for a computer. This way of creating requires a skill that feels personal and takes a skill that many people have not learned, therefore making it exclusive.
I think that the thing that was most helpful to me better understanding the letterpress was me standing there in front of it in class, seeing with my eyes and touching with my hands that helped the most. But the reading helped me to better understand letterpress printing because it better explained the entire process. For example one of the appeals of going back to the letterpress after the technological advances of the computer, where fonts and things are made within a few hours. But the overall aesthetic was changed. Something was lost in the use of computers. I think artists and designers have become more interested in the letterpress over he last decade because it was drawn to their attention that another element is added to the overall piece. It is no longer just visual; it is also tactile and dimensional. It can make an item even those more personal, things such as a wedding invitation. Using movable type and some sort of screw mechanism, it inks the surface. And in the older days they had to place the paper on top by hand. Polymer plates have become a common pick due to the affordable coast and quality results. I thought it was interesting that at the beginning, the idea of the letterpress was to make a light impression, to “kiss” the paper. Today it has evolved to a desire to make a deep impression on the paper.
ReplyDeleteI really valued the other day's class time because we all go to try out the press (with supervision and assistance!!). I am completely new to this process, but I think it will be my favorite project of the semester because the letterpress prints really appeal to me. In gaining more knowledge about the technique, two portions of the letterpress reading appealed to me. One, I learn visually, so I need to either read the information or have a technique shown to me. So, I'm glad to have read that one of the most popular inks to use is the water-soluble rubber-based kind. I'm pretty sure if I hadn't read that, I would have never learned what would be the best ink. Second, I liked all of the colorful examples of prints in the second portion of the text because it made me realize all of the potential the press could hold. When I first heard we would be using LETTERpress, I thought it could only be words, and now I definitely know otherwise.
ReplyDeleteWhy has this technique become so popular in the last decade? All I can think of is the word hipsters. But really, this bringing back of the old is a constant recurrence in history as well as in cultural styles. The Renaissance? High waisted and acid wash jeans and the resurgence of record players despite modern MP3 players? I don't really know why this happens, but it does. In relation to this printing technique, maybe with the rapid progression and instant gratification of today's society, it's nice to take a step back and imitate a skill that hints at a less fast-paced day in age.
How the reading helped you to better understand letterpress printing. Also, please say why you think artists and designers have become so interested in it over the last decade.
ReplyDeleteSince this process is not one new to me from our work in the book making class this reading wasn't bringing up anything that terribly new or striking but with that in mind I found the section on the individual different printing presses were the most interesting to see. I loved all the different styled images and texts worked with all across the country. I think artists and designers became so interested in revisiting this artistic process because of the uniqueness and individual character achieved from the press. Unlike any printer now a days the slight indenting of the paper caused from the press and features like that give personality to their work that otherwise can't be achieved.
I liked understanding the different styles that could be produced via the letterpress. It was interesting to see the ways in which other people used it. I like how letterpress allows people to focus on the importance of text as image and focus on typography.
ReplyDeleteI think artists and designers have become so interested in this method over the last decade because there has been a renewal of interest in antiquated techniques to counter-act all of the cold, sterileness that we are left with through our advancements in technology. I think creative people are also naturally nostalgic and interested in creating a more emotive world, and so letterpress gives that little splash of sentimentality that they seek. Furthermore, I think that there is a resurgence of love for "vintage" things in general because people romanticize the past as being happier since it is perceived as simpler.
After checking your email to find the link to the reading, please respond by explaining how it helped you to better understand letterpress printing. Also, please say why you think artists and designers have become so interested in it over the last decade.
ReplyDeleteI had always had an idea of what letterpress was, and whenever I saw it in stores on stationary or business cards I always found it visually appealing but never had a solid understanding of how the process was actually executed. After this reading, I am in awe of how the process actually works and how time-consuming it is. I never knew how much labor went in to creating a letterpress print and am honestly baffled by how people found the time/even figured out how to do this in the olden days before there were typewriters or even keyboards. Letterpress takes a lot of patience and also attention to detail in arranging and spacing the letters. I think it is a great process in terms of how it looks in the end, and it seems like knowing how to use a letterpress could be a unique and beneficial skill to have. The most challenging thing about working with the letterpress is certainly just arranging the letters correctly, using the spacers and essentially just not screwing up. It seems like it would be easy at first but when it comes down to it there are a lot of small technical things that are very important in the process that are difficult and tedious. However, I am sure it is very satisfying once everything is figured out and you can just print. I think there has been such a resurgence of interest in letterpress as an artistic tool recently because it is so visually appealing. Sure you could find a text that looks similar to any letterpress font, but the way it is embossed in a paper makes it unique and gives it a special texture that does not compare to just typing something out. I have seen letterpress everywhere lately from business cards to greeting cards to wedding invitations, and I personally just love the way it looks and feels. I have a much greater appreciation for it now that I know the process that goes into it!