In the Print & Paper studio, we explore both papermaking and printmaking. And sometimes, we join the craft of each to make a combined piece. In paper classes and workshops, we explore how paper pulp is made and used to create products like sheets of paper, paper pulp castings, and pulp paintings.
In print classes and workshops, we use several print mediums. Screenprinting and relief are the most popular. We screenprint using the stencil method with a screen to create a single-use image, or we use emulsion to make a stencil on the screen that can be used over and over again. Both methods yield exciting results!
Craft After Hours: Making a Printed Tote workshop
In our one-day Making a Printed Tote workshop, students choose a design and learn how to screenprint onto fabric using these same skills. They also discover the way ink is cured for use on fabric. Everyone takes home their custom tote.
All students that come through the print studio learn about the different types of ink used for each style of printing, how to mix colors from cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, as well as the proper clean-up method for each ink type.
Relief Printmaking
Relief prints are carved into linoleum or wood and printed on one of our three etching presses. Students and artists at Craft Alliance can create simple single-layer prints or more intricate, multi-layered prints as their skills improve. Some students explore the reductive carving method where you carve away more of the block for each layer printed. When the edition of prints is finished, the block can no longer print the image again as it has been carved away.
