This course introduces the methodologies and concepts of traditional printmaking processes. These processes include intaglio, relief, letterpress and monotype. It exposes students to an overview of the tools, methods and materials for making printed artworks with particular focus on how manual printing and traditional techniques relate to contemporary concepts and individual art practice. This study includes the creation and utilization of various print matrices, edition processes, curatorial activity and how to work in a professional print-shop environment.

This course introduces the methodologies and concepts of printmaking techniques that utilize photo-based processes and digital applications. These processes include screen-print, photo-etching, photo-lithography and digital printing. It exposes students to an overview of the tools, methods and materials for making prints with particular focus on how photo-processes and digital applications expand technical and conceptual possibilities. This study includes the creation and utilization of various print matrices, editioning processes, curatorial activity and how to work in a professional printshop environment.

A risograph is a Japanese printing technology that creates imagery combining the aesthetic of analog (silkscreen, lithography) and digital color printing (automation and speed). This eco-friendly, small run technology has made RISO printing a very popular output choice for artists, graphic designers and printmakers. This course provides students with best practices for proper file preparation, making masters from digital files, output, ink/drum management, printing and registration in the creation of prints, zines, cards, promotional materials and publications.

Relief printing can be simple, direct, and inexpensive, resulting in images as bold as German Expressionism or as delicate as Japanese woodcuts. With this method, ink is transferred to paper from the surface of linoleum cuts, woodcuts, or found objects. The use of press is optional. Large and small-scale prints are produced. Black and white work is emphasized, but at least one project requires color.

Designed as a comprehensive course which looks at techniques of plate-making and intaglio printing, students will learn to prepare and render the surface of a metal plate. Students explore the development of their own ideas in this medium from both technical and personal points of view. Processes covered are drypoint, line etching, hard and soft ground, rosin aquatint, spit bite, and multiple plate color printing.

Covers through demonstrations and lectures the major design and basic technical processes of image making in lithography, traditional and contemporary. The primary goal is the production of fine lithographic images. Beyond technique there is art. Focus is on fundamentals of drawing and design principles, as well as a concern for ideas and personal artistic growth. Technically, this course addresses registration of multi-color images, edition printing, presentation, curating, and the vocabulary used in a print studio setting.

Explores the different possibilities of water-based screen-printing in a professional print shop atmosphere. Students can gain a solid working knowledge of screenprinting, employing both traditional and contemporary methods of stencil making, film preparation and printing methods on various papers, as well as alternative surfaces and materials. Techniques such as digital film outputting, mixing gradations with ink, multi-color registration, and four-color process printing are demonstrated and employed. Through independent projects, demonstrations, and critiques, students are encouraged to create a cohesive body of work and utilize the medium for their own individual artistic needs.

Illustration and printmaking have a long and rich intertwined history. With a shared interest in storytelling and the dissemination of ideas, this overlap remains deeply consequential today for contemporary practitioners within both areas. In this course, students study and reflect on this history as they explore the materials and methods of printmaking to create narrative works that interpret and depict the surrounding world. Using both analogue and digital methods, students explore stamp and stencil print aesthetics, image construction, color layering and mixing, and the production of editioned illustrated works. There is a focus on both relief processes and risograph printing. This is a great course for any student interested in exploring printmaking and storytelling. It is appropriate for both beginner and advanced printmakers, illustrators and designers alike.

In this artists’ intensive, students will traverse the history of the showcard print—as defined by the iconic Globe Poster Printing Corporation, best known for its eye-popping, content-rich designs of music posters—and push it forward to contemporary practice. The course is taught by the former owner of Globe Poster and master printer in letterpress and screenprinting, and features a collaborative project with a visiting artist. Using extensive wood type, photo and illustration cuts, hand-carved lettering, sketches and posters, students learn the crafts of letterpress printing and screenprinting through the lens of the vintage showcard print, from setting wood type to rainbow rolls to handcut blocks and rubyliths. Students design and print a number of posters, first learning the style of Globe and then building on that foundation to make their own mark on the art of poster-making. The guest artist works with students to set the scope of the work and develop a limited edition print.

This course merges the art of screenprinting and independent self-publishing as a means to share ideas through the creation dynamic printed matter. Screenprinting is a stencil based printing process characterized by a colorful, layered, graphic aesthetic. A zine is a self-published artist booklet, often blending text and image and commonly produced using photocopiers, inkjet printers, and risograph machines. Both screenprinting and zine making share a DIY ethos with a history of social and political critique and have long been associated with subversive, statement oriented art practices. Both analogue and digital processes and outcomes are explored, linking the physical screen frames of screenprinting and the electronic displays of our computers and phones.

This course introduces students to the craft and tactile beauty of letterpress printing, from traditional hand typesetting to modern polymer plate-making. The course focuses on printing with the Vandercook press and will draw on the rich materials of the Globe Collection, with its hand-carved blocks and extensive wood type. The course also traces the history of letterpress printing from moveable type to its current reincarnation as a medium for artists books, broadsides, posters and commercial work. Students learn foundation printing skills through a series of projects exploring the multiple techniques possible in letterpress and expand their understanding with field trips and guest artists.

This course examines the history and practice of prints in a political context. Print media have often served a direct role in the political realm, and artists have often responded to social conditions through printmaking. Students examine the distinctive graphic language and distributive power of the print through historically relevant media including relief, stencil, pamphlet, and poster printing techniques. Students also examine difficult and contested examples of print in the political sphere, and consider the social responsibility of the artist. Regular discussions about relevant readings and current events inform students’ use of print methods to express their personal viewpoints.

This course focuses on the historical beginnings of the codex and handmade paper. Focusing on both Eastern and Western tradition in paper-making and bookbinding, this course familiarizes students with the practicality of the materials, tools, and techniques used in both processes. Students develop an understanding of basic elements for constructing books.

This course is open to students who are focusing on book arts as a concentration and are interested in the history, conservation and artistic applications of paper, including the historic and contemporary practice of hand paper-making. Understanding plant structure and chemistry is essential in understanding the development of paper historically. The primary focus of this course is the technical application and production of pulp fiber for paper as well as production of handmade paper for various applications.

Introductory course to artist's books covering the basics of simple book structures, the relationship of text and image, knowledge of papers for bookmaking, digital file set-up, letterpress printing and imposition for book publication. Course objectives include an introduction to tools and basic principles, investigation into materials for successful book production and the use of visual components, placement of text and image, negative space and printing processes. Students learn file preparation using Adobe programs to prepare for printing.

Each student is expected to complete one or two independently developed projects that form a body of work related in content by the end of the semester. Light instruction and regular, individual in-depth consultation with the instructor are the norm. Short group meetings are held every other week. Entry into the class requires permission of the instructor and is based on printmaking experience as well as a willingness to participate in a class environment while setting one's own goals. Professional execution and presentation are integral to achieving success in this course. Depending on instructor, photo-processes, color techniques, or other alternative processes will be demonstrated.

This course is designed for qualified Printmaking majors and non-majors with an interest in an advanced study of the printmaking medium. Through a blend of both studio and seminar activity, each student is expected to complete a body of work related in content by the end of the semester. Students have use of the entire print studio facilities. Readings and critical theory specific to print media, instruction, and regular, individual, in-depth consultation with the instructor are the norm. Students are expected to critically evaluate and discuss their work in print formats that can include, book, 2D, and 3D print work. Students make in-class presentations, work from selected readings for discussions and evaluation of work.

Students examine a series of case studies in recent artistic production, generally organized around a common theme; the central theme varies from year to year and instructor to instructor. The topic is announced each semester in the schedule of courses.

This course provides the framework for students to complete a coherent body of work based on personal concepts. Students are provided shared personal studios in the Dolphin Building and full print studio access in order to develop independent work. Critiques from course faculty and visiting artists are held periodically throughout the semester as well as a formal review with a guest critic. The course also has a significant professional practice component. Topics considered include exhibition preparations, presentation skills, artist statement development, professional material creation, work documentation, and career networking.

This course provides the framework for students to complete a coherent body of work based on personal concepts. Students are provided shared personal studios in the Dolphin Building and full print studio access in order to develop independent work. Critiques from course faculty and visiting artists are held periodically throughout the semester as well as a formal review with a guest critic. The course also has a significant professional practice component. Topics considered include exhibition preparations, presentation skills, artist statement development, professional material creation, work documentation, and career networking. This course is a continuation of the Senior Thesis I and culminates with an exhibition in which students will present their final thesis work.