squid prints

I did these back in April, when I volunteered at the SFCB Earth Day open house. Didn't get around to posting about it due to computer issues.. so here they are.

These prints were made from a humboldt squid that was donated by the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. This is a smaller squid; the mantle is about 16" long (they can grow to almost 6 feet in mantle length!). Water based block printing ink was applied to the skin of the squid, and then the paper was laid over the top and smoothed down.

with labels on butcher paper

on some lovely rice paper

another letterpress class

This was a full day class incorporating text, block, and multiple color registration on the Vandercook press. 

The print is collaborative, with each student carving their own blocks under instruction. Mine is the center block.

the first color. it's a blend roll

blocks inked up with the second color

there were 4 paper colors

discussing and trouble-shooting registration issues

the last one got printed upside-down. kind of neat effect.
not shown: print on  pumpkin colored paper

without the blend roll

my block.
i was naughty and didn't clean it off, but i'm not going to be printing it again, and it looks so nice with the blue

letterpress!

San Francisco Center for the Book offers an affordable ($40) three hour long get-your-feet-wet introduction class, so I jumped in. It was fun, fascinating, and the people I met who work and teach there are just great.

My first letterpress print!