Steel & Ink: Letterpress workshop with The Post Family
It was on odd feeling as I stepped through the door to the building where The Post Family Art & Design Collective is located. Ten foot white walls, no directional signage, and fluorescent lighting all make for an eery experience. But the Sunday we spent with The Post Family was anything but eery. In fact, it felt right at home.
Our guide and mentor came in the form of David Sieren, Post Family member and master at not getting his hands smashed in the antique, one-ton printing press. With his tutelage and a good serving of inspiration from the beautiful, lofty design studio, we were off setting our own type in no time. By the time we finished setting our 50 pounds of lead type, David was busy coating the ancient press with ink. Old as it was, the press worked quite well as we watched the rollers soak up the ink and deposit it with graceful strokes onto our waiting paper.
The end results were anything but ordinary. Experimenting with different papers, thicknesses, and type allowed for some truly amazing layouts. As amazing as my description of the day is, you can see the whole process for yourself in this CPS student-made, feature film. Make sure you check it out, the cinematography is top notch. Our thanks go out to The Post Family for a great creative learning experience.