Letterpress Rules and Borders

November 3rd, 2024 9:30 AM

  • Instructor: Brian Ferrett
  • Workshop Type: Printing
  • Workshop Status: Open
  • Sessions: 1
  • In-person or Online?: In-person

Workshop Fee (includes materials fee): $180
Click here to apply for a Windgate scholarship

Masks are no longer required for workshops, though anyone is welcome to wear one if they wish.


Now that you are Core Certified, it’s time to expand on the skills you’ve learned and try something new!

Learn to use strip rule - long, thin pieces of type-high metal - to build decorative borders to enhance your already interesting work. Borders can be functional, fun or both, and we'll try everything from a simple 45º angle to a bold and flourishing cornerstone.

Students will learn the difference between different kinds of strip material including brass rule, lead borders and rule, and wood borders. They'll create their own rule borders, combining strip material and decorative ornaments, and learn the painstaking process of mitering rule to get a 45-degree angle with the aid of a border box.

Students will leave class with an understanding of how to deploy a range of traditional decorative letterpress techniques to apply to their own projects.

>> Prerequisite: Cylinder Core 1-4 Certification or equivalent Vandercook/letterpress experience <<

Materials to Bring: All tools and materials will be provided. 

Date & Time: Sunday, November 3, 2024 :: 9:30am-5:30pm

Location: 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

NOTE: Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class. Registration will close approximately three days prior to the start date of the workshop to allow the instructor time to prep materials for class. We recommend you not wait to register, as workshops that don't meet our minimum enrollment will be canceled, sometimes as much as a week in advance.
 


About the Instructor | Brian Ferrett (he/him)

Brian has a printing degree from MATC and worked in offset web and screen printing. In 2008 he joined M&H Type as a typecasting apprentice under Lewis Mitchell. He currently manages M&H's daily operations, maintains the historic casting machines and presses, casts type, and prints Arion Press publications. Brian is a member of the Northern California chapter of the American Printing History Association, the American Typecaster Fellowship, and volunteers with San Francisco Public Library's annual Valentine’s Day broadside event. In his spare time he plays around with his Vandercook 219AB, C&P New Style 10x15, and his two Kelseys.

Past Student Reviews:

“Brian was very knowledgable, organized, patient, and helpful. He kept a very relaxed atmosphere and let everyone explore and find their own projects with just enough support."

“Brian was fantastic.  I tend to ask a lot of questions and Brian was understanding and willing to answer all of them!"

"Brian set a nice pace of the class, supported each student with the process while still allowing them to experience the process.  He provided good background and reasons for each of the steps.”

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375 Rhode Island St
San Francisco, CA 94103-5133
United States