This is an in-person workshop. All students and the instructor are required to be vaccinated (honor system) and agree to wear a mask for the duration of the class. If you choose to complete the registration process you are agreeing to these terms.

Cylinder Core Certificate Program

The handfed cylinder proof press, also known as the Vandercook press, has a special place in both print history and in teaching book arts. Immediate and accessible, yet nuanced and specific, it is the press that introduced many of us to letterpress. The four class Cylinder Core Certificate Program allows students to move quickly through the press basics while also addressing relief printing in general. Students who finish the four core classes are qualified to rent press time as well as move on to more advanced classes and techniques. Click here to learn more about the Core Certification Program.

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Cylinder Core 4 :: Digital into Analog

Bring digital back into analog in this final core course and learn to print from photopolymer plates. Apply your letterpress skills to artwork created digitally to make fantastic plates for printing. Walk away with a stack of greeting cards printed from polymer plates.

Competencies Gained:

• Builds on skills from Cylinder Cores 1, 2 and 3

• Knowledge:

  • Introduction to polymer plate printing

  • Knowledge of various polymer plate bases and benefits/costs of each one

• Skills

  • Build on press setup skills

  • Build on ink mixing skills

  • Develop press cleanup speed

• Equipment

  • Increased familiarity with running the cylinder (Vandercook) press

All paper for SFCB's Core Certificate Program projects has been generously provided by Mohawk.

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Materials to Bring: None

Prerequisite: Cylinder Core 1, 2, 3

Workshop + Materials Fee: $200.00

Date & Time: Sunday, August 8, 2021 :: 9:30am-5:30pm

Location: This workshop will take place at 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Note: Please read the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 3 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THIS WORKSHOP. 

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About the Instructor | Alan Hillesheim

Alan Hillesheim has degrees in English Literature from UC Berkeley and the University of Chicago. Thus, lost in the woods without a compass, he apprenticed at Jim Robertson's Yolla Bolly Press, over his head in the black art. There he happened upon a dysfunctional paper-folding-machine which resembled a Norwegian snow sled wrecked by six drunks. He fixed it. And then began a 23 year adventure both printing and fixing machines from the golden age of letterpress. In addition to running Digger Pine Press into the ground, he also builds wooden boats for oar and sail and, most recently, fanciful wooden toys for a four year old. He is still writing the novel he started 25 years ago, Different Eyes.

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Past Student Reviews:

“He provided so many valuable tips for problem solving along with the confidence that we could be creative with it.”

“He is very accessible and answers every question. He has a really broad range of knowledge and is cheerful and approachable.”

"It was educational and fun. I was engaged the whole time. Alan gave us space to be creative and wrap our heads around things, but was available to walk me through any tough spots."