Workshop Fee (includes materials fee): $700
50% scholarship available; click here to apply.

This is an in-person workshop. As of January 2023, masks are strongly encouraged but not required, unless otherwise indicated. 

Cylinder Core Certificate Program

The hand-fed 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.

Cylinder Core 1 :: Experience Letterpress! 

Dig in to the tradition and history of letterpress printing and get your hands dirty. Learn about the process and practice of setting type, mixing inks and pulling impressions. In this class you will learn how to print your own cards! 

Cylinder Core 2 :: Power of the Broadside

Build your letterpress skills: learn advanced justification, typesetting, and composition. Put it all together to print a broadside of your own design.

Cylinder Core 3 :: Posterized

Develop your letterpress design skills and aesthetic while increasing your letterpress versatility: learn to set up the press, refine your registration skills, and run an edition. Learn more about packing, roller height, and make-ready. Come ready to run an edition of your own small poster.

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.

>> Prerequisite: None <<
 

Materials to Bring: None. All tools and materials will be provided.

Date & Time: Tuesday-Friday, August 8-11, 2023 :: 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 three days prior to the start date of the workshop to allow the instructor time to prep materials for class. 
 

About the Instructor | Thea Sizemore (she/her)

Thea Sizemore has been a letterpress printer, artist and instructor for over 20 years. She holds BFA in printmaking with emphasis on book arts from the California College of the Arts with additional studies at Cleveland Institute of Art.

As founder of Kavamore Press, a custom letterpress and design studio in South Berkeley, Thea works with private clients and various artists to create ephemera for projects including some for the Carpenter Center for the Arts at Harvard, The Guggenheim and the SFMOMA. In recent years, Thea's personal work has focused on projects that use the power of print to connect and engage community including a mail art project called “Social Media Snail Mail”, an ongoing series of free letterpress posters and public printing protest events. To view more of her work, visit kavamorepress.com

Past Student Reviews:

“Thea truly is a Press Maven. She has so many tips and troubleshooting ideas that she is so generous with. Not only is she clear with instructions but she is very patient and makes sure to touch base with all students throughout the class.”

“What I loved best is Thea! She explained how to layout and space our type in such a logical manner that made so much sense. I also loved her tips on troubleshooting with a lino carved block which wasn't quite type high.”

“I loved that it wasn't a basic intro into typography, but more of what you need to know in order to typeset. The wide selection of type faces and random dingbats was really fun to experiment with. It was great to learn how to problem solve on press and learn how to properly care for the equipment.”

“Thea was so welcoming, knowledgeable, and helpful. I was impressed by her professionalism as I have paid similar prices for day long craft/art/maker classes and been left underwhelmed. This was not the case with Thea - I would wholeheartedly recommend her class.”