And now it was time to bring some of my students into the mix. At this point we have done several Letterpress Workshops at Base Press with students from the Jefferson Visual Communication Design program, along with faculty and alums. We certainly hope—and intend—on continuing this opportunity for the students to “get off the computers” and “get inky.”

Students worked with the H. N. Werkman style of printing, where one collages with type and images on the press. Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman was an experimental Dutch artist, typographer and printer. He set up a clandestine printing house during the Nazi occupation (1940–1945) and sadly was shot by the Gestapo in the closing days of World War II.

This method has proven to be a very accessible way to approach letterpress printing and working with the press. No experience in printing or design are necessary whatsoever to work with this method, and generally speaking folks have a blast with it. If you have any interest in participating in your own workshop with a group of friends—or joining in on an existing workshop—please contact me and let me know. I would be more than happy to go over details with you. Workshop size limited to seven attendees, with a minimum of three attendees.