Short courses in letterpress printing • Specialist workshops for students
A series of courses and workshops are now on offer exploring letterpress printing.
St Bride Foundation was opened in 1895 as a social, educational and cultural centre and housed both a technical library and printing school providing tuition for local printers and students. The school eventually outgrew its premises and relocated, becoming what is now the London College of Communication.
The processes and techniques explored at St Bride Printing School years ago are again thriving as letterpress undergoes something of a renaissance in the UK. St Bride Foundation aims to keep the tradition and heritage of printing alive through a diverse selection of workshops, lectures and conferences.
For further information please email us at printworkshop@stbridefoundation.org.
Group bookings can be made and tailored packages are available
Find out more about us
Come and look around the Workshop, see the presses and equipment we have, meet the tutors and find out more about the courses we offer.
Storytelling and workshop for children
This is a completely new type of event to be held at the Foundation and aims to introduce a wider audience to printing skills, the history of printing and all the other fascinating aspects of the Foundation’s work.
For families with children from 8 to 12 years (no more than 2 children per adult).
Tickets: adults £5.00, children free of charge.
Book for the storytelling only
Trolls, Selkies, Ice Giants, Dragons, Monster Crabs, Mermaids… Who knows what storyteller Linda Cotterill will produce from her bottomless Mary Poppins bag? Listen to stories of creatures that are mysterious, magical and sometimes just plain weird.
For families with children from 8 to 12 years (no more than 2 children per adult).
Tickets: adults £10.00, children free of charge.
Book for the storytelling and workshop
Listen to stories of strange and magical creatures (10.00–11.00 am) then become a printer’s devil* for a day! You’ll work as a family to make a small book of one of the stories – writing, illustrating and printing it, using traditional methods. No computers will be involved! You’ll print part of it on a Victorian printing press, guided by a St Bride Foundation printer. All materials and techniques used are very safe, simple and lots of fun. Please remember to wear old clothes, (see note on Printer’s Devils).
* Note on Printer’s Devils. Printer’s apprentices would inevitably have parts of their skin stained black by the ink used in printing. As black was associated with the ‘black arts’, the apprentices came to be called devils and so Printer’s Devils.
This one day course is for the new or aspiring letterpress printer who is looking to set up a simple home studio using the Adana platen press.
You will receive instruction in hand typesetting and printing on an Adana, as well as practical points regarding maintenance of the press, workshop management and what to look out for when purchasing equipment.
Helen’s work as an artist-printer has been featured in a variety of locations from exhibitions, fairs, festivals, books and magazines. Most recently her work was on show at the V&A’s late night ‘Two’s a Pair’. She has provided editorial illustration for Rubbish Magazine, Photoworks Magazine and Le Gun and her work is included in Reinventing Letterpress and Little Book of Letterpress published by Rotoprint. Helen teaches letterpress and relief printing at Central St Martins and London Metropolitan University. She completed an MA in Communication Design at Central St Martins and a BA (hons) Graphic Design at University of Luton.
For beginners or those with some knowledge of typography, graphic design or relief printing
During this course students will examine the processes and applications needed to create their own letterpress work using Albion, Columbian, Stanhope and Adana presses.
Each week will focus on a particular area of letterpress. The course will begin with an induction to the workshop, health and safety, overview of letterpress printing with examples of practitioner’s work, explanation of hand setting and introduction to the presses.
Subsequent weeks will cover wood letter printing, tabletop platen press, two-colour printing and the use of metal type and polymer blocks. The final sessions will be dedicated to more experimental processes such as monoprinting and overprinting wherein participants will create their own pieces under supervision.
The course provides an excellent overview of the letterpress process, materials and workshop management.
Helen’s work as an artist-printer has been featured in a variety of locations from exhibitions, fairs, festivals, books and magazines. Most recently her work was on show at the V&A’s late night ‘Two’s a Pair’. She has provided editorial illustration for Rubbish Magazine, Photoworks Magazine and Le Gun and her work is included in Reinventing Letterpress and Little Book of Letterpress published by Rotoprint. Helen teaches letterpress and relief printing at Central St Martins and London Metropolitan University. She completed an MA in Communication Design at Central St Martins and a BA (hons) Graphic Design at University of Luton.
Set your own brief and develop your letterpress sensibility
This course is for those who have completed one of our 6-week beginners’ courses. Competent printers with a solid grounding in letterpress techniques may also join this group if they have sufficient skills. Contact us to find out if you are eligible.
With the knowledge of typesetting and printing you will have gained, you can now work on your own project under supervision on shared facilities. Some paper will be provided, but after consultation with the facilitator, you may bring along your own paper and print blocks.
For beginners, those with some limited experience and those wanting to extend their printing experience to a new process
The two day intensive will explore the basics of hand typesetting using metal type and progress to more advanced techniques. In addition, the workings of a number of different letterpress printing machines will be studied explored and their suitability for different kinds of work drawn out. The importance of ink and paper will also be explored.
Beyond these basics, the exact direction of the course will be dictated by the individual interests of participants. A collaborative poster will be created and individuals will also be able to print business cards, letterheadings, or similar.
At the end of the workshop participants will have furthered their knowledge and familiarity with different styles of printing machine, paper and ink.
Richard has been printing by letterpress for more than 30 years. For some 20 years he also undertook editorial and production work for publishers before completing an MA in the history of printing and design from Reading University. He has taught introductory letterpress courses to design students at Bath Spa University and regularly presents printing demonstrations and workshops at museums, art clubs, and, of course, St Bride Library.
Explore linocut techniques and learn the basics of letterpress
Linocut came into its own in the 1930s and 40s with London’s Grosvenor School and their dynamic overprints inspired by the machine age. Picasso developed reduction cutting techniques in the 1950s. Edward Bawden developed his distinctive style throughout from the 50s to the 90s.
In more recent times, Paul Catherall has come to the fore with his bold multiple block prints inspired by modern architecture. Myriad other artists have developed distinctive ways of working with this versatile medium. St Bride Print Workshop now gives you the opportunity to carry on this tradition and develop these methods in combination with letterpress printing.
You will be exploring lino-cutting and printing techniques as well as learning basic typesetting and letterpress printing on our antique presses.Your finished pieces will be a number of vibrant type- and image-based prints.
Courses run over two consecutive Saturdays. All materials and refreshments are provided. Please bring a selection of A4 photocopied images to work with and please dress appropriately (no high heels or open-toed shoes).
This course is facilitated by master printer, Richard Lawrence and acclaimed print-artist, Helen Ingham.
Richard Lawrence has more than 30 years’ experience as a letterpress printer. For some 20 years he also undertook editorial and production work for publishers before completing an MA in the history of printing and design from Reading University. He regularly collaborates with artists including Stanley Donwood. He has taught introductory letterpress courses to design students at Bath Spa University and regularly presents printing demonstrations and workshops at museums, art clubs, and, of course, St Bride Library. During the summer months, he runs a mobile print workshop aboard a pink milkfloat, which made an appearance at the Royal Festival Hall during Vintage Festival 2011.
Helen Ingham first trained in fine art, then graphic and communication design, in which she gained an MA at Central St Martins. An earlier career in music led to an interest in mid-20th century show posters and their production. After purchasing letterpress equipment from a local printer she set up Luton based Hi-Artz Press in 2002. Initially self taught, Helen travelled to the USA to intern at Nashville’s Hatch Showprint. She teaches letterpress at several educational institutions, including Central St Martins and London Metropolitan University. Part of the ‘new wave’ of letterpress printers, her distinctive text- and image-based prints are exhibited and sold worldwide.
Learn how to make a wood engraving in the white line tradition of Thomas Bewick and the wood engravers of the 1930s
You will be introduced to the process of wood engraving from preliminary drawings and design; transferring drawings to blocks; cutting blocks; choosing papers and proofing to printing a small limited edition of black and white prints on a Farley Proof Press.
This comprehensive course covers health and safety in workshops, the care and use of wood engraving tools and the use of the Farley and Albion printing presses. The course will also feature the work of historical and contemporary wood engravers with the opportunity to look at historic wood blocks in the St Bride collection.
Tools, end grain wood blocks, paper and inks will be provided but students will need to bring their own drawing equipment and additional papers they may wish to print on. Advice will be given on the purchase of tools.
The course provides an excellent introduction to wood engraving and the print workshop.
Peter S Smith is a painter and printmaker in London. He studied Fine Art at Birmingham Polytechnic and Art Education at Manchester. In 1992 he gained an MA (Printmaking) at Wimbledon School of Art. Head of the School of Art and Design at Kingston College from 1983 until 2010, examples of his work are held by Tate Britain and the Ashmolean Museum Oxford. The way I see it, a book about his printmaking work, was published in 2006.
An introduction to the beautiful and sensitive art of Japanese woodcutting
Over six weeks, you will learn and practise the skills of cutting and printing to create your own distinctive images, using key techniques. In this wonderfully tactile process, the printing is done by hand, and this as well as the use of water-based colours makes Japanese printmaking a thrillingly simple alternative to Western methods. It is also eco-friendly, involving no harsh chemicals. Image composition, tool sharpening, appreciating the qualities of different Japanese papers and a historical context will also be covered.
At the onset of the course, each student will be given a set of tools, a baren, some paper and woodblocks. These can be taken home so that cutting and printing may continue outside the class.
Peter Brown is an established illustrator with a lifelong love of nature. His exquisite work currently graces the pages of The Times, including the Feather Report (Saturday). He is a member of and regularly exhibits with the Society of Wood Engravers (SWE) and Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA).