Join us for this fun event to draw, play with a variety of letterforms, and work with color! Minimal emphasis will be placed upon the traditional conventions of writing letterforms. The workshop will help you take your hand-lettering learning and translate it to letterpress printing.
In this workshop, participants spend a day learning hand-lettering basics using brush markers. There is a focus on gaining technical skills while also considering letterforms, content generation, and one’s creative practice (developing or sustaining it). In the spirit of encouraging play, we draw out at least one composition each using pickle and doughnut letters. Participants learn how to set and print wood type.
There is a focus on typesetting, inking, and printing basics. With an understanding of the printing process, each participant designs and prints a text-based composition taking what they learn from the hand-lettering explorations and translating it for the press. Workshop outcomes include multiple lettering compositions, many sketches, and at least one completed print.
Date & Time:
Friday, May 2, 2025, 9am–4pm Central
Saturday, May 3, 2025, 9am–4pm Central
Location:
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum, 1816 10th Street, Two Rivers, WI 54241
Workshop Cost:
$250 Total
Experience Level:
No experience necessary. The minimum age requirement for workshop participants for this event is 18+.
Instructor: Kathleen O’Connell
Kathleen O’Connell is an educator, printmaker, book artist, type and lettering enthusiast, mother, stepmother, amateur gardener, perpetual organizer, and former ferry boat deckhand—all of which inform her artworks and artistic practice. She works and exhibits nationally and internationally. Her artwork, including prints, artist’s books and other works on paper, is part of the collection of the University of California–Berkeley, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vanderbilt University, Yale and the Target Corporation, among others. Kathy teaches Book Arts, Letterpress and Print Media courses at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Portfolio: www.kathleenoconnell.net, Instagram: @kathleen.a.oconnell
Everyone breaks for lunch at the same time. Options include purchasing a lunch for $15, bringing your own lunch (a refrigerator is available), or choosing a local restaurant. Clean-up begins at 3 pm and the day finishes up at 4 pm. Please wear comfortable shoes and clothes that may get ink on them. Because of the nature of the pressroom and the pieces being used, participants in the workshop must be 18 years or older.
The cost is $250 with all materials provided by the museum. Space is limited, so reservations and a $130 non-refundable deposit are required. Please complete the registration form below to reserve your place. The $120 balance is due at the beginning of the workshop. Cash, credit cards and checks are acceptable.
If you have any questions, please e-mail us at info@woodtype.org or call 920-794-6272.