Objects, ephemera and prints around the studio.

Jim’s phone

Elvis and friends

Classic restrikes

On the lip of the main composing table

By the Miehle

A few prints on the wall

The sign

Some presses in the Hatch studio.

The “Pure Coffee” block, locked up on one of the Vandercooks. You can see examples of the end product on the Prints page.

This C&P isn’t operational but it is impressive, and utterly gorgeous.

The Miehle.

Jim, making enormous prints on his enormous press.

To say Hatch’s collection of wood type is impressive is a serious understatement. A tiny sampling of the materials:

Letterpress was used to print nearly everything until the ’70’s. Hatch did a great deal of advertising work in addition to show posters, and so letters in every size, from the minuscule to the enormous, were in order.

Stacks.

Case of small wood type.

Walls and walls of carved wooden and linoleum blocks. In the foreground, stacks of posters waiting to go to press or to be put up.

PS I added a rotating image script to the front page. Very pleased. Go look, I totally love it.

I’ve traded in my usual writing music, Cat Power, Animal Collective, Nick Drake, ETC, for Wu-Tang Clan, Lil’ Wayne and that Matt and Lil’ Kim mash up, Double Ice Creams Tonight. I’m producing some seriously quality writing right now.  Coincidence? I think not.

Let’s start at the beginning with these posts. Before I left for Nashville, I did some printing at my home studio, the San Francisco Center for the Book.

My friend Colleen’s 2009 calendar was up in the SFCB calendar show.

Last year Colleen completed a gorgeous book done completely in graphite. She has an interview in the upcoming issue of Ampersand regarding the work. You can see much better photographs of Elemental Edifice on her website, Colleen Stockmann & Analogue Anatomy Press.

I neglected to write down the name of this artist. One of my favorite pieces in the show.

Self printing on a Vandercook SP-15, wearing what Les called “The California printer’s uniform.” Black shirt, blue jeans.

I’m back in Seattle, ill, broke and looking for work.  I fell off on the daily updates about Hatch, I know, but when I get my photographs developed I’ll post them up, and that’ll make up for it, right? It was a wonderful experience and I learned exactly what I wanted to learn, and then some.

In other news, tomorrow is the last day to order a copy of IS, IS! Get em while the gettin’s good.

. I learned to use a Vandercook Universal III, a semi-automatic cylinder press. I love learning new equipment, finding new rhythms with the machines. There are four different levels of automation in letterpress (that I’m aware of!). Hand presses* require manual inking, manual paper feed and manual impression. You do everything and it is difficult to get consistent results. Some photographs of beautiful hand presses can be found at The International Printing Museum. Motorized hand presses require manual paper feeding, manual ink replenishment and manual printing. They automatically ink the form. Most artists and hobby printers use these sort of presses (usually Vandercooks), which were originally used as proof presses. Vandercook Proof Press Information is an excellent resource for printing with the Vandercook. Semi-automatic presses require manual paper feed and manual ink replenishment but automatically ink the form and print. Fully automatic presses do everything. They feed the paper, they ink the form, they print, and I believe most of them have an ink well that replenishes the ink. Hatch has a Miehle and it’s wicked. The only other fully automatic press I’ve seen in action is a Heidelberg Windmill.

. To “restrike” a print means taking an old design and recreating it exactly. Currently, I’m working on a restrike of this Dolly Parton poster.

. B and I found and ENORMOUS photo plate of Minnie Pearl’s head and it’s terrifying, being a negative image and all.

. Our first poster turned out excellent! I’ve started working on jobs independently, as well as printing restrikes and postcards. A and I did a bunch of Elvis postcards. Tiny Elvis jokes were in no short supply.

*My first printing instructor was an absolute wizard with a hand press and I’m thankful that my first exposure to letterpress was with that sort of press, which is much more akin to a tool than to a machine.

. We finished designing the poster we are working on together. We’re all pleased with how it’s turning out. The poster is a three color job and I’m looking forward to the challenge; printing multiple colors has always been daunting to me.

. Almost all of Hatch’s type came from Hamilton Wood Type. I would love to visit there.

. Today we were hand inking a ton of posters. It was a blast, the day absolutely flew by. Color color color color texture texture texture texture.

. B also taught me how to use a Table Top Pilot C&P today, a skill I’ve been wanting to acquire for ages and ages and ages. I helped print some Elvis postcards.

. On Wednesday Jim will be lecturing at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, in conjunction with the Hatch exhibit currently on display there. If you’re in the area, you should go!

. Jim’s being doing restrikes of the classic Hatch “cowboy on the bronco” image. These posters are huge, and beautiful to watch being produced.

. B told me about the Harmony Korine exhibit Pigxote opening at Vanderbilt, so I went out to that and enjoyed myself (and the expensive catering). Phiiliip did the sound and it was hella tight.

. We began designing actual jobs with B today. Do you know that feeling when you can feel your brain expanding? I totally experienced that and it was so, so satisfying. My work with letterpress has been extremely book focused so far. The reason I wanted to intern with Hatch was to gain an understanding of the graphic possibilities of letterpress (which should be obvious, right?), and it’s exciting to feel that happening.

I want to keep a daily or semi-daily record of my internship, but I’m quite tired at the end of the day. So instead of a detailed report I’m just going to make lists. I’m sorry my comment boxes are so crappy. I meant to fix that (and some other site flaws, and add links to people like idiot music) while I was in Raleigh and Greensboro, but I freaked myself watching television programs on the Free Masons and visiting with my beautiful friends Elizabeth, Dominique, ryan, Angela and Jamie (+++Rich) instead.

Okay!

. We spent the day sorting type. I still find sorting type meditative.

. The majority (if not all?) of their lead type has a reflective coating on the faces, which I have never seen before. My guess is that it helps keep the type from wear. Does anyone know what foundry would have produced type like this?

. Someone was brayering out a batch of red ink and B said “Jessalyn come over here, I want you see this ink. It’s really special. The manufacturer puts different chemicals in their Warm Red so when you roll out this ink the chemicals create intense friction and sometimes gives off heat!” and then I put my hand over it to feel the heat and he TOTALLY SLAMMED HIS HAND ON TOP OF MINE AND GOT THE INK ALL OVER MY PALM OH SNAP!

. I could see a small piece of B’s tattoo poking out from the bottom of his sleeve. It looked exactly like the trunk of Rich’s Margaret Kilgallen tree tattoo. I asked B if it was, in fact, a Margaret Kilgallen tree, to which he was very delighted to answer yes. The same bicep, even!