The Summer Schools
An exhausting four-day course, designed to allow art directors, artists, designers, printmakers & students to work closely with wood letter & metal type, letterpress materials & printing equipment.
The Summer Schools offer its participants a unique opportunity to develop an understanding of typography & design through the use of the traditional materials & processes used in letterpress.
The workshop is typographically driven — you will be introduced to the fundamental procedures of metal type setting & wood letter composition & through a simple series of exercises: begin to explore the possibilities of letterpress techniques & visual ideas; experiment with ink & understand the basics of printmaking paper.
Over the four days you will develop, design & hand-set a series of printed pieces that explore graphic ideas & visual solutions; explore composition, hierarchy, scale & colour; examine the importance of the history of design, typography & printing in the context of the outcome.
Workshop Programme
Day One
10:00 — 17:00
1. Workshop introduction
2. Workshop tour
3. Measurement systems
4. Methods & organisation of work
5. Workshop practice with wood letter
6. Creative typographic exercise
Day Two
10:00 — 17:00
1. Designing with letterpress
2. Proofing Type
3. Working with the Galley Press
4. One-day project wood letter brief
5. Designing, setting & printing
Day Three
10:00 — 17:00
1. Three-day project brief
2. Research & design application
3. Workshop practice with metal type
4. Mixing Inks & Colour Theory
5. Designing & hand-setting the project
Day Four
10:00 — 17:00
1. Three-day project brief
2. Research & design application
3. Understanding Printmaking papers
4. Printing the project
5. Final discussion & feedback:
(with visiting consultant)
There are a maximum of 5 places in each workshop. This keeps the classes focused & intimate.
Fees
The Summer Schools are £750 per person
BOOK & PAY BELOW
Early Summer School
09/10/11/12 July 2024
Tuesday — Friday
Summer School
03/04/05/06 September 2024
Tuesday — Friday
Full payment will secure a place
(& is fully refundable*).
*Cancellations must be 5 days before the beginning of the workshop otherwise a heavy penalty of 50% will be retained! This might sound a little brutal & we understand that things can often change but last minute cancellations can effect the other students & the dynamic of the classes.
For any questions & payment details, please email mrsmith@smithsrules.com
Notes . . . from The Early Summer School
Tuesday — Friday
11/12/13/14 July 2023
We made a Typographic Map . . .
‘Working in Bruton 2023’ was designed / set & printed in the letterpress workshop by the students on ‘The Early `Summer School’ — a four-day workshop in July
Each year I do two Summer Schools —
(early & late) & a few one & two-day classes
This simple idea — concentrating on Bruton High street — conveys the various trades & professions /
different fonts aim to express different activities
It works as a specimen of typefaces / but hopefully captures the energy of a small working town /
roads / paths / bartons & bridges are all kept as negative space / there’s even a nod to the stepping stones on the River Brue.
it’s printed in a very limited edtion of 15 / in two greens / on a heavy off-white somerset satin
by
a graphic design lecturer /
an information designer /
a marketing consultant /
a typographer
&
a web developer
available to purchase
Go to Section 1 of the Print Shop
