My progress on my "I Want to Print!" venture was very slow. I had never before attempted anything so detailed and tedious. There was such a long list of things to purchase and so many steps to conquer.
When I stumbled upon "Letterpress Now- A DIY Guide to New & Old Printing", things began to click for me. I started to have hope that I really could teach myself this very technical skill.
Two months passed. There was so much to learn. The learning curve seemed overwhelming and the fear of failure tried to pull me down.
Next there was helping a son leave for his year long ESL job, another son came home for spring break, my daughter-in-law visited and, of course, regular life was always demanding my time.
Then, an unexpected trip to France popped up.
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| How could I say "no" to that? |
Back to work.
This is the "chase"... the part that had kept me waiting for several weeks after purchasing my press.
It's a lot of effort just to hold those three letters together! The pieces of wood are called "furniture" and the two pieces which tighten it all together are called quoins (pronounced "coins").
Listen to me spouting off my printer's lingo.
At last, after approximately five months, I PRINTED!!!
I'm not saying that I printed well or long or eloquently or profoundly... I am just saying that I printed something.
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| My Monogram |
1.) It only takes a little bit of ink. I started with way too much and had to remove some.
2.) Setting up for a printing session and cleaning up afterwards takes a lot of time. On the days I print, I will not be able to be interrupted.
3.) The first few prints are like the first few pancakes you cook. it takes a few to get it right and the first ones end up in the trash.
4.) Printing is very messy. Even though I will wear gloves for cleaning the press and rollers, I will always end up with ink on my hands.
5.) I have a very far way to get to where I want to be. I have to keep reminding myself that when I began, I knew nothing. I started looking for a press, bought one and learned everything from that point. I know my way is backwards, but it worked for me.
