Busy Hands Workshop

Printmaking: Holiday Cards 

Date & Time: 3 sessions 2 hours each

Tuesday, December 12 2023 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Wednesday, December 13 2023 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Thursday, December 14 2023 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Project: Personal Prints and Holiday Card Designs made from in house presses.

Price: $100.00 plus tax per person - includes all three sessions of the program, all materials are included, museum admission and light refreshments.

Location: Stratford Perth Museum

Student Discount: $85.00 plus tax for students – Please Call 1-519-393-5315 for discount. 

Mind Your P’s & Q’s in this Letterpress Printmaking Workshop with Celeste Carter. Attendees will gain a comprehensive and hands-on introduction to letterpress printmaking. Across three sessions, participants will learn how to compose, ink, and print a form with a proofing press to produce their own edition of prints. Cater your letters or greeting cards with 200 year old printing press equipment, block designs, and motifs. Impress your friends and family with your handmade and personalized impressions this holiday season.

Age Range: Recommended for ages 16+Materials Included: Card stock and construction paper will be provided for printing final editions. Attendees may prepare their own fine art paper or fabric for their final edition if they choose.

Workshop Outline

SESSION 1: Introduction to Letterpress Printing & Composing (2 hours)★ This session begins with a group discussion and presentation on the historical uses of letterpress printmaking and its terminology, and how we intend to use letterpress printing methods for our creative purposes throughout the workshop. Attendees are invited to examine a series of “blind debosses” from the Stratford Perth Museum’s collection. Following the discussion, participants will put their newfound knowledge to use by exploring the print shop and its many drawers of type and image blocks, selecting a chase, and beginning to learn to compose a form for printing.

SESSION 2: Composing & Proof Printing (2 hours)★ Attendees will finish composing their forms from Session 1 and begin proof printing and testing their designs using the Stratford Perth Museum’s proof press. They will learn how to ink their forms and use the proof press to print their images. This session may bring us a new understanding of the phrase “mind your P’s and Q’s!”

SESSION 3: Open Studio & Printing an Edition (2 hours)★ Attendees have a 2-hour open work period to print a final edition (series of prints) using their forms on the proof press. Celeste will be present to provide instruction.

Workshop Leader: Celeste Carter

Celeste Carter is an emerging interdisciplinary artist based between Guelph and Stratford, ON. She practices silkscreen and woodcut printmaking methods to highlight the relationships between nature and textile patterning. She is currently completing her Honours BA in Studio Art with a minor in Art History at the University of Guelph. Celeste is a 2023 recipient of the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation Printmaking Prize and the Wyndham Art Supplies Printmaking Award. You can view her work at https://www.instagram.com/celecartscollection/.