AIGA SB’s letterpress guru Norman Clayton is offering two classes at his Classic Letterpress shop in Ojai:

1-Day Workshop: Introduction to Letterpress & Hand-bound Book Making

You will make a book with pages of poetry typeset, printed and sewn by the end of the day!

Working with Norman Clayton and Ted Nava, this class is a great opportunity to learn the fundamentals of letterpress by typesetting and printing poetry on a Vandercook SP15 proof press and touring a working letterpress shop in Ojai. Each student will hand-set a short poem of their choice using metal type, build their form, print proofs, make corrections, and then print an edition of their poem on the Vandercook. At the end of the day we will hand sew the collated collection of poetry, including a title page and colophon, into a simple book structure using a Japanese stab binding. Each attendee will take home a copy of the day’s work!

The class is limited to 6 students and costs $125 for the day including materials. Beverages and snacks will be provided. Please bring lunch.

Date: Saturday, February 24, 2017
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Cost: $125 per attendee
Register: Contact Classic Letterpress at norman@classicletterpress.biz or 510-579-0777
Materials to bring: A short poem or text to print.

2-Day Workshop: Letterpress Broadside Printing

Working with Norman Clayton and Ted Nava, this workshop will introduce the art and craft of printing letterpress broadsides. Students will design, hand set with metal type and print their own broadsides as unique prints in a small edition. In addition, students may add images to their text either by choosing a block from Classic Letterpress’s collection incorporating their own hand cut block print or adding hand painted elements. The workshop will include the fundamentals of letterpress printing on a Vandercook SP15 proof press, essential design principles, and multiple color letterpress printing. Both abstract and short text based projects can be produced. Each attendee will take home the small edition of their broadside.

What’s a broadside? A broadside is a large sheet of paper printed only on one side. In the 18th – 19th centuries, they were used as newspapers to announce events, government decrees and other public and commercial topics. Today, the broadside now often includes poetry or short texts, printed by smaller printers and publishers as a fine art variant, intended to be framed and hung on the wall.

The class is limited to 6 students and costs $175 for two days, including materials. Beverages and snacks will be provided. Please bring lunch.

Date: Saturday, March 11 and Sunday, March 12, 2017
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Cost: $175 per attendee
Register: Contact Classic Letterpress at norman@classicletterpress.biz or 510-579-0777
Materials to bring: A poem or short text to print.

Instructor:

Norman Clayton studied typography and photography at the Rhode Island School of Design, and graduated in 1990 with a suitcase full of books he designed, printed and bound by hand. The RISD typeshop was the place where his appreciation of letterforms and letterpress was developed because that was where all his passions came together… typography, printing, photography and bookbinding.

For 12 years, beginning in 1991, he was the printer and manager of One Heart Press in the San Francisco Bay Area. The shop was named One Heart Press because of the mutual appreciation for letterpress shared by Michael Osborne (owner) and Norman. During those days, he learned how to print well and stayed busy printing job work, posters and books. In 2003 he left One Heart Press and began working more closely with his mentor Jim Wehlage. Around 2006, upon his retirement, Jim offered to sell Norman his shop Classic Letterpress which included Adrian Wilson’s KSBAZ Heidelberg Cylinder, stone, and a portion of Adrian’s library. Norman moved the shop to Oakland and continued his focus on high quality printing.

In 2010, he moved his family and letterpress shop to the beautiful Ojai valley. With the move he was able to triple the size of his shop, acquire more equipment and type, and maintain his clients in the Bay Area while building clientele and community in the Ojai area. Norman continues working happily, with a view of the mountains, as a printer, typographer and teacher for younger printers. He prints posters, fine press books, stationery, invitations, and more for clients, all over the country.