Pressing Matters Magazine Launch

I was thrilled to be involved with Pressing Matters magazine launch last week at The Forge, Bristol. The first issue is now available and packed with informative articles and gorgeous photography dedicated to printmaking. I love reading about other artists so it was lovely to have an insight into other printmaker's approaches to their work. I especially loved the article about Nick Hand (founder of The Letterpress Collective) and Robin Mather’s journey on The Printing Bike. They rode from Bristol to Mainz in Germany to visit the Gutenburg Print Museum. Nick cycled a bike custom built by Robin to carry an adana press on the back and a box at the front for type and paper.

Other great articles in the magazine cover the art of letterpress, linocut, collagraph, etching, screenprint, wood engraving, stencil art and risograph and an interesting reflection by Ben Goodman on the parallels between engraving and human existence.  

In the lead up to the magazine launch I prepared some postcards using an old gramophone plate which I had bought in an antique shop in Bristol. John Coe, founder of Pressing Matters and creative director at coecreative carved his Pressing Matters logo into lino and we set it up on my adana 8 x 5 press for people to print onto the postcards. We put out some card for bookmarks too and the press had its work cut out for the rest of the evening!

Printing the Gramophone

Gramophone, locked in the chase, inked up, put in the press and printed on postcards ready to take to Pressing Matters magazine launch. 

Printing Pressing Matters on the Adana 8 x 5

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Printing Pressing Matters postcards and bookmarks on the adana 8 x 5 printing press and hand carved  rubber-stamp at The Forge, Bristol

Pressing Matters Postcards

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Printing Pressing Matters on postcards with Gramophone and date typeset in Univers 24pt on the adana 8 x 5 printing press. 

Pressing Matters @ The Forge

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People printing Pressing Matters on the Adana 8 x 5 printing press at The Forge Bristol. 

Pressing Matters Bookmarks

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Printing Pressing Matters bookmarks with a hand carved rubberstamp print of the adana 8 x 5 printing press. John Coe’s first issue of Pressing Matters Magazine. 

Rubber Stamps And Rubber Wheels!

Thank you to my lovely friends Katie and Erica (Free Range Legs) who recently lent me their bike trailer. I used it for the first time to carry materials to Salt Cafe for the rubber stamp workshop. Enjoying the view of the docks along the way! 

Rubber Stamp Workshop - Salt Cafe

Lauren, Sophie and Gavin carve out their designs for their rubber stamps. Carving with a scalpel enables more precision. A house, rocket and star will soon be ready to print.

Wiggly House

Lauren creates a two-colour print of a wiggly house.

Stars and Arrows

Gavin prints a star in front of an arrow and using masking technique. 

Rocket to the Moon

Inside the pages of her hand stitched mini journal, Sophie’s rocket takes off from earth and makes it way to the moon.  

Thank you Lauren, Sophie and Gavin for your enthusiasm and adventurous creations! Thank you Al at Salt Cafe for providing delicious cups of tea and cake at while we explored the world of rubber stamping! And thanks to Stephen Fowler for passing on these fab techniques! Stephen recently launched his wonderful informative book on all things rubber stamped!

Rubber Stamping: Get creative with stamps, rollers and other printmaking techniques

Take time out to make stuff!

Come along to Salt Cafe and make your mark by carving and printing your very own rubber stamp! Find out about forthcoming rubber stamp workshops at Salt Cafe by clicking the button below.