![]() ![]() We have 5 presses in our studio: two Heidelberg Windmills, Chandler & Price 8x12, Chandler and Price 10x15, and a Vandercook SP15. I especially look to other artists by going to galleries and museums, and also folk art, children's book illustration, vintage book illustration, vintage reference books, and of course the great outdoors. Where do you find inspiration for your designs? I came to letterpress from a studio art printmaking background and in the beginning I only printed with lead type and carved linocuts, but through the years in developing the business, we've moved to print mostly using polymer plates. After grad school I found a Chandler & Price 8x12 platen letterpress pretty close by and bought it with all the money I had in the world. #BLACKBIRD LETTERPRESS HOW TO#I learned how to print on the letterpress there, and was soon teaching the Intro to Books Arts class as part of my assistantship. I went to graduate school at Louisiana State University and in their printmaking department they have 2 letterpresses and a lot of lead type. I have a BFA in printmaking and then continued my studies in graduate school in printmaking, finishing with an MFA in 2003. How did you get into design and letterpress printing? They all have other creative side gigs, Becca plays the violin in the Symphony, Rebecca teaches art foundations at University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Dawn is an amazing painter,, Masy makes really cool stuff at . Masy is now printing and also works in assembly. Rebecca is a printer, along with myself, keeping everything in stock. #BLACKBIRD LETTERPRESS PLUS#Becca is our studio manager and keeps track of what needs to be done and alerts what fires to put out, plus does die cutting. We live in a university town so in the beginning that is where I found help, students in the art department, as well as word of mouth. Who is on your team, and how did you come together?Īt Blackbird I have a staff of 4 people, ranging from printmakers, artists, and a classical musician. Through history, Ravens and Crows were seen in folklore as messengers. Where did the name of your studio come from?īlackbird came from the symbology of birds, especially crows and ravens. The striking evil eye amulet we featured is one of several die cut eye designs she created. Many of her cards are intricately die cut shapes from nature, from bears to the moon and planets. And I will do as many rounds of proofs as i need to to make sure you are loving your design! See below for custom order information and timing.Kathryn Hunter designs and prints beautiful illustrations. I don't charge a custom design fee and will customize any of my current designs at no charge as well. I will work with you to find your own look using details from your event as well as your own personal style and input. I work one-on-one with each client to create a unique and very personal design, so please consider these listings as a place to start. Listed in my shop are some designs I've done for other clients. Also, please note that much of my invitation design + printing is not done through etsy - you can convo me for references if you are interested in more specific feedback from clients regarding wedding designs. Visit my old shop at: /shop/blackbirdpress to see my feedback history. I print on a Golding Pearl New Style Improved - dated 1911. ![]() Birmingham is about 10 miles north of Detroit. I can’t believe I figured the damn thing out.Įlf Letterpress (formerly Blackbird Press) is a one-woman print shop located in Birmingham, Michigan. I have to say that I am so proud when I ship a job and it looks amazing. Over the next five years, I have learned from my mistakes and improved my technique. It allowed me more time with my daughter and more time to devote to growing my letterpress business. I quit my job in 2008 to stay home with my daughter. I guess it was good the theme of the wedding was ‘rustic’ because that’s what the invitations implied. Unfortunately, the first thing I ever printed was my wedding invitations. I won’t say well, because when I look back at the first thing I successfully printed – and I use that term loosely – it was garbage. Over the next year, I taught myself how to print. And I continued to lurk around the forums. ![]() Luckily, the press broke down into three somewhat manageable pieces and my husband and two of his unlucky friends hauled it into our basement. Knowing virtually nothing about the letterpress printing process, I purchased a Golding Pearl Improved from him. So many, in fact, he needed to sell a few to make room. So, I started lurking around some letterpress forums and eventually tracked down a guy in my area with lots of letterpresses. I had a hard time finding a local printshop with a letterpress, and once I did, I couldn’t find anyone that wanted to print my own design. I was working as an Art Director in advertising when I discovered letterpress in 2006. ![]()
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