In paper lithography, also known as gum arabic transfer, a Xerox photocopy acts as a “plate” that gets inked and printed. Oil-based printmaking ink is applied to the treated paper, the toner areas hold ink, while the blank areas hold moisture and repel the ink. In this workshop, the instructor will demonstrate this multi-step process and help students troubleshoot their own work at home.

This is a relatively low toxic way to make prints at home using natural gum arabic. It is a versatile process, great for layering photographic images, illustrations and text (anything you can photocopy) onto your handmade prints in any color that you can mix. Through experimentation and layering you can make beautiful one of a kind prints of your own.

Students are encouraged to design and photocopy or laser print their own letter-size “plates”; the most foolproof plan is to go to a UPS or FedEx Kinkos and use the Xerox machines. Sometimes different toners can yield different results. To ensure that everyone has enough workable material, all students will receive an envelope containing several Xerox copies of the Instructor’s designs to experiment with.

Expect some failures and some successes!

https://sfcb.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=4060

Binding in the Third Dimension, with Graham Patten
When: Saturday July 31, 4pm PDT
Where: Online
Cost: $10

Graham Patten is a bookbinder who applies his interests in origami, movement, and bookbinding to create unusual pieces that merge books and sculpture. The decorative and design elements of his work tend to arise from mechanical, structural, and kinetic ideas rather than from more traditional fine binding techniques.

Considerations of access and functionality that are integral to book conservation also influence Graham’s bookbinding work. He invents structures and sculptural techniques that transform the reader’s conventional interaction with the book.

In his presentation, Graham will discuss the origin of the three-dimensional origami-style bindings used on Curved-Folding Origami Design and other books, and the techniques he has developed to construct them. There is a continuum of structural possibilities within this theme that affect the functionality of the book structure. As he walks through the binding process, Graham will discuss the various design considerations that must be addressed, and how the binding process has evolved from book to book.