About

Canceled via email from peggy on 2/25

Scan an image of ordinary objects or aim your camera at a spectacular scene. This workshop will take you through the basic steps of wrestling digital images into the simplicity of high contrast art ready for plate-making.

Using Adobe Photoshop Elements as our foundation, we will introduce the basic operations of photo manipulation to convert, modify, and resize images for making letterpress and intaglio printing plates. No prior experience with photo-manipulation software is required, but students should be comfortable with general computer operations on their own laptop computers. Students must bring their own laptop computer and power cord.

Through hands-on examples you will learn how to import a photograph or scan a drawing, modify its dimensions, shape, tone, and texture. We’ll look at methods for converting color images to high contrast, black-and-white illustrations. Drawing and editing tools will be explored along with basic digital typography. Techniques for separating elements for multiple color printing will be reviewed.

We’ll start with a guided tour of the program and move along at a comfortable pace before diving into the power of various filters to isolate key lines, graphic details, and textures, after which the instructors will give individual guidance specific to participants’ goals.

Students are expected to have Photoshop Elements running on their laptops prior to the class. The BARN letterpress studio monitor is available ahead of the class to assist in installing the software. The program is available as a free 30-day trial by clicking here.

Tuition assistance is available. Click here to apply.  

About the Instructors: 

Carl Youngmann and Ellie Mathews are letterpress printers who teach the BARN’s Letterpress Boot Camp and Photopolymer courses. Carl has had a life-long relationship with photography, image analysis and manipulation, including a PhD in Cartography and Computer Graphics. He has taught remote sensing, developed medical image analysis software, and has generally messed around with a lot of cameras, computers, and printing presses. Ellie has worked in cartography, design, and software development. She has enhanced dozens of letterpress broadsides with graphic elements that began life as full-color photographs.

If you have any questions, please contact Peggy Graving, Program Coordinator for Letterpress:  peg10173@gmail.com.