Dikko Faust’s SVA Class
As SEEN in The Daily Heller!!register NOW
Letterpress Printing From Wood and Metal Type
Feb 5 - Apr 16, 2025
Wednesdays 6:30-9:30 PM :: 10 sessions
Unlimited access to printshop (once you know how)
Letterpress is versatile, adaptable, and mixes easily with other printmaking processes. Hand-typesetting vintage metal and wood typefaces, students will gain a broader understanding of typography. Sessions will begin with a demonstration, followed by studio time to work on projects, including type-based graphic designs and fine art limited editions. ALL LEVELS WELCOME!
Purgatory Pie Press Exhibition EXTENDED!!!
call 212-243-6876 for details
![]()
![]()
![]()
Thanks for coming to Esther K Smith’s
FREE!! How to Make BOOKS workshop
Nov 16 Saturday 2pmWhat a delightful crowd-- sorry (but thrilled) that it was Standing room Only-- a MUCH MUCH bigger crowd than expected-- but people were so pleasant about sharing table space and materials--and participants made some very nice artist books. Wish I could see what they continue making from the skills they took home.
![]()
Pop Art meets Book Arts! Learn to stitch an ancient book binding that predates printing. Make your cover from a cake, cracker, or cereal box and fold your pages from standard printing paper. These multi-section books open flat for writing and drawing and are great for journals, guestbooks, albums, sketchbooks, collage books, scrap books, and very long zines.
Esther K. Smith (she/her) is the author and designer of How to Make Books (2007), Making Books with Kids (2016), and other book arts books. Artistic director at Purgatory Pie Press, Esther collaborates with letterpress printer Dikko Faust hand-making limited editions and artist books–sometimes with other artists and writers. They have exhibited widely, and their work is in many public collections worldwide including MoMA, SF MoMA, Smithsonian, National Gallery of Art, NMWA, London’s Tate and V&A museums, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Gallery at The Met Store has been showing and selling their artist books and prints. Esther has also been Risograph printing and has begun publishing Riso books under the EK Smith Museum imprint.
CAKE BOX BOOKS
Esther K Smith :: National Museum of Women in the Arts
Pop Art meets Book Arts! Learn to stitch an ancient book binding that predates printing. Make your cover from a cake, cracker, or cereal box and fold your pages from standard printing paper. These multi-section books open flat for writing and drawing and are great for journals, guestbooks, albums, sketchbooks, collage books, scrap books, and very long zines.
Esther K. Smith (she/her) is the author and designer of How to Make Books (2007), Making Books with Kids (2016), and other book arts books. Artistic director at Purgatory Pie Press, Esther collaborates with letterpress printer Dikko Faust hand-making limited editions and artist books–sometimes with other artists and writers. They have exhibited widely, and their work is in many public collections worldwide including MoMA, SF MoMA, Smithsonian, National Gallery of Art, NMWA, London’s Tate and V&A museums, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Gallery at The Met Store has been showing and selling their artist books and prints. Esther has also been Risograph printing and has begun publishing Riso books under the EK Smith Museum imprint.
Dikko Faust
::
Printing without a Press
at NYPL Battery Park City Library175 North End Av, New York, NY 10282:: 212-790-3499 batteryparkcity@nypl.org
October 18 - December 6, Fridays 2 -3:30
Frottage by Dikko’s students
Dikko Faust printed with people at
BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL Children’s Day SEPT 28::NOON-3PM
Esther K Smith was
Washington Square Park
Artist in Residence
We made books September Saturdays 1–3pm (weather permitting!)
Washington Sq Park NW corner::Waverly Place & McDougal St
Dikko Faust’s SVA Class
As SEEN in The Daily Heller!!Letterpress: An Introduction
registration closed-- sign up next termSEP 25 - DEC 4 Wednesdays 6:30-9:30 PM 10 sessions
School of Visual Arts:: 133 W 21st St, New York City
Letterpress is versatile, adaptable, and mixes easily with other printmaking processes. Hand-typesetting vintage metal and wood typefaces, students will gain a broader understanding of typography. Sessions will begin with a demonstration, followed by studio time to work on projects, including type-based graphic designs and fine art limited additions. ALL LEVELS WELCOME!Esther K Smith
INSTANT ARTIST BOOKS :: Esther K Smith Sign up next time!
Explore a variety of basic folding and stitching techniques from instant books and simple popups, thru accordion, pamphlet, stab stitch, and long stitch bindings.
For artists (and other people) interested in learning to construct books, as well as zine makers and blank books makers who want to add content.
This workshop focuses on structural approaches to artists’ books–plus collaborative creative exercises based on Surrealist games and Oulipo and other approaches to generate ideas.
For artists (and other people) interested in learning to construct books, as well as zine makers and blank books makers who want to add content.
This workshop focuses on structural approaches to artists’ books–plus collaborative creative exercises based on Surrealist games and Oulipo and other approaches to generate ideas.
Making Books with Kids
July 9–Aug 6, 2024 Esther K Smith Sign up next time!
Artwork by Jen Xue
Type on the Streets:Dikko Faust
Architectural and Vernacular Signage
in New York City
Saturday + Sunday July 27–28, 2024 12–4pm Sign up next time!
Enjoy a unique New York City WALKING TOUR highlighting 19th & 20th-century architectural typography on apartment buildings, manhole & vault covers, paint-on-brick advertising signs, and more. Make your own rubbings of found typography. Then back at CBA, work with wood type and typographic elements to make your own signs on the Vandercook presses. All levels welcome.
Dikko Faust Center for Book Arts Class
Hands-On History of Type
Mar 26–Apr 23, 2024 Sign up next time!
Explore the history of typography from the 1820s to the present with lectures, show-and-tell examples, and demonstrations. Sessions include: Alphabet History through Type Inventions with Five New Type Forms from the 1820s, Wood Type and Metal Type: Manufacture and Best Use Suggestions, Chromatic Wood and Metal Type, Printing Magazines: 19th through Early 20th Century, Crystal Goblet vs. Dada: Avant Garde vs Classical Reformist Design.
Explore the history of 19th and 20th centuries type using Center for Book Arts very own collection of metal and wood types. From early inventions of moveable metal type to avant garde ventures in typography, this workshop will offer you a wealth of knowledge regarding the complex history of typography. Don’t miss this opportunity to not only learn about the history of type, but also the chance to learn hand type setting metal and wood type on the Vandercook printing press. This workshop is perfect for designers, printers, and anyone interested in letterforms; no previous experience required!
CBA’s printshop has over 300 typeface names and almost 700 fonts.
Explore the history of 19th and 20th centuries type using Center for Book Arts very own collection of metal and wood types. From early inventions of moveable metal type to avant garde ventures in typography, this workshop will offer you a wealth of knowledge regarding the complex history of typography. Don’t miss this opportunity to not only learn about the history of type, but also the chance to learn hand type setting metal and wood type on the Vandercook printing press. This workshop is perfect for designers, printers, and anyone interested in letterforms; no previous experience required!
CBA’s printshop has over 300 typeface names and almost 700 fonts.
INSTANT ARTIST BOOKS :: Esther K Smith
Magic Books & Paper Toys :: Esther K Smith
January 20 /21, 2024 Saturday and Sunday, 11am–5pm
This class ended-- but was SOOO MUCH FUN!!!
The students were delightful--
I hope I can teach it again soon.
Explore a variety of playful forms from flexagons to magic
wallets, simple
popups, instant accordion skylines and mountains,
jogged pamphlets, stab stitched flip books, heads, middles and tails
book, exquisite corpse structures, triangle
star books-- making quick models and developing them into one-of-a-kind
artist books, collaborative and individual projects, and potential
limited editions. Collage, draw, stamp, have fun.
photos by Amy Kalyn Sims
by Harvey Redding/Purgatory Pie Press + Liz Zanis
by Polly Faust
by Esther K Smith + Dikko Faust Purgatory Pie Press
Book Arts Classes
Multiple Formats
Art Book Symposium
Friday March 22, 2024 :: 3-5pm FREE Workshop Saturday 3/22 11am-6pm Multiple Formats Art Book Fair
Boston University School of Visual Arts
808 Commonwealth Av, Brookline, Mass
Artist Books for Printmakers
Esther K Smith:: Manhattan Graphics CenterOct 9 - Nov 6, 2023 :: :: 5 sessions
class limited to 6 students
Make 5+ artist books from start to finish. Make quick models and then
develop them into books. Reuse your prints! Make one-of-a-kind books,
collaborative group books—and limited editions—as well as sketchbooks,
albums, etc. Each session will focus on a different structure, building
skills as the class progresses. Accordion and other folded
structures—including flag books—simple pop-ups, stab stitch & flip
books, single signature stitching and multisignature books. Guest artists, discussions about selling work—and how artist books can
help interest curators in collecting your other works.
BOOKS BRUNCH & TEA
Esther K Smith‘s Zoom workshop /retreat
Books, Brunch, & Tea, a Zoom winter bookmaking retreat across two Saturdays. Workshops on simple books, pop-ups, pamphlets, accordions, stab stitch, and long-stitch will be interspersed with fun, cozy baking and tea-making demos.
Email esther(at)purgatorypiepress(dot)com for more info--
or to arrange a private or small group class.
CEREAL BOX BOOKS
Esther K Smith Zoom Class--
Cereal box books are a pop-art, environmentally friendly version of a binding that developed before printing. These multi-signature books open flat for writing and drawing-- great for journals, guestbooks, albums, sketchbooks, collage books, scrap books (and very long zines).
Email esther(at)purgatorypiepress(dot)com for more info-- or to arrange a private or small group class.
Type on the Streets - Dikko Faust
Type on the Streets: Architectural and Vernacular Signage in New York City (and Beyond)
Center for Book Arts :: Saturday, October 28, 2023, 12–3pm
Register here
Enjoy a unique New York City walking tour highlighting 19th & 20th-century architectural typography on apartment buildings, manhole & vault covers, paint-on-brick advertising signs, and more. You can make your own rubbings of found typography.
Letterpress: Variation
Feb7-April 17:: Wednesdays 6:30-9:30pm 10 sessionsSchool of Visual Arts, New York City Registration closed
This course concentrates on nontraditional, experimental, and painterly uses of letterpress. Students explore moiré and interference patterns by shifting type set-ups and using multiple printings. Students examine the type experiments of avant-garde movements, such as Dada and futurism, and innovative printers from the 19th and 20th centuries. Sessions begin with demonstrations, followed by supervised studio time to work on independent projects.
No previous printmaking experience required.
Registration closed
Modular Pattern: Weekend Workshop
Registration CLOSED Sign up next time!
School of Visual Arts, New York City |
This hands-on workshop will focus on letterpress relief printing techniques. Students will set metal type, type ornaments, found objects, and made pieces. In addition to studio work, students will examine historical works of letterpress art, including vernacular weaving, bricklaying, tiling, and other archaeological and architectural examples. Students will experiments with moiré, interference, shifted and pinwheel prints, ink transparency, and color overlay. The first day will focus on group patterns, while the second day will concentrate on individual projects. All levels are welcome, though some letterpress or relief printmaking experience is helpful. Register here.
Printing T-Shirts on the Washington Press
Center for Book Arts Sign up next time!
Students will learn about typographic history while printing on t-shirts and other cotton fabric items. Printing wood type with hand rollers on CBA’s R.Hoe & Co Washington Press (made in the Bronx in the late 1800’s)
Vandertricks with Dikko Faust
Sign up next time!
In this workshop on improvisatory letterpress printing, students will study four letterpress techniques: feathering, rainbow rolls, found-object printing, and purgacolor. The course will also cover other aspects of letterpress printing, including onlay, interlay, underlay, color mixing tips, press maintenance, proofing, editioning, managing order, and more. Dikko will display examples of his work from Purgatory Pie Press. Students should have some hand type and letterpress experience.
Hands-On History of Type: 200 Years of New Things
Center for Book Arts
Registration CLOSED Sign up next time!
This series will explore the history of typography from the 1820s to the present using lectures, show-and-tell examples, and demonstrations. Sessions will include: Alphabet History through Type Inventions with Five New Type Forms from the 1820s, Wood Type and Metal Type: Manufacture and Best Use Suggestions, Chromatic Wood and Metal Type, Printing Magazines: 19th through Early 20th Century, Crystal Goblet vs. Dada: Avant Garde vs Classical Reformist Design.
Two Centuries of Wood and Metal Type 1820-2020
This course will include a survey of the last 200 years of type design, advertising, and graphic popular culture. Type exploded into numerous forms in the 19th century, with many fans and critics along the way. Constant barrages of new ways to make type, typewriters, keyboard cast type (linotype, monotype, etc.), as well as other innovations aided and abetted the typing boom. A veteran type detective and letterpress printer will lead our investigation from his printshop and archive. Students will undertake and share guided research with the class as we learn about this exciting period for type and type design. Expect diversions into architectural ornament and much more that relate to letter design.
⠀
