Here is some helpful advise for those attending the gocco printmaking workshop of Story Book Artists. This group was formed as a way to bring artists in the community together to share ideas and inspiration. This is our first event and I am excited to welcome you and hope we have a great experience working together. After the event we will collect one print from each person attending and we will work in earnest on getting a local show here in downtown Phoenix.

How to use the gocco “machine”:
Before you start thinking about your artwork you can watch this short video on etsy that shows the whole process of making a gocco print.
Please note: we do not have the little strips of goo that keep the colors separate that they are showing in the video, so if you are using multiple colors, you may have some bleed into each other (actually, this could be a cool effect).

A few things to keep in mind:
For our first attempt in this gocco workshop we will be making one plate each. That means that it would be easiest to think of your design as a one color image like this:

If you are interested in using more than one color, plan out your design so that you can ink up one plate with multiple colors like this:

We will not be doing multiple plates to make designs like this (but maybe on our next workshop we can try it):

You can also hand-color your prints after you make one solid print like this:

About creating your template:
The final size of your print will be 4″ x 6″, so make your live area (the area that will print) within 3.5″ x 5.5″. Print your template right reading (that means if you are using any words you can read them regular, they do not have to be flopped). It is best to use a laser print or a photocopy and not an inkjet print, so if you only have an inkjet printer, make your art and then get a photocopy of it at the library or at kinkos. Keep in mind that solid black art for your template will work the best. If you have Photoshop or an editing program on your computer you can convert an image and give it an intense black and white brightness/contrast and maybe even use the rubber stamp filter to get your design to look like this:

You do not want to use an image that has shades of grey, like this, as that will not translate as a plate and you will get a lumpy looking, messy design:

Other information:
They say you can get 50 pulls from one inking… I think that is a bit high, but 30 is not unbelievable if you ink it up good. We will be supplying 10 sheets for each person. If you want to do more or use other paper, you will need to bring your own.

For the sake of time and cost we would like to limit each person to doing 30 prints and then allowing someone else to go. You can keep your plate in a plastic bag and if there is time, do more later. It will cost $10 each to cover supplies.

Some gocco artists on etsy:
I am linking to a few artists who sell there gocco work on etsy as examples. Please remember that these artist’s works are copyrighted and cannot be duplicated.

artist inkmeup – single color gocco print
artist jenny s – single color gocco print
artist amanda blake – hand colored gocco print
artist jose pulido – multi colored gocco print

If you have any questions send me an e-mail. Thank you.