Portland Art and Soul Workshops
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Traci Bunkers
9:00-4:00
Wednesday

1339 - Gocco a Gogo: Basics & Beyond

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$ 135 Plus $15 materials fee  

In art school, I did a lot of silk-screening and loved it. But, it was messy, cumbersome, and time consuming. Plus, after I graduated, I didn't have the equipment to continue on my own. Many, (many!) years later, I found the solution--The print Gocco! What is a Gocco (pronounced go-ko)? It's a portable, self-contained Japanese silk-screen gadget that combines screen-printing with rubber stamping. It deceptively looks like a toy, but it's not! I love it because it is easy to use, you can print several colors at the same time on one piece, and make multiple prints that are all alike or different. Plus it's compact, not messy and it is immediate gratification at its best!

In this fun and instant-satisfaction printing workshop, I will teach you the basics of gocco printing and also alternative gocco printing methods. You'll learn how to burn a screen using photocopies of your own images or drawings, and how to print it on paper, all using the gocco machine. And, I'll take you outside of the box, showing you various alternative methods using the gocco as the foundation. With these methods, you can create multiple prints of the same image, and one-of-a-kind monoprints through layering and stenciling. You will leave the class with wonderful prints that you made, and you get to keep your screens. You can continue printing with them at home using the techniques you learn in class. There is a kit fee of $15 to cover screens, inks, bulbs, blocking material, and other materials used in class. No experience necessary!

(Note: A few years ago, Riso, the company who makes the print gocco machine, stopped distributing them to the U.S. and the machines and supplies were hard to find. But now they are available again! So don't listen to the rumors. They are gaining popularity so you can easily find the machines and supplies through mail order and some art supply stores.)

For more information, visit my web site at www.TraciBunkers.com

Supply List:
--Copies of several designs you want to print. (NOTE: Must be black and white TONER copies or prints (NOT ink jet). And, must be no larger than 4"x 6". High contrast, bold images work best. Photos with gradual shading don't work.)
--25-30 sheets of various paper to print on: can be anything 4" x 6" or bigger—plain, printed, colored, and/or blank cards. Glossy doesn't work as well because it takes too long for the ink to dry. You can gesso, paint, and/or collage the paper first if you'd like a background,
--roll of paper towels
--roll of clear packing tape
--small, plastic palette knife
--a few old credit card type cards (these will get ink on them!)
--apron
--cutting mat
--exacto knife & blade
--scissors 

Optional: Hair dryer or heat gun to speed up the drying process.

Materials fee includes: 
Use of the Print Gocco Machine(s), screens, bulbs, inks, blocking material, wax paper, blotter paper, screen cleaner, gloves, baby wipes and various other supplies needed.