Today I have been working on a different part of my project: adding dialog to one of the images.
When I add dialog to any of these images, I don't just add it digitally. I guess you can say I add it the analog way.
Step 1, making the prints.
Step 2, typesetting the dialog by hand using lead type.
Each letter gets individually laid out where it is supposed to be. Then the whole bunch is held together and placed in the printing press.
These are the prints I am working with. 140 prints of this image.
125 will be for MCBA for an assembling project they are doing. 5 will be for my show at Bloomington, and then the extras will just be there for me to screw up on the layout with.
This is the printing press I will use to print the text. It is a Chandler and Price Pilot press.
I decided to use this font because I really like how simple it is. It seems to work with the text I am creating.
Is this the easiest way to put text on an image? No. It takes a lot of time to typeset everything, and it takes a lot of time to make sure your images lines up with the text where you want it. It also takes quite a bit of time to mix the ink to the right color so it works with the colors in the images and is readable. The press also takes quite a bit of time to clean after the printing is done.
So why do I create this much work for myself? Because there is nothing like the look of press printed text on an image. Adding the text digitally doesn't look the same. This presses the letters into the print, giving it texture, and adding another layer to the image. In many ways, it is like comparing digital cameras to film cameras. There are many things that film can do, ways it can make an image look that a digital camera can't. But that doesn't make the digital camera bad, just different. Do I think everything should be printed like this? No. But for artwork and bookwork, it is amazing, unpredictable (to a point) and beautiful. For this project, I couldn't do it any other way.
If you are interested in seeing any other images of my studio, look here.
~Peace~