#st botolphs

[zurich-snows]

Andy Brooke, St Botolphs. This is a three colour photo-screen print made from laminating two sheets of clear float glass together – one with green/blue ink print and one with a single brown/red ink print. Andy: “I made a half-tone negative for the screen to allow more details and textures.”

[singyamatokun]

Plenty of Print

I was really chuffed to organise, host, and just generally be a part of the Plenty of Print Open Day / print event we ran in Colchester yesterday.

The Waiting Room was approached by the Craft Council’s Make:Shift:Do — A programme of public events to experience hands on making. Inviting us to get involved with a whole host of other maker spaces all across the UK to open our doors and encourage people to get dem hands dirty and get making.

Roll up! Roll up! Plenty of Print!

I’m the community manager for the Hack Maker Space, a developing space with shared access to tools and knowledge based in the old bus station waiting room.

For this event I decided to invite four fine creative folk who work in the space and the amazing Typoretum to come and do what they do best best.

Share their passion.

What did we have? It weren’t no lie, we did have plenty of print. We had fabric printing, screen printing, letterpress printing and badge making (OK so yeah there always has to be a wild card).

Typoretum’s little one making her own wood block to print from.

Fabric Printing My friend Jacqueline Davies hosted a superb fabric printing workshop for our Maker Wednesday in August. She couldn’t make it on the day so I decided to take the reins and run it myself. I facilitate crafty shenanigans via Stitch & Bitch, a monthly crafty club co-hosted by a textile artist. I’m not really a practicing textile artist myself. I’m more of a facilitator and personally enjoy bringing people together and working on collaborative projects. Like the Colchester yarn bomb.

My workshop had a simple concept you could scale up in difficulty depending on your design/masochistic tendencies. Attach foam shapes to wood, load up with paint, and smash down onto fabric to make a pattern — the kids seriously loved banging their wooden blocks. It wasn’t 100% children friendly. The blocks I’d scavenged had splints and nails on them. But hey! Who doesn’t love an element of danger in their work?

Look at that fucking hipster print a triangle pattern (FYI this is me)

The finished effect isn’t perfect.

It never has an even application and it’s not easy to line the patterns up. But if anything that’s why I like it. It’s a really messy and dirty way of getting a pattern / design or idea onto fabric. If you want someone neat.

Go get on a screen.

Introducing screen printer Tom Armstrong

Screen Printing Tom Armstrong is a man about the print room. He’s also in a pretty wild band. He prints band t-shirts, posters, bags and weird stuff for people who want it.

Tom brought blank screens and invited visitors to draw and cut out stencils and use the screen to churn out prints. Draw your design on paper first, transfer to sticky back plastic, attach it to the screen, load it up and print. It’s a simple but lengthy process. You have to be pretty precise cutting the stencil and even more precise if you need to line up two/three layered prints. It was a really popular workshop (for young and old alike!) and some people created some really nifty stuff.

Hands off! My bag!

The joy of screen printing is you can get a good run going and the finish is always pretty crisp. Typorteum’s assistant printer (I can’t remember her name dang) made this awesome “My Bag’ bag pictured above. You can easily see the process and effectiveness.

Jack Briggs-Miller showing Lucy how we make a badge like a boss

Badge making Jack Brigg-Miller creates Steam Punk jewellery with his wife Bethan, he’s also a DIY The Coffee Darkroom photographer and Doctor Who fanboy. He cracked out his badge machine and encouraged folks to make their own pin badges. He’s also setting up a competition in which anyone can submit a design for the Waiting Room and our favourite ones will be made up and sold from the space. We’ll be sharing the pattern online soon.

This workshop sold itself.

WHO DOESN’T LIKE BADGES?

Rob & Paul setting up their printing station

We then had two types of Letterpress Printing workshops.

First up, Paul and Rob (pictured left) from the St Botolph’s Letterpress Studio. This is a fucking brilliant project where the two of em are restoring a Cropper Platen Press that was donated to the Waiting Room along with all of the equipment that came with it.

They’re created a community of local letterpress beginners, enthusiasts and experts, and holds bi-monthly talks and events to help get people involved.

The Adana printer & a HUGE tub of green ink.

One loaded up gally sir

One beer mat sir

They brought along an Adana printer (look at the little beast above) and created branded WR beer mats. Paul created the design on the day — so I got to see the whole process happen.

You load individual metal letters in to a gally, lock it into place, and load this into the printer. Once locked in, people could come over, pull the lever, and you’ve made a beer mat. NICE

You can see on the left the smaller metal type and the larger ‘W’ & ‘R’ wood type — this shit is all the rage right now — lined up in the desired design. This workshop was great for people who didn’t want to get their hands dirty.

It was a swift printing kick.

Plus the beer mats look awesome.

Typoretum’s proofing press

Next up, T Y P O R E T U Maka Justin Knopp. A bloody nice chap who runs a letterpress printing & design studio based in Coggeshall. He brought along a proofing press for folks to try with glorious G.F Smith Colorplan papers to print on. He’d created the print a few days before — a superb quote by Aldous Huxley.

You lay the paper on top of the type, pull the roller along once and VOILA! You’ve got your hands on an amazing print there sir/madam. This combined with the Adana beer mat was a excellent introduction to the world highly addictive world of letterpress printing. Sadly you couldn’t create your own work — it’s pretty laborious process. Pretty easy to get wrong too.

The work Typortetum and Paul create is beautiful stuff. So you were guaranteed to walk away with a beaut.

I want thank all our workshops hosts. Paul, Rob, Justin, Jack and Tom. Plus big thank you Clare for helping me with Fin & Ned. My two new favourite hyperactive Waiting Room participants. And I don’t think he gets thanked enough. So thank you Marc De’ath for creating a brilliant project and space for these things to happen.

I really couldn’t have done this without all of you. There are some truly inspiring creative folk in Colchester. It’s an honor to be able to light up the creative bat signal and see people run to our aid. We’ll look into hosting something like this again soon. It was too much fun for all of us to not link up and do it again.

Take a look at a shit load of great photos from the day.

I’ll keep you posted on the next one.

The event was supported by the Craft Council’s Make:Shift:Do & G.F Smith.

[singyamatokun]

Little blog post I published about Maker Wednesday this week. We’re baking with Emma Chesters. She’s a delightful local baker showcasing her skills, products, and macaroon recipe at the Waiting Room. Let’s learn, cook and eat! I’ll be there to support her and showcase our developing Hack / Maker Space with shared tools and mini artist studios.

[singyamatokun]

Stitching St Botolph's

Wednesday 14th May, Stitch & Bitch, will be hosted by Clare Sams (pictured above), who returns to host Stitching St Botolph's, a session capturing the town in textiles. Join us at the Waiting Room from 7.30pm

What is it? It's a fantastic idea Clare had to capture this part of town in textiles. We’re making buildings from the area which will combined to create a 3D tapestry / story / memory of the town. I finished Best Kebab House on Queen Street last time (in progress below).

Working in conjunction with Voice of the Quarter, Stitching St Botolphs will collect recent and ancient histories from the area of the cultural quarter. These will be translated into stitch through the collaboration of local crafters (that's you!). The textiles work will document memories from local people, and the ancient, current, and modern architecture of this area. We will provide the needles, thread, and those bits and bobs to get you started. You don't even have to know how to stitch. You can use bonda web (a substance that fixes fabrics together with an iron). So you have no excuse ;) If you've got a haberdashery project you are working on, please bring it along. We'd love to see what you've been creating. If you need a chance to get knitting you are more than welcome to join us.

We also have a huge bag of random fabric you can rummage through!

We host the informal craft club every second Wednesday of the month from 7.30pm at the Waiting Room. Our sessions are all about dedicating one night of the month to getting crafty with local ladies and gents.

[singyamatokun]

Because despite all the making that might happen there, a makerspace isn't really a converted study room, or a repurposed janitor's closet, or a donated trailer, or heck, even a gloriously funded renovation project with all the traditional trappings of the makerspace. A makerspace is anywhere creating, collaborating, converting or computer crushing is happening.

Alison 'The Space-less Makerspace' Make it @ your Library

[singyamatokun]

Paint a mural with Ron Sims

( Original post from the Waiting Room Blog)

I'm very excited to share that this week, Wednesday 16th April, our Maker Wednesday will be hosted by local painter & printmaker Ron Sims. And he's inviting you to help him paint a mural at The Waiting Room. Grab a brush and pour some paint. Meet a local painter and help up improve our space. RSVP and find out more on facebook.

How we will do it:

The mural will need a team of people to enlarge the image for the outside Waiting Room end. Please wear clothes you don't mind getting paint on.

Straight forward squaring up to start with on the black painted end, using grey hand drawn paint in enamel. Guidance from me.

In-fill with a lighter grey in enamel, covering up squaring grid but leaving the outline of the image.

Mask out shapes not being sprayed with a colour, using tape and newspaper.

Use car spray for edge to edge finish.

Adjust colours, spray varnish, Mural completed.

About Ron Sims

My own serious art practise in painting hasn’t diminished from 9yrs full time at art college in the 60’s and 70’s: at Colchester, Manchester, RA Schools and Gloucester College of Art (Teaching Fellowship). Apart from part-time teaching in Painting and Printmaking my own acrylics on canvas, continually research abstract design. Some of my recent work has been shown at Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, and on Vinyl and CD covers for the prog-rock group Chrome Hoof, entitled ‘Black Gold’. As President of Colchester Art Society I am trying to up the quality of work with more professionals and serious practising artists joining/re-joining us. Exciting contemporary work in any medium is hoped for. Any artist can put in for our Open Shows, - next one is at the Institute in July through to August. Institute and Minories will have info for this show nearer the time.

So grab a brush and pour some paint. We will be at the Waiting Room from 7.30pm on Wednesday 16th April. All are welcome and remember, it's free!

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Maker Wednesdays provide a flavour of what’s on offer at our Hack/Maker/Library/Space. A shared workshop environment, accessed via a pay what you can membership scheme.

Hosted every week, they are free and informal workshop sessions held at the St Botolph’s Waiting Room. They are open to everyone of all ages, backgrounds and skills.

Community Manager Alex Davis (that’s me), is passionate about all things craft will be regular fixtures so you’re welcome to pop along to say hello and find out more.

(Painting: Dog, Ron Sims) (Painting: Green Breasted Girl, Ron Sims)

[singyamatokun]

Stitchin' & bitchin' St Botolph's

This evening we held the first in a series of sessions capturing the history and memories of St Botolph’s in textiles with Clare Sams at the Waiting Room.

Part of our monthly Stitch & Bitch session - an open event for ladies & gents to come get crafty - this month was about making buildings from fabric. You didn’t need to have any stitching or sewing knowledge. We used bondaweb and paint to create the texture and outlines.

We had an excellent turn out, with ladies and gents of all ages getting stuck in. I decided to make ‘Best Kebeb House’, a kebabery based down Queen Street which is no longer there (me pictured above tackling the fabric representation). Back in the day, we’d head out to Route, dance to some indie electro tunes and scoff something despicable at this eating establishment afterwards. It wasn’t the best by any means, and I think that’s why I like the name and the place even more.

The joint was so popular, it was even painted by legendary Colchester artist Charles Debenham (pictured above). So it must be good. Or something.

You can view more photos from the event on the Stitch & Bitch facebook. I’d like to thank Clare Sams (pictured above introducing the eve) for approaching us with her fantastic project, Voices of the Quarter for introducing their aims for the town, and the excellent folk who joined us this evening. Next week’s event is on Wednesday 19th March, and our Maker Wednesday session will be co hosted by local knitwear designer Anni Howard. A brilliant yarn artist best known for her Viñoly Beret, a hat inspired by firstsite gallery. Join us to find out more from this superb local maker, bring some knitting, bring a pattern you would like some advice on. Or simply bring your own project to work on with the group. Read more & RSVP on facebook

Head up! The week after, Wednesday 26th March is the Letterpress Takeover. We’ll be Hijacked by the Waiting Room’s Letterpress team and the awe inspiring Justin Knopp from Typoretum will be giving a presentation on the history and possible future of letterpress. Read more & RSVP on facebook

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What is Maker Wednesday? The Hack/Maker/Library Space hosts Maker Wednesdays every week. They are free and informal sessions held at the St Botolph’s Waiting Room. They are open to everyone of all ages, backgrounds and skills. Maker Wednesdays provide a flavour of what’s on offer at our Hack/Maker/Library/Space. A shared workshop environment, accessed via a pay what you can membership scheme. From wiring your own circuit to learning how to use a knitting machine, with access to new tools, knowledge and resources we want to encourage local people to share or learn new creative skills.

[singyamatokun]

HACK MAKE MEET DRINK

Join me and the crafty, techny community tomorrow night on Wednesday 26th February from 7pm at the Waiting Room for the Hack Maker Space social at Maker Wednesday. Mark & me will be talking about the progression and upcoming workshops. You're welcome to bring along a project to work on with the group. We'd love to see what you're developing/making/hacking.

We host Maker Wednesdays every week. They provide a flavour of what’s on offer at our Hack/Maker/Library/Space - A shared workshop environment, accessed via a pay what you can membership scheme - They are free and informal workshop sessions held at the Waiting Room. They are open to everyone of all ages, backgrounds and skills. Community Manager Alex Davis (that's me) is passionate about all things craft and I've joined forces with local technology lover Mark Sta Ana to run the weekly event. We're regular fixtures so you're welcome to pop along to say hello and find out more.

This week is a social so join the us to hear more about the project, meet some of the friendly faces involved and sign up for an upcoming workshops.