Touch Me, Feel Me. Wow, its Engraved!

Engraving—Letterpress' Shy SisterLecture with copious quantities of impressive visuals!
By Nancy Sharon Collins

Thursday, June 16
6:00-8:00pm
Type Directors Club
347 W 36th St # 603
New York, NY 10018-7243
(212) 633-8943

Commercial engraving for print has an illustrious history as a vital technique for graphic design and typography. Engraving is a fluid, free-hand expression restricted only by the perimeter of the surface upon which an engraving is worked. The exquisite beauty and gracefulness of arcs and shading inherent in the engraved line is unparalleled. For centuries prior to the digital age, engraving was the dominant methodology for teaching and innovation in lettering, and especially for calligraphy.

Nancy will explain why the organic nature of steel die and copper plate engraved imagery and text complements and enhances our visual experiences, and will demonstrate the importance of engraving as a modern graphic design technique. She will show examples from several avid collectors of elegant and unique engraved imagery, and share her expertise on engraving techniques and methodology. She will also describe the recent installation of a working engraving proofing press and the establishment of a new and growing engraving community in the great American city beneath the sea (New Orleans).

To read more about the speaker, Mrs. Collins was just quoted in Neenah paper's blog.

The TDC Events and Salons are held at the Type Directors Club Center, 347 West 36th Street, Suite 603, New York, NY 10018, unless otherwise noted. Click here for directions. Seating is limited so please click on an event you'd like to attend and use the link to pre-register. Type Salon admission is free for members and $20 for non-member professionals and $15 for non-member students. Admission fees vary for special events.

Image: Trade card, engraved with the anaglyptographic method, on coated stock. © Richard D. Sheaff , http://www.sheaff-ephemera.com/
Anaglyptography was a peculiar way to engrave the appearance of 3-dimensional medallions and designs. It utilized a special pantograph engineered to copy the surface of bas-reliefs like the face of a coin. Much as a topographic map follows the contours of land, anaglyptography replicates the gentle differences in surface levels of a dimensional sculpture.

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Here are a few more images for the June 16th TDC presentation:

Details will be posted shortly on the Type Directors Club "Salon" page...

"Allied Oil" courtesy of Strathmore archives, Mohawk Fine Paper, Cohoes, NY; Monogram © Richard Sheaff; "D" monogram engraved by Emily DeLorge.