Experimental Printmaking Supply List

Tools

  • Soft rubber 4" or 6" brayer. A brayer is a hand-held rubber roller used in printmaking
  • Plexiglass sheets: 2 sheets with a thickness of 1/8" or greater. Any dimensions larger than 10”x10”. Larger sheets allow for larger prints but the bigger they are the harder they are to schlep to class. See note below for availability.
  • Bone folder, also known as a ‘bookmaking folder.’ Plastic or real bone are both fine.
  • Scissors
  • Retractable utility knife and/or Xacto knife
  • Pencils and erasers
  • Paintbrushes (any size – see what you have around already)
  • Small bowl for water
  • Glue (Elmer's, Sobo or PVA [Poly Vinyl Acetate] all are good)

I also recommend buying a Barren, which is another printing tool but if budget is an issue you can borrow one from me

Ink

  • I recommend Water mixable oil paint (not to be confused with regular oil paint). It sounds strange but it's a great product, free of noxious odors, cleans up with soap and water, and it makes an excellent printing ink. Get 3-5 colors that you enjoy.
  • Akua brand soy-based ink (this stuff works too and may be more economical)
  • If you like metallic colors you will need to get Speedball water-based ink.

Paper

  • Found paper (anything you already have–decorative papers, maps, pages torn from books, even fabric)
  • A Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Paper Pad (14” x 17” or larger)
  • Canford drawing paper 19" x 25": 5 sheets any colors of your choice
  • Newsprint pad (any size)
  • 2-3 sheets of ‘oak-tag’ (Sometimes referred to as poster board, railroad board or tagboard . Color is irrelevant but it should not be so thick you can't cut it with scissors!)

All papers can be folded, cut, or rolled to make them easier to carry. Several papers from the pads can be torn out for the same reason.

Optional Items – Bring what you have!

  • Chalk and/or oil pastels (nice to have both but one or the other will do-an inexpensive set of 10-12 colors will be just fine)
  • A set of watercolor pencils (any amount of colors is fine and any brand within your price range is fine)
  • Markers of any kind

For Plexiglass:

Some art stores have plexi in stock but Canal Plastics Center (345 Canal Street, diagonally across the street from, what used to be Pearl Paint) definitely has what you're looking for.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.