I got my gocco!

Today I finally got my gocco from Japan. I probably mentioned before that I really wanted to try screenprinting, and I bought all the equipment, took a class, and actually screen printed a few tote bags and a couple of shirts. Unfortunately, screenprinting is not very well suited for a two bedroom apartment. The screens are large and when you wash out one covered with red ink in the shower, it looks like something out of Psycho.


So I found out about gocco printing on etsy, which is screenprinting, but on a much smaller scale. The gocco I got only prints 3.5 x 5.5 inch paper. You can actually print on larger paper, but your image will only be that size. This is the image I designed to use on my first try.

I was really worried because there's always a learning curve with any new process, and especially with me.

But believe it or not, it actually worked the first time I tried it! Okay, I may have had to watch the etsy video on how to gocco print more than a couple of times, but it was easier than trying to read the directions that came with it. Though there were really nice illustrations, somehow I just couldn't pick up enough of the Japanese language for them to be of any help.
The print turned out exactly as I'd hoped, and I managed to print 50 copies with only adding a little extra ink toward the end. Here are photos of me using the gocco and of all my prints drying on the kitchen table. Tomorrow night I'll post a finished print on my blog.