Steamroller Printmaking?!

      Sage College in Albany, New York hosted a unusual event: "Steamroller Print Day." I walked into the Armory on Saturday morning to find a small crowd of students and faculty inking up plates that varied from reasonably sized collagraphs to a 4 foot by 9 foot woodcut, with the driver watching dubiously as he lined up his full sized steamroller. 

---

​​Many of the artists were students in the undergraduate program at Sage, but the massive woodcut was carved by two Niskayuna High School students, and was being inked and printed by two more students from Niskayuna. I was impressed to hear they’d used a dremel for easier carving – some woodcuts might need to happen in my own studio soon. Also, can I use a dremel to etch zinc plates? 

---

​They set the plate within an orange-duct-tape box on the ground, and laid the paper over it. Instead of typical press blankets, a large carpet pad served to protect the plate. Instead of a normal printmaking press, these artists would be relying on the weight of an industrial steamroller to apply pressure. We gathered around for an anxious test print as the driver pulled forward, then turned the wheel to keep within the lines on the ground – causing the two rollers to pivot at different angles and sliding the papers beneath. The test print came out slightly blurred across the center, and not as clear or solid a black as wanted. 

---

​As the team set to inking again, the driver worked to straighten out the steamroller – to get a successful print, he’d need to be perfectly centered and roll straight over the plate without any turning. 

​After thorough inking and masking, the group set up for another print. Everyone watched nervously as the engine fired up and the driver pulled slowly, neatly forward over the print. 

​​The students peeled back the layers, and pulled the paper from the plate to reveal a clean, crisp black and white image. I love the curving, blank banner that spirals over the heads of the faceless but diverse crowd depicted – the students didn’t need to add words for their message of community.

These students will definitely laugh telling their friends they got to print using a steamroller. I'm off to google how much a steamroller costs - what's the strangest way you've ever made artwork?