Designer Highlight: Ryan Pflasterer

The Anderson Design Group is comprised of seasoned illustrators, designers, and production experts who all have a passion for beautifully printed pieces of art/design.  Ryan Pflasterer, the most recent addition to our design team, is particularly fascinated with archaic forms of printmaking.  His work as a designer/printmaker, however, has been informed by his background as a mixed-media artist.

Ryan and his wife Elyzabeth during a recent gallery showing at the Imago Galley & Cultural Center in Columbia, MO.  You can read an interview about the artwork here.

Last year, on April Fools Day, Ryan and Elyzabeth officially launched a new business called Inkwell's Press (Fun Fact: ADG/ATD was also launched on April 1st, over 20 years ago).  Inkwell's Press is a printmaking and bookbinding studio specializing in high-quality, hand-made "artifacts" using techniques that are thousands of years old, yet shockingly viable today. In addition to an expanding line of beautifully printed notebooks, journals, housewares, and art prints, Inkwell's Press also offers custom silkscreen printing services.  To learn more visit the online gallery/shop at www.inkwellspress.com (right now Ryan and Elyzabeth are giving free pocket notebooks to anyone who signs up for the Inkwell's Press mailing list).

The following images provide a glimpse at Ryan's process along with samples of printmaking and bookbinding projects...

Once a design is finalized film positives of the artwork are prepared.

The film positive is used to burn a stencil into an emulsified silkscreen.

Final "Ideas & Intentions" pocket notebooks inspired by vintage feed and seed memo books from the mid 1900's.

The process typically begins with hand-drawn artwork.

Each individual color is hand-pulled using a separate screen.

This limited edition was set at exactly 50 prints, which were each signed and numbered.

Final "Prayers & Perceptions" limited edition silkscreen print.

Limited edition woodcut print.

After this 10-print edition was finished the original woodcut plate was marred to ensure that there will never be reprints. 

A collabrative edition series of notebooks featuring hand-dyed indigo covers by Garner Blue.

Custom pocket notebooks hand-printed and hand-bound for a non-profit organization based in Miami, FL.

Stay tuned for some exciting collaborations between ADG and Inkwell's Press to be announced soon!