RISO Artist of the Month Natalie Andrewson

What is your name and the name of your organization/location?

Natalie Andrewson

Los Angeles, California

How long have you been in the art industry?

I’ve been working for about 10 years now.

How long have you been using RISO duplicators and the method of RISOGRAPHY?

Also about 10 years! My friend Wren McDonald bought a machine around 2013 and we printed some two color zines with it for art conventions and small press events right after graduating school. When I moved to New York I printed on my friend Kris Mukai’s machine, then in 2015 I started working at the SVA RisoLAB for about 4 years.

What are some of your favorite colors to use with a duplicator?

I love every color and combination, it’s hard to choose between them when writing out a list, but my current favorite combinations are blue, fluorescent pink, and yellow. With just those three colors I can make a wide ranging color palette, making a sort of faux CMYK effect. I use blue as both Cyan and Black in the layering process, usually printing my line art in blue, then adding fluorescent pink to give the whole piece a pop of color, and then neutralizing and harmonizing with yellow. However my favorite spot colors to use right now are fluorescent orange, federal blue and aqua.

Why RISOGRAPHY?

Because of its ease of use and the control I have to edit and experiment immediately. I love being able to make a piece of artwork in the morning, print it, edit it, print it again with different colors or change the values however I please, and then have a full piece I’m proud of by the end of the day. I don’t have to ask anyone to print for me and I have full control of the spot colors I print with. I also love that whatever I send through the machine looks beautiful, with its natural looking textures from both the printing process and the colors. It doesn’t take a lot to make simple work look great with Riso. Even the least vibrant/fluorescent colors look rich on paper, and layering them with others adds an even more dynamic textured quality.

What would you tell people who are just finding out about RISO Duplicators and the artform of RISOGRAPHY?

People usually ask me what the deal with it is, why it’s getting so popular and what it even is? Why is everyone using it? And, after a brief explanation of what it looks like and how it works, I launch into how I feel it’s part of a revolution in self-printed and small published matter. I think the reason why it’s gained so much traction lately is the fact that it looks so beautiful, it doesn’t require thousands of copies to be affordable, and is easy to experiment on, all contributing to artists feeling empowered to play and make new work. In a time of AI and artists feeling hopeless or alienated, it’s really satisfying to have a physical piece of printed media that shares an idea quickly and beautifully, which I think builds meaningful community. There’s a joke at small press art events that we’re all just giving each other the same $5 over and over again because we’re as excited to learn about new artists using Riso to share their ideas as we are to share our own.

I basically just rave about how Riso printed work looks, then encourage people to try it out for themselves, so they might find the joy in making, experimenting and sharing their beautiful work and thoughts with their community. I do think that’s what Riso is doing as well, helping build community and sharing ideas in a gorgeous and affordable printing process.

Upcoming Events:

The next event I’m doing is San Diego Comic Con, then soon after I’m helping curate and host Riso Art & Zine Fest (RAZ Fest) with Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California. This will be the second year we’re putting it on, and it’s a small one day festival celebrating artists making work on the Riso!

I’ll also be at Small Press Expo in September debuting my new art book published by Peow2, which has all the work I’ve made for the Riso for the past 10 years as well as a really cool Riso how-to section. I’ll then be back in New York for New York Comic Con as well!

Website Links:

Here’s my website: https://natalie-andrewson.com/

And here’s my shop where you can browse all the prints I’ve made: https://www.natalieandrewson.com/