WHAT IS PRINTMAKING?

Printmaking is an art form in which ink or other materials

are transferred from a surface to a material, like paper,
fabric, wood, or stone. A wide variety of techniques can
be used in printmaking. This style of art is one of the
oldest in the world.
The printmaking process is capable of producing
multiples of the same piece, which is called a
print. Each piece produced is not a copy but
considered an original since it is not a
reproduction of another work of art.

Prints are created by transferring ink from a
medium or through a prepared screen to a sheet
of paper or other material. Common types of
mediums include: metal plate, stone, aluminium,
polymer, blocks of wood, linoleum, styro foam and
even cut vegetables.

Screens made of silk or synthetic fibres are used
for screen printing.

RELIEF PRINTING
In relief printing, the surface used for printing is
raised above the non-printable areas. This is
usually achieved by cutting away the non-printable
area of the design or relief block.
INTAGLIO PRINTING
Intaglio is a family of printmaking techniques in which the
image is incised into a surface, known as the matrix or plate.
Normally, copper or zinc plates are used as a surface, and
the incisions are created by etching, engraving, dry point,
aquatint or mezzotint.

To print an intaglio plate, ink is applied to the surface and then rubbed with a
cloth to remove most of the excess. The final smooth wipe is often done with
newspaper or old public phone book pages, leaving ink only in the incisions. A
damp piece of paper is placed on top and the plate and paper are run through a
printing press that, through pressure, transfers the ink from the recesses of the
plate to the paper.

Intaglio engraving, was invented in Germany in the 1430s, well after the woodcut
print. Engraving had been used by goldsmiths to decorate metalwork, including
armour, musical instruments and religious objects since ancient times. It has
been suggested

that goldsmiths began to print impressions of their work to
record the design, and that printmaking developed from that.
LINO PRINTING
Lino Printing or Lino Cutting is a block printing technique.

Firstly, a design is chosen to be printed. A mirror image
of this design is transferred to a lino surface Typically this is
done using tracing paper or sometimes the design is drawn
directly onto the lino surface.

Areas of the design are then carved from the lino surface. The uncarved areas are
the parts that get printed. The lino surface is then inked with a roller and printed onto
paper. This printing process is carried out manually, but it can also be done using a
printing press. If you are looking for professional quality prints then a printing press
should be used.

Prints can be made using one or more colours. If you use just one colour then the
print is complete at this stage. If you use multiple colours, then once the first print is
finished the lino surface is cleaned and dried. Another section of the lino surface is
then carved. The section that has been carved will not be printed for the subsequent
colour. The process continues until all of the colours have been printed. Multicolour
lino prints are called reduction prints.

WOOD BLOCK PRINTING

Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images
or patterns. This technique was used widely throughout
East Asia. It originated in China as a method of printing
textiles and later on paper.

The wood block is carefully prepared as a relief matrix, which means the areas to show
'white' are cut away with a knife, chisel, or sandpaper leaving the design to show in
'black'. The block is cut along the grain of the wood. It is only necessary to ink the block
and bring it into contact with paper to achieve an acceptable print.

The design would print "in reverse" or mirror-image, a further complication when text was
involved. For colour printing, multiple blocks are used, each for one colour, although
overprinting two colours may produce further colours on the print.

The earliest surviving examples of woodblock printing date back to 220 AD China, and
from the 4
th
Century in Egypt. Woodblock printing first came to Christian Europe between
1440 to 1460. These prints were made for religious purposes.
Around the mid-century, woodcut books with both text and images, usually carved in the
same block, emerged as an alternative to manuscripts and books.
LITHOGRAPHY
Lithography is a method of printing using a stone
(lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a
completely smooth surface. Lithography can be
used to print text or art work onto paper or
another suitable material.

Lithography originally used an image drawn in wax or another oily substance
applied to a lithographic stone as the medium to transfer ink to the printed
sheet.
Most books, indeed all types of high-volume text, are now printed using offset
lithography, the most common form of printing production.
DRY POINT
Dry point, like etching and engraving, belongs to
the Intaglio family of printmaking, but is much
more simple and direct.

In dry point the surface of the plate is scratched, gouged, punctured and
scraped, but the material itself is not removed, it is just pushed to the side,
forming a kind of curl. The lines present a metal burr which, when looked at
through a magnifying glass, shows up as a kind of broken metallic wave, like
the ridges of a ploughed field.
It is this 'burr' which holds the ink, and gives a dry point line, or area, its typical
velvety appearance. The great attraction of dry point printmaking is its
simplicity. Materials and tools are cheap and easy to come by and the process
itself couldn't be more straightforward.
SILKSCREEN
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a
woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil.
The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh
that transfer ink or other printable materials
which can be pressed through the mesh as a
sharp-edged image onto a substrate. A roller or squeegee is moved across
the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink past the threads of the woven mesh
in the open areas.



ETCHING
Etching is a printmaking process that dates back
500 years. The etching process involves a sheet of
metal, usually made of copper or zinc, but it always
relies on acid to etch the plate.

To begin an etching, you must first coat a blank copper plate with wax.
Using a steel etching needle, draw the design through the wax and onto
the metal. Once you have drawn your picture, the metal will be submerged
into a bath of acid and left for about two hours. The acid will eat away at
the copper that has
been exposed by the needle to leave grooves, marks and textures in the
metal.

The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with
a sheet of paper (often moistened to soften it). The paper picks up the ink
from the etched lines, making a print. The process can be repeated many
times; typically several hundred impressions (copies) could be printed before
the plate shows much sign of wear. Etching has often been combined with
other intaglio techniques such as engraving


AQUATINT
Aquatint, is a style of etching widely used by
printmakers to achieve a broad range of tonal
values. The process is called aquatint because
finished prints often resemble watercolour
drawings or wash drawings.

Where the etching technique uses a needle to make lines, aquatint uses
powdered resin which is acid resistant in the ground to create a tonal
effect. The tonal variation is controlled by the level of acid exposure over large
areas

The acid bites away the plate only in the parts between the resin grains,
leaving an evenly pitted surface that gives way for broad areas of tone when
the grains are removed and the plate is printed. An endless number of tones
can be achieved by exposing various parts of the plate to acid.

THE HISTORY OF PRINTMAKING
CHINESE STONE RUBBINGS & WOODCUTS
868 AD,

Stone rubbing is actually the earliest form of printing
before woodcut. Chinese scholars studied scriptures,
the classic text accompanying holy images were
carved onto huge , flat stone slabs.

After the lines were incised, damp paper was pressed
and moulded on the surface, so the paper was held in
the incised lines. Ink was applied, and the paper was
then carefully removed. The resulting image appeared
as white lines on a black background. This method of
combining text and image is called block-printing.
JAPANESE PRINTS
18
th
Century

The history of Japanese prints is linked
with the art history of China and the
relief technique invented there.

The style of Japanese graphic art that
emerged in the middle of the 18
th
century is known as the Ukiyo-e, or
pictures of the floating world, school.

Early Ukiyo-e prints began in black and white. Created for a popular
audience, they were the publications of the day. Certain prints were made for
home decorations; others often set the style of day for fashion and
behaviour.

Colour printing from multiple blocks was soon introduced. Flat, solid shapes
and dramatic colour, design, and composition symbolise the later Ukiyo-e
prints.
15
TH
CENTURY GOTHIC PRINTS
The first woodcuts of the 15
th
century were generally made
in Germany, France and Italy.
The earliest Gothic images were cut from wood, inked and
printed. They were made to be used as playing cards,

Because much of Gothic life centred around the church,
the clergy used prints for devotional purposes and
distributed them among the people.

The images consisted mostly of saints and depictions
of the life of Christ and of the Virgin Mary; they also
illustrated numerous Bible stories.

With the development of moveable type, block books
became popular, and illustrations could be combined
with text.
RENAISSANCE PRINTS
The most illustrious artist of the Renaissance in the northern Europe was
Albrecht Durer. He became the first great graphic master, He was unique with
the use of the engraver and woodcut knife. Along with his keen observation of
nature and his devotion to prints, his subject matter were of religion.

By the mid-16
th
century, prints had become popular. They were used for all
manner of illustrations, including landscape and portraiture.
BAROQUE PRINTS

Baroque artists of the 17
th
century felt that
an image could have a powerful emotional
impact. Gesture could become highly
characterised, exaggerated even to a point
of being grotesque.

Engraving and etching were printmaking processes used. Portraiture,
landscape, perspective, foreground, middle ground, and background were
subject matters portrayed. Prints of the kings of France and Spain documented
various historical events. Wartime etchings showed the bitter and devastating
events of war. Intense detail was give to all prints.

Artists such as Jaques Callot, Rembrandt van Rijn, Peter Paul Reubens,
Anthony Van Dyck as well as the Dutch school of graphic artists flourished. In
addition to the subject matter already studied, interior studies, and scenes of
daily life were also carefully considered.
18
TH
CENTURY EUROPEAN PRINTS
At the turn of the 18
th
century, Paris was the artistic centre of
Europe.

Such artists as Francois Boucher and Jean Honore Fragonard
documented court life in drawings and sketches; influential
publishers then had these made into etchings, which proved
extremely popular.

During the 18
th
century the graphic arts once again flourished
in Italy. Artists such as Giovanni Battista Tiepolo was noted for
his delicacy of line and the spacious quality achieved through
economy of line and detail.

Subject matter such as courtyards, canals, and the beautiful
architecture of 18
th
century Venice were portrayed.
19
TH
CENTURY EUROPEAN PRINTS
In the 19
th
century. Leading artists produced an extraordinary range of prints.
Spains Francisco de Goya, for example, combined aquatint with etching to
produce bluntly truthful visions of the follies of humankind and the horrendous
acts of war.

In Paris, lithography provided the inexpensive option to reproduce images on a
large scale in the form of prints, periodicals, and book illustrations. The artist
Honore Daumier was particularly gifted in his portrayal of political satire and
social commentary.

From the 1860s to the end of the century, the Japanese print re emerged on
porcelain ware from Japan. Most of these prints were wrapped with Hokusai
designs. Prints of this time were flat, bold, and asymmetrical in composition.

The Impressionist Edgar Degas lithographic scenes of women
bathing and dressing were very similar to the Japanese style.
During this period colour lithography grew in popularity,

20
TH
CENTURY EUROPEAN PRINTS
The many art movements of Fauvism, Cubism,
Expressionism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Op
Art, Pop Art, and Super realism introduced many
printmakers that played important roles in the
development of printmaking in the 20
th
century.

Paris was the centre of Western Art and printmaking.

A group of Post Impressionists evolved in their printing
styles; such artists as Henri Matisse. He produced black
and white lithographs.

At this time, prints were rich, with an opulent
atmosphere suggested in black and white with
intense vibrant colour.
CUBISM
Cubism which translated the realistic image into
abstract form by dissolving it into cubic elements
and by crisscrossing shapes and planes, was the
joint achievement of the French artist Georges
Braque and the Spaniard Pablo Picasso, who
worked together beginning in 1909.

Picassos earliest prints (1904) speak of directness
and compassion, and suggest a serious and
sentimental nature.

In 1930 he was commissioned to produce a series
of 100 prints . These etchings and aquatints ranged
in subject matter; from the artist studio to
portraiture.

Other artists who produced important cubist prints
were, Jacques Villon, Juan Gris and Louis
Marcoussis. Each worked to achieve a warm and
harmonious relationship between the etched line
and overall tonal quality.

SURREALISM
Surrealism required imagery that came from the
unconscious and from dreams.

The printmakers from this period were the Spaniard Joan
Miro, whose colour lithographs have a delightfully unusual
quality, with bizarre hints.

In 1910, another artist named Marc Chagall came to Paris
from Russia. Throughout a long career he distinguished
himself as a printmaker, combining myths and legends,
naive charm with rich, dreamlike imagery.


EXPRESSIONISM
At the turn of the century, German artists developed
Expressionism, a style highlighting prejudiced emotions
and responses to the external world, in reaction against
French Impressionism and Post Impressionism.

The boldness of the woodcut was again used, which
consisted of striking contrasts of sections of roughly
gouged wood, harsh portraits, and poetic compositions of
the human figure.

Artists such as, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Otto
Mueller, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee were famous
for their development of this style.

Artists such as Norwegian Edvard Munch created
woodcuts and lithographs marked by powerful, highly
personal imagery

Rhythm of line and a dramatic sense of colour dominated
Expressionism.
POP ART PRINTS
Pop artists drew their material from the
mass media magazines, newspapers,
films, and photographs. These were
combined formally and repetitively,
often resulting in imaginative imagery.

Through the use of advertisements and
other dull images, artists such as Andy
Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert
Indiana set out to challenge graphic
tradition.
AUSTRALIAN PRINTS
Aboriginal printmaking emerged in the 1960's and early
1970's. Although it can be said that it began much earlier
in the form of stencilled images of hands that are found
on cave walls throughout Australia.

Margaret Preston was a well-known Australian artist.
She was very influential during the 1920s to 1940s for her
modernist works as a painter and printmaker and for
introducing Aboriginal motifs into contemporary art.

Her earliest prints were of etchings, woodcuts (influenced
by the Japanese), and woodblock printing.

Margaret Prestons art were quite simple, featuring wild
flowers in their natural state. She developed an interest in
Aboriginal rock carving and bark painting, which she
applied to her prints through the use of symbolism and
dried, burnt colours. Many of her prints were hand coloured
in rich blues, greens and scarlets.

CONTEMPORARY PRINTS
Nowadays, even though traditional printmaking
techniques are still used, digital prints using a digital
printer allows for variety in printing styles and finishes.

These images can be printed to a variety of surfaces
including paper, cloth, or plastic canvas. Accurate colour
reproduction and the type of ink used are key to unique
high quality from low quality digital prints. High quality
digital prints are typically reproduced with very high-
resolution data files with very high-precision printers.

Many artists sell prints from original images that have
been digitally scanned and then printed, either on their
own printers or on someone else's (such as a gallery).

One type of digital print that you will see quite often is
called a giclee (zhee-CLAY) print. This technique allows
any print made on a specific type of high resolution inkjet
printer using special archival inks on archival paper.