Printmaking

how we can Share our art

What Is Printmaking?

Printmaking is an artistic process based on the principle of transferring images from a matrix onto another surface, most often paper or fabric. Traditional printmaking techniques include woodcut, etching, engraving, and lithography, while modern artists have expanded available techniques to include screenprinting.

A matrix is essentially a template, and can be made of wood, metal, or glass. The design is created on the matrix by working its flat surface with either tools or chemicals. The matrix is then inked in order to transfer it onto the desired surface. To print from a matrix requires the application of controlled pressure, most often achieved by using a printing press, which creates an even impression of the design when it is printed onto the paper or fabric. (More modern printmaking techniques, such as screenprinting, do not require a press.) The resulting print is often the mirror image of the original design on the matrix. One of the great benefits of printmaking (save for monotype) is that multiple impressions of the same design can be printed from a single matrix.

Anchor Standard 3: I can improve and complete artistic work usingelements and principles.
Anchor Standard 5: I can interpret and evaluate the meaning of an artwork.
Anchor Standard 6: I can identify and examine the role of visual artsthrough history and world cultures.
(South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards for Visual ArtsProficiency South Carolina Department of Education Columbia, SouthCarolina 2017)

Types of Printmaking

Woodcut

A relief print, where artists carve their designs into a wooden plank or paper using very sharp tools. The designs would be inked when completed and then transferred or printed onto another piece of wood.

Engraving

Engraving is where artists use a copper plate (burin), to engrave or cut designs into. Similar to wood cutting, engraving traditionally uses ink, which is placed onto the whole image and then wiped away, leaving ink only in the engraved bits of the copper plate.

Etching

Etching is a little different from the two forms of printmaking above. In etching, the lines hold the ink, while the base of the plate (usually a copper plate) are not covered in ink. The plate is usually covered in a wax-like substance before the lines are carved and the ink is placed on.

Lithography

Lithography uses the idea of the chemical reaction between oil and water to create the art works. In lithography, limestone is primarily used as a medium. Limestone is greased with a medium and then placed within acid. The acid then burns the image (transferring it) onto the surface.

Screen Printing

Screen printing allows an artist to create designs using fabrics and stencil techniques. Ink is pushed through a design in a stencil or frame using a type of mesh-like fabric. Many people use screen-printing techniques to design their own t-shirts and clothing products at home.