Review of Printmaking Techniques

When imitating one of these printmaking techniques, pay attention to the thickness of the lines, the type of marks visible (ie: heavy outlines, hatched lines, stippling, soft transitions of value). Notice the directions of the hatchmarks (most obvious in woodcuts; usually obvious in etchings/engravings; subtler in lithography). Note also that the colors of these traditional prints are fairly neutral, due in part to the aging of the paper and pigments.

Here's a video demonstration on imitating the look of a hand-colored lithograph

a review of how to imitate the look of various printmaking techniques can be found HERE

woodcuts

relief printing, in art printmaking, a process consisting of cutting or etching a printing surface in such a way that all that remains of the original surface is the design to be printed. Examples of relief-printing processes include woodcut, anastatic printing (also called relief etching), linocut, and metal cut.

woodcuts

to imitate the look of a woodcut, use a variety of Sharpies or Micron pens. Notice the thickness of the line in contrast to the much finer lines of an etching or engraving. Also pay attention to the directions of the hatched lines. The thickness of the lines and the directions of the hatchmarks are good ways to identify a woodcut. They are generally much straighter and thicker than etched or engraved lines.

Woodcuts

from Johannes de Kethem’s book

intaglio printmaking

(etching or engraving)

intaglio, in visual arts, one of the four major classes of printmaking techniques, distinguished from the other three methods (relief printing, stenciling, and lithography) by the fact that the ink forming the design is printed only from recessed areas of the plate. Among intaglio techniques are engraving, etching, drypoint, aquatint, and mezzotint (qq.v.).

Intaglio printing is the opposite of relief printing, in that the printing is done from ink that is below the surface of the plate. The design is cut, scratched, or etched into the printing surface or plate, which can be copper, zinc, aluminum, magnesium, plastics, or even coated paper. The printing ink is rubbed into the incisions or grooves, and the surface is wiped clean. Unlike surface printing, intaglio printing—which is actually a process of embossing the paper into the incised lines—requires considerable pressure. Intaglio processes are probably the most versatile of the printmaking methods, as various techniques can produce a wide range of effects.

(Encyclopedia Britannica)

engraving tools

these very sharp tools cut into the metal plate and allow for much finer lines than are easily achieved in relief prints.

hand-colored engravings

We have imitated the look of hand-colored engravings in class by working with micron pens and acrylic ink washes. We have also added a faux finish effect to age the paper by adding a thin wash of sepia ink or a brown made by mixing the three primaries. If you are using process yellow ink, which is more opaque than the others, you will put the yellow down first and layer the darker colors on on top.

Hand-colored

Etchings

From D’Argenville’s conchology

engraving

This could be imitated by using an extremely fine Micron pen or very sharp graphite pencil on hot press or frosted mylar. We have not attempted this level of detail in class, as it takes much drawing experience. Note the subtle shading and soft transitions in valur that are available through very fine lines that become very dense in the foreground (the skeleton, in this case)

Jan Wandelaar's etching for Albinus

lithography

Lithography is a printing process that uses a flat stone or metal plate on which the image areas are worked using a greasy substance so that the ink will adhere to them by, while the non-image areas are made ink-repellent (tate.org.uk)

A printing process based on the fact that grease and water don’t mix. The image is applied to a grained surface (traditionally stone but now usually aluminium) using a greasy medium: such as a special greasy ink – called tusche, crayon, pencils, lacquer, or synthetic materials. Photochemical or transfer processes can also be used. A solution of gum arabic and nitric acid is then applied over the surface, producing water-receptive non-printing areas and grease-receptive image areas. The printing surface is kept wet, so that a roller charged with oil-based ink can be rolled over the surface, and ink will only stick to the grease-receptive image area. Paper is then placed against the surface and the plate is run through a press.

Lithography was invented in the late eighteenth century, initially using Bavarian limestone as the printing surface. Its invention made it possible to print a much wider range of marks and areas of tone than possible with earlier printmaking relief or intaglio methods. It also made colour printing easier: areas of different colours can be applied to separate stones and overprinted onto the same sheet.

Offset lithography involves printing the image onto an intermediate surface before the final sheet. The process is ‘offset’ because the plate does not come in direct contact with the paper, which preserves the quality of the plate. With offset lithography, the image is reversed twice, and appears on the final sheet the same way round as on the stone or plate.

left: Edward Lear for John Gould

Middle and rt: John James Audobon

imitating hand colored lithographs:

We can imitate this technique with graphite pencil drawings combined with acrylic ink washes. Notice the soft transitions that do not depend on hatch marks. We have used stippling techniques to imitate the soft transitions in value that are seen in lithographs and some etchings.

chromolithography

Chromolithography is a method for making multi-colour prints. This type of colour printing stemmed from the process of lithography, and includes all types of lithography that are printed in colour. (wikipedia)

Originating from lithography, chromolithography is a method for making multi-colour prints and includes all lithographs. Lithographers sought to find a way to print on flat surfaces with the use of chemicals instead of relief or intaglio printing. Depending on the number of colours present, a chromolithograph could take months to produce. To make what was once referred to as a “chromo”, a lithographer, using a finished portrait, gradually built and corrected the print to look as much like the painting in front of him, sometimes using dozens of layers. As a process it can be time-consuming and cumbersome, contingent upon the skill of the lithographer.

we imitated the look of chromolithographs by completing the value study or underpainting in black or sepia and then layers color washes on top. This could also be done in reverse- putting color washes down before developing values in black or sepia.

This technique can be imitated in a variety of ways:

by combining color washes with stippling and/or hatching
working only with brushes and washes (no pencils or pens)
by developing the values with pencil or pen and adding colors on top

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