What is Printmaking?
In the most basic of definitions, printmaking is:
Using a carved or etched material covered in ink to transfer an image onto paper, fabric, or other surfaces.
Printmaking is a form of art where the artist uses techniques like engraving, etching, drypoint, lithography, and screen printing to create an image or design on paper or other materials. The artist creates a design, on a printing plate and then transfers the inked design to a substrate (paper or other material).
One of the reasons artists are attracted to printmaking (myself included) is simply because the process can be repeated multiple times to create multiple prints of the same design. There is a large time investment in carving, or etching the printing plate, but then unlike a painting, the plate can be printed repeatedly.
Due to the hands-on nature of the printing process, each print is still considered an original piece of artwork. While the design and overall look are fairly consistent, each print will have its own unique characteristics that set it apart from the next in the print edition. The artist rolls ink onto or rubs ink into the plate by hand for every copy of the print, which creates these minor, sometimes barely detectable, character differences in each print. If you want to collect a hand-printed original, check out my shop!
Under the umbrella of printmaking, there are many different techniques, including, Relief/engraving, etching, lithography, drypoint, and Screen printing, to name a few.
I am still in discovery mode as an artist relatively new to the printmaking scene. One of the reasons I fell in love with printmaking in the first place is that there is so much to discover that I don't think I could ever get bored. In this post, I will focus on the three techniques I have used so far. Relief, drypoint, and screen printing. Let's break it down.
What is Relief Printing or engraving?
carved linoleum block of my bull thistle print.
Relief printing is a type of printing technique where the raised surface of a material receives ink and is then pressed onto a substrate, resulting in an inked impression of the raised surface. This technique is mainly used for printing text, images, and patterns onto paper, fabric, wood, or other materials. The most common type of relief printing is letterpress printing, which is done by pushing inked type or plates into a sheet of paper, this is very popular in things like Wedding invitations, and business cards. Other types of relief printing include woodcuts, engraving, and linocut, these can sometimes be called "block printing."
Blocks can be carved from wood, linoleum, rubber, and many other materials. So far, I’ve only experimented with linoleum and rubber block carving, but I am itching to try woodcuts in the future 😍
Detailed close up of my Echinacea Linocut print.
What is Drypoint Printing?
Drypoint of a painted bunting.
Drypoint printing is a form of intaglio printmaking technique that involves creating an image by scratching lines directly into a metal, plastic, or another type of plate with a pointed tool. The marks left on the plate create a burr, or groove, which then holds the ink, allowing it to be transferred to paper when the plate and paper are run through a press. Drypoint printing creates a unique, soft, and velvety line quality that is unlike any other form of printmaking.
Watch a sped-up video of the intaglio print process here.
What is Screen Printing?
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The 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. This technique is also known as silkscreen, serigraphy, and serigraph printing. When most people think of screen printing or silkscreen, they think of their favorite concert and event T-shirts. Screen printing is commonly used in the T-shirt industry but can also be used to create fine art prints. One of my favorite printmakers uses screen printing to lay down background colors, then prints her linocut design on top of the colorful screen-printed background. Check out this print by Sam Marshal Art for a visual example.
Do you have questions? Drop them in the comment section, and if I don't have the answer, I'll do my best to find one for you.
