Is printmaking dead?
“Is printmaking dead?”
…asks Art on Paper, the N.Y. art magazine. The magazine article concludes, “Far from dead, printmaking is born again every few years”. Printmaking, Art on Paper’s article goes on, is currently considered part of a larger genre of art called poly-graphics which includes everything from lithographs and woodcuts, to posters, billboards, graphic novels, [...]
More InfoA Brief History of Etching
The History of Printmaking begins with Etching
Etching is one of several printing processes used to make intaglio prints. Intaglio prints are a print made from a metal plate or matrix which has lines and textures cut or incised into it. The plate is covered with an acid resistant substance often a beeswax compound and then [...]
Etching Plates and Mordants
Etching Plates and Mordants
Selecting and purchasing appropriate metal plates and the acids or mordants to etch the plates while not as expensive as acquiring your printing press is probably the next most important decision you will make. Copper, Zinc and Steel are the most commonly used metal plates. Each type of metal makes a distinct [...]
What is Intaglio Printing
How Intaglio Printing works…
Intaglio prints are made from a metal plate or matrix into which lines and textures are cut or incised. The plate is first covered with an acid resistant substance, often a beeswax compound, and then the lines and textures of the design or text are cut with a sharp needle-like tool. After [...]
Types of Printing Presses
Presses for Intaglio Prints
You cannot make an intaglio print without some form of a printing press. Once an image is incised on a metal plate, the plate is covered with a thick ink and the excess ink is removed and a piece of paper is placed on top of the plate and the plate and [...]
List of Printmaking Techniques
List of Printmaking Techniques
There are two main categories of Intaglio print techniques those that use acid or another corrosive and those that do not. Those that do not use acid use only sharp hand tools or power tools to engrave the metal plate these techniques include drypoint, engraving, stipple engraving, crible, or mezzotint. Those techniques [...]