FOUR MAIN TYPES OF PRINTMAKING

Relief Printing                                                                              

This is printing from a raised surface. A simple example of relief printing is a rubber stamp pressed into a stamp pad and pressed onto a piece of paper. Relief printing plates are made from flat sheets of material such as wood, linoleum, metal, styrofoam etc. After drawing a picture on the surface, the artist uses tools to cut away the areas that will not print. A roller - called a brayer - is used to spread ink on the plate. A sheet of paper is placed on top of the plate and the image is transferred by rubbing with the hand or a block of wood, or by being run through a printing press. The completed print is a mirror image of the original plate.

Intaglio                                                                       

http://www.greg.grant.org/Art/ArtThumbs.html

This describes prints that are made by cutting the picture into the surface of the printing plate. Using a sharp V-shaped tool - called a burin - the printmaker gouges the lines of an image into the surface of a smooth polished sheet of metal or in some cases a piece of plexiglass. To make a print, ink is pushed into the lines of the design. The surface is then wiped clean so that the only areas with ink are the lines. A sheet of paper which has been soaked in water is then placed on the plate which is run through a printing press. The paper is literally forced into the small lines that have been cut into the plate

Planography (Lithography)                                            As we have just learned, relief prints are created from a raised surface, and intaglio prints are created from a cut surface. Planography however, is the printing of a flat surface. Lithography is the art of printing from a flat stone (limestone) or metal plate by a method based on the simple fact that grease attracts grease as it repels water. A design or image is drawn on the surface with a greasy material - grease crayon, pencil or ink - and then water and printing ink are applied. The greasy parts absorb the ink and the wet parts do not. Acids are often used with this type of printmaking to etch the stone and prevent grease from traveling where it should not.

Stencil : Serigraphy (Screenprinting or Silkscreening)   

A stencil is a sheet of paper, fabric, plastic, metal or other material with designs cut, perforated or punched from it. Ink is forced through the openings onto the surface (paper, fabric etc.) to be printed. Sometimes called silk screening, serigraphy (seri means silk) is a type of stencil printing. A stencil is fastened to a sheet of silk which is tightly stretched across a wooden frame. Or, an area of the silk is "blocked out" using glue, gum arabic or shellac. The frame is placed against the material to be printed. A squeegee (rubber mounted in wooden handle) is used to push the ink through the open areas onto the material or paper below.

Home > Process & Collaboration > Understanding the Process > Self-Portrait/Scribble/Etching Portfolio, 2000 by Chuck Close Self-Portrait/Scribble/Etching Portfolio (2000) In this process the portrait is built by adding color in layers with each step. Plate Print Image from Previous Step Printed Image Step 1: Not Applicable = Step 2: + = Step 3: + = Step 4: + = Step 5: + = Step 6: + = Step 7: + = Step 8: + = Step 9: + = Step 10: + = Step 11: + = Step 12: + =