Printmaking What is printmaking When you apply ink

Printmaking

What is printmaking? • When you apply ink or other media to a surface in order to transfer the image onto another surface, you are printmaking. • All you need is ink, something to print from and something to print onto, like paper.

Mass Printing Actually began in China… The earliest dated printed book known is the "Diamond Sutra", printed in China in 868 AD. However, it is suspected that book printing may have occurred long before this date.

The Miracle of Moveable Type • In 1041 AD, movable clay type was first invented in China. • Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with replaceable wooden or metal letters in 1436 (completed by 1440).

Before moveable type… • Artists made prints for religious literature. – Monks or Scribes would copy the writing by hand the artist would print the picture. • Artist’s also created prints to record historical events or local stories and myths.

Last Supper by Albrecht Durer

FRANCISCO GOYA, The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, from Los Caprichos, 1798. Los Caprichos were a series of 80 etchings by Goya which included observations he recorded of the abuse to civilians by the Roman Catholic Church. Including witch hunts. Showing Goya’s commitment to the creative process of Romantic Spirit – unleashing of imagination, emotion and even nightmares. 7

Great Wave by Hokusai

After Moveable type… • Artists started creating prints simply to create artwork. • They recorded daily life of both nobility and peasants. • They created political satire to tease and make fun of the nobility. • They illustrated favorite stories and myths.

Zeus by Francesco Parmigiani no

Thanks to the ability create mass production printing… • Books and other printed materials became more accessible, • The general public was given the opportunity to be educated more easily, and • Handmade printing became a kind or Art form.

Two categories of Printing • Subtractive printing – You cut, etch, engrave or carve away part of the printing area. – The are left is what transfers the image during printing. • Additive printing – You build up the printing area by adding material to the printing plate. – The ink sticks to the highest and most textured areas to transfer the image during printing.

Different subtractive carving techniques create different effects on value and texture • Hatching- all one general direction • Crosshatching- overlapping hatching lines in different directions • Stippling- short dots or small dashes • Thickness and thinness of the lines- changing the thickness of a line will make it stand out more

Cross. Hatching Stucco Workers By Linda Lee Boyd

Hatching Survivor By Elizabeth Catlett

Stippling

You can use more than one technique!

The printing plate that you use depends on how many prints you want to make… • Monoprint- you draw directly onto the printing surface to create one print that cannot be reproduced • Edition- you create a printing surface that can be printed more than one time to create a series of images

You can print using several layers of color also.

Look at the following student examples: • • What images do you see? What techniques do you see? How did the artist use color? Why is positive and negative space important?

You are going to make a linoleum print using a linoleum square, linoleum cutting tools, watercolor paper or other thick paper, printing ink and a brayer (ink roller). First you need to draw three thumbnail sketches of the insects given to each table. Keep in mind how you will create different perspectives and textures using hatching, stippling, cross hatching, etc. Once you have complete three sketches you need to choose one to re-draw in a scale no larger than 5” x 7” including extensive detail.