Understanding Print Methods

Color of Words VI by Wosene Kosrof

Limited Edition Giclée

By MASTERWORKS Fine Art

It’s important when viewing and purchasing “prints” to know the differences between the most popular methods.  This article is a basic guide to understanding the variations of the basic techniques for  Original Prints, Lithographs, Etchings, Linocuts or Linoleum cuts, Monotypes, Screen-printing, and Giclées.

“Original” Print 

A print is termed, “original” if the artist of the design has worked on the printing element him or herself, as opposed to reproductive and interpretative prints which involve the use of an intermediary person to reproduce the design onto the printing element.  Original prints are often only produced in small numbers; they may be numbered and signed by the artist.  These distinctions between reproductions (which occasionally) may also be signed and numbered) and original prints are.

It must be noted that some people have a much more rigorous definition of an original print than others, e.g. of a photomechanically produced original print of which only a very small number of impressions, renumeration and a certificate of authenticity will make it qualify.

Lithograph

The design is drawn or painted on the polished, flat surface of a stone, usually Bavarian limestone, with a greasy crayon or ink.  The design is chemically fixed on the stone with a weak solution of acid and gum Arabic.  In printing, the stone flooded with water which is absorbed everywhere except where repelled by the greasy ink.  Oil-based printer’s ink is then rolled on the stone, which is repelled in turn by the water-soaked areas and accepted only by the drawn design.  A piece of paper is laid on the stone and it is run through the press with light pressure, the final showing neither a raised nor embossed quality by lying entirely on the surface of the paper.  The design may be divided among several stones, property registered, to produce, through multiple printings, a lithograph in more than one color.  

Etching

Lines are bitten into the metal plate through the use of acid.  To begin with, the plate is covered with a thin, acid-impervious coating called a ground which is smoked to a uniform black.  Lines are drawn through the ground with a stylus baring the metal of the plate.  Acid is then applied which eats into the exposed areas.  The longer the plate is exposed to the acid, the deeper the bite and therefore the stronger the line.  Different depths are achieved by covering some lines with acid-impervious varnish (stop-out) and biting others a second (or third) time.  The appearance of etchings is usually free and spontaneous, but the technique has occasionally been used to produce results almost as formal as engraving.

Linocut or Linoleum Cut

An abbreviation of linoleum cut.  The technique is a derivation of the woodcut but owing to the supple, relatively soft properties of the material, linocuts have different characteristics.  The material takes all types of lines but is most suited to large designs with contrasting dark and light flat tints.  The material is cut with small pen-like tools which have a mushroom-shaped handle.  The tools have a variety of forms: straight and rounded edge, double-pointed, as a chisel or a V-shaped chisel, etc.  The relief parts of the block are inked.  for printing a large number of important proofs, the linoleum is attached to a wooden block.  Color printing is done with several linoleum blocks.  Long disparaged by serious artists as not challenging enough, the linocut came into its own after arts like Picasso and Matisse began to work in that technique.

Artist - Elizabeth Catlett

"Sharecropper"
Color linocut on cream Japanese paper 450 x 431 mm (block); 544 x 513 mm (sheet)

This piece is a great example of texture. Catlett gets the illusion of texture with the repetition of her lines she creates. Especially seen in the hat, you get a feeling for the texture of a straw hat as well as the texture in the background representing some sort of field the worker is in.I was attracted to this piece because of the emotion. You are able to read the expression on the face of the worker. I also like how the artist chose to give the face color and leave the rest black and white. It is a great way to bring your attention to the main subject matter of this work.

Monotype

A design is drawn in ink or paint on any smooth surface.  While the ink or paint is still wet, a piece of paper is laid on top of it and pressure applied, either with a press or by hand.  The process, by this name, is meant to produce a single impression, but there is sometimes enough damp ink left on the plate surface to make a second, weaker, impression.

Screen-printing

The principle of screen-printing, or silks-screening, consists in applying stencils to a screen (constructed of silk or of some synthetic or metallic material), in such a way that when ink is applied it is prevented from passing through some parts while penetrating the rest of the screen, thereby printing an image on paper placed underneath.  The screen is stretched across a frame and attached to the  base in such a manner that it can readily move up and down, so that paper can be easily placed and removed as required.  For each impression, the paper is placed against registration tabs to ensure that the printing is done in the correct position.  The ink is poured over the masking at one end of the screen and when this has been lowered into position, the ink is scraped across the screen with the aid of a squeegee.

The most important part of the process is the preparation of the screen.  Stencils may be applied in a variety of ways, including the use of fill-in liquid, varnish or plastic film.  A drawing can be made directly on the surface with a special ink which is removed in readiness for printing after the rest of the screen has been blocked out.  A photographic stencil is made by initially sensitizing the screen.