INTRO TO PRINTMAKING Tools, types of prints,

processes, and methods

CHAUVET CAVE, 28,000 BCE

Print making goes all the way back to Caves found in France and Spain, where ancient civilizations used it as communication or markers.

This is an example of a stencil. It is created by blowing pulverized pigment around the hand.

TODAY PRINTING IS USED FOR MANY, MANY THINGS!

•Newspapers, books, magazines, and texts

•Fabric, t-shirts, bags, clothing accessories

•Advertisements and labels

•Money

•AND in ART everywhere!

TOOLS AND VOCABULARY

PRINTING INK

Pigment based material. Ink is thicker than paint and dries slowly.

The ink I have is water soluble, but you still need to be careful not to make a mess of it.

BRAYER

A small hand-held rubber roller used to spread ink evenly on a surface for printing.

There is only one brayer for each colour.

PLATE

A surface used for printing an image onto paper. It can be linoleum, styrofoam, metal, cardboard, or stone.

The artist prepares by cutting, etching, or drawing an image onto the plate.

PULLING A PRINT

The term an artist uses when making a print. It comes from when the finished print is actually pulled away from the plate.

MONOPRINT

A print pulled using a flat plate with a design painted on top of the surface. It is a one of a kind and can not be recreated.

COLLOGRAPH

A print made from an image that was built up using objects or materials.

SCREEN PRINT

Forcing ink through a stencil made on woven mesh.

INTAGLIO

Printing the areas where ink is in the crevices, by wiping away the top layer.

RELIEF PRINTING

Making prints by creating a raised design on a flat surface where ink is pressed onto paper.

This is the type of printing we will be doing.

RELIEF PRINTING

Ink is rolled over the surface of the plate with the brayer.

Ink is then forced onto the paper by gently rubbing with both hands or using a burnishing tool.

PRINT SAMPLES

SWISS PLAYING CARDS, 1745 (WOODBLOCK PRINT)

THE GREAT WAVE (WOODBLOCK PRINT)

DAY AND NIGHT BY ESCHER

LOVE, 1067 ROBERT INDIANA (SCREENPRINT)

CAMPBELL’S SOUP CAN – WORHOL(SCREENPRINT)

MARILYN– WORHOL (SCREENPRINT)

MONOPRINTS

INTAGLIO

BLOCKPRINT

COLLOGRAPH

LINOPRINT

YOUR TURN

PREPARING YOUR DESIGN

On a plain piece of paper, create your design.

Use lots of textures, patterns, feathers, scales, create mythical creatures, optical illusions, mandalas... It is up to you. Yes, you can use your phone to search for designs to replicate.

This is your chance to figure out a design. Don’t rush it!

Important tips:

Draw BIG! It is difficult to transfer intricate designs onto your Styrofoam printing plate in the next step.

Avoid numbers, letters, or words. Your creation will print as a mirror image and those things are really hard to incorporate so just stay away from them.

PREPARING YOUR PRINTING PLATE

When you have completed your design, show it to me and I will hand you a Styrofoam printing plate. Styrofoam - if you mess around and break it, too bad.

Use the transfer method to replicate your design on the plate. Lay the paper drawing on top of the foam and re-draw it by tracing over the lines with a colored pencil. Coloured pencil works best so you know that you have gone over every line.

Once you’ve traced your design, you will see the indentations on the plate. These lines need to be deeper so that the print pulls successfully. Use a pen to go over these lines. Press a little harder to carve the lines of your design deeper.

Finally, put your name on the back of the plate.

USING THE BRAYERS AND ROLLING INK

There are 5 colours to work with – blue, red, green, yellow, and black. Select the colour of ink that goes with the paper you’ve selected.

Move to the station that has your desired colour. Wait your turn if there is a line. Carefully roll the ink onto the brayer as if you were getting a roller ready to paint a wall. It should make a sticky sound, but if the brayer has little spikes of ink on it, keep rolling until it smooths out.

Roll the ink onto your plate then carefully put the plate down on your paper. Flip the paper over and gently massage the paper so the ink makes a good transfer.

Pull the paper off of the plate and voila! You are a printmaker now!

USING THE BRAYERS AND ROLLING INK

When you are certain you’ve massaged the paper enough to transfer the ink, pull the paper off of the plate.

Voila! You are a printmaker now!

If you want to continue using the same colour ink, roll the plate again and repeat the process.

Important:

If you want to switch ink colours, you must first wash your printing plate. Spray the plate with water and dry it thoroughly. If the plate still has water on it, it will ruin the ink.

use lots of textures, pattern, feathers, scales, draw big, etc. I discouraged them from flags, logos, cartoon characters, numbers, letters or words----because they print as a mirror image for this project---those things are really hard to incorporate---so just try to stay away from them.

Some drew things that were too small, others could not think of anything so I pulled out some visuals----handouts of owls, celtic designs, mola pattern book, and Maori tribal art to help them develop something...anything...that would work. Some were really creative, their mythical creatures or optical illusions were amazing. Others....not so much........

CELTIC DESIGNS

OWLS

MAORI TRIBAL ART

MANDALAS

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS

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