PRINTMAKING BASICS

Relief print series by Jordan, grade 7, 2014

Fine art printmaking is a technique of creating multiple originals. A brayer is used to apply ink to an originally designed printing plate; then the artist transfers the image onto paper. 

Fine art printmaking is different from commercial printmaking. Fine art prints are made by hand, with quality materials, and are limited in number. Commercial prints (such as newspapers, magazines, books, and etc.) are made by machine, with cheap materials, and there are millions of copies. 

A brayer and inking tile ready for printing

A limited edition of prints is made by an artist who signs and numbers the prints. Artists sometimes hand color the prints with watercolor paint or inks. 
Of the basic types of printing plates, you need to know two: relief and intaglio. 

..............A relief printing plate has ink applied to a raised surface and can be made out of many materials, including wood, cardboard, and linoleum. Learn more about relief printing at Khan Academy.

..............An intaglio printing plate has ink forced into tiny little grooves in the plate and the artist wipes off excess ink on the surface. Intaglio printing plates are usually made out of a metal, such as copper, and etched with acid. You have to have a printing press in order to create intaglio prints; we do not have the facilities at HMS to do this. You are creating your edition of fine art prints with a RELIEF printing plate. A common object we are all familiar with that is printed with an intaglio printing plate is paper money! Learn more about intaglio printing at Khan Academy.

A SHORT CLIP OF TODAY'S LESSON: 

TODAY'S ASSIGNMENT:

 If you were absent today and need to make up the assignment, here it is:

*BELLRINGER: write the definitions for the printmaking vocabulary (see above).

* EXIT SLIP: 

1. Think of three different ideas for your printing plate. The theme is "Beauty." You can draw a design based on the formal principles of design or you can draw a representational image. Use a resource picture to help you with details if you draw something from nature. Keep in mind that the final printed image will be in reverse - be careful with letters and numbers! 

2. One of these three ideas needs to be a sketch. You can trace your printing plate onto a piece of paper to see how big to make your drawing.

3. Describe the difference between "Fine Art" and "Commercial" printmaking.




PRINTMAKING EXAMPLES:

These are intaglio prints and the copper printing plates I made a long time ago at the University of Montevallo. 

This is the woodblock relief printing plate I made at the University of Montevallo while I was in art school. I had to use a chisel to carve away everything except for the lines and shapes of the image. It was hard to photograph because it is coated with ink! Below is the print made from this woodblock: 

"My parents' back porch"

These are some examples of an everyday material you can use to create a relief printing plate - cardboard! 

These are all prints from a 6th grade glue line printing plate. This student experimented with collaged and painted paper. 

Below are some examples of original relief prints by 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from past HMS art classes:

Hannah, grade 7, used a painted watercolor background for her relief print (2014)

Marlyn, grade 8, experimented with colored paper and ink for her relief print. She also used a "chop" to sign it! (2014)

7th grader James experimented with several colors of ink on black paper, and he made a pattern with his carved chops around the border. (2014)

8th grader Matt made this interesting print by rolling the plate twice - once with black ink and once with red ink. (2014)

Olivia, grade 7, illustrates how to number a print. This looks like a fraction, but it means "three out of four," or the third print in an edition of four. 

Ryan, grade 6, made his printing plate with dried glue on cardboard. This is called a "glue-line" print. (2013)

Glue line print by a 6th grader (2013)

Here is another glue-line print of a frog by Randal, grade 6. (2013)

The 6th grade group from last semester tried something new - pressing a layer of aluminum foil onto the glue line printing plates after they finished printing the edition. The kids used metallic markers to embellish!

Today's lesson met the National Visual Art Core Content Standard #1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes.

Content Standard #3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas (students explore and understand prospective content for works of art and
students select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning).

For an indepth description of fine art printmaking, this is a fantastic resource: britannica.com.