Topics: Visual Arts : Printmaking
Printmaking is any of several techniques for applying ink to (usually) paper, typically with the goal of producing original images in multiples. The idea of an "original print" may, at first, seem contradictory, but it means that the resulting image itself did not exist prior to the process of printing it. There may have been sketches or preliminary studies done beforehand, but as far as the printmaker is concerned, they are not the "original" works. The process of creating the plate (or whatever), applying ink and pulling a print can influence the outcome. Ideally, a printmaker will work with the medium, rather than attempt to force it to some pre-determined result. "Reproductions", on the other hand, are prints which attempt to resemble, as closely as possible, an image which is already a finished drawing or painting in its own right. The original work is photographed or scanned, and then either color separation plates are made or the file is printed on an inkjet printer. Some reproductions may be produced in numbered limited editions and signed by the artist, but they are not, in the strict sense, original prints. It is, however one means by which a popular image may be shared by many people, and usually at a lower cost than a one-of-a-kind work, or even an original print. Some prints may be produced on plastic film or fabrics, or other materials than paper. Some may use pigmented materials other than traditional printing ink. Some prints may not be intended to be produced in multiples. The artist may wish merely to use a press and printmaking techniques to achieve a particular texture or visual effect that is unique to the process. Each subsequent impression may involve selective applications of ink, or be the result of modifications to the plate, and so on.
Ateliers
Printmaking ateliers and workshops provide the facilities for artists to produce original prints, whether by operating the equipment on their own, or in collaboration with a master printer.
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Intaglio and Allied Techniques
Printmakers
Intaglio,
Lithography,
Monotype,
Relief Techniques,
Serigraphy,
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Scanning and Printing Services