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[ RELIEF ]
For the relief printing process, the artist cuts away areas from the
block that are not needed to make the print. The raised surface absorbs
the ink and is printed directly onto a receiving surface, usually paper,
with the use of a pressing instrument. Separate blocks are required
for each additional color. The traditional Japanese woodblock printing
method employs water-based inks, mulberry bark paper (kozo) and a hand-held
disk (baren wrapped in bamboo leaves) for the application of pressure
to the back of the paper during the printing. In contrast, the typical
Western method of woodblock printing uses oil-based inks applied by
a roller onto the block. Woodblock prints have a discernable texture
cause by the influences of the grain of the wood and by the circular
movement of the baren. Woodcut is another term for the woodblock; however,
it generally refers to the Western method of woodblock printing that
uses oil-based inks. A Wood Engraving differs from a woodblock
print in that the block that is used to make the print is cut cross-wise,
across the grain, rather than plank-wise, or with the grain. The use
of hardwoods rather than the plywood typically used in woodcuts allows
the artist to use finer linear gouges, which produce the finer liners
and linear patterns that are characteristic of wood engravings. Linoleum
Block (Linocut) uses the same basic technique, but linoleum is used
instead of wood.
STEP: Transfer Image to block -> cut design and registration
makes into block -> prepare paper and inks -> ink the block ->place
paper on block ->transfer ink to paper using a pressing instrument
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[ INTAGLIO ]
The word Intaglio comes from an Italian term meaning 'to carve or cut
into' and covers a multitude of processes. There are two broad categories
of intaglio printing: those that use or do not use acid as a part of the
image-creating process on the plate. The acid methods involve coating
a zinc, brass or copper plate with an acid resist ground, then scratching
(Etching), impressing (Soft-ground), dusting (Aquatint), and brushing
or dabbing (Lift-ground) a design onto its surface. The plate is immersed
in acid which "bites" or "acid etches" the lines or
depressions into the metal plate. The nonacid intaglio method utilizes
sharp tools in place of the acid to engrave, scratch, indent or roughen
the surface of the plate. Engraving involves pushing a hard steel tool
called a burin into the plate, producing precisely drawn areas or creating
tonal areas with parallel lines and/or crosshatching. The Drypoint method
utilizes a sharp hard needle tool to scratch into the metal surface. Mezzotint,
known for its rich black surface, is created from repeatedly pressing
a curved serrated rocker into the surface of the metal plate, which makes
thousands of tiny indentations. Crible prints are made by hammering, while
the Carborundum process utilizes an abrasive powder to roughten the plate.
Photogravure printing utilizes a photomechanical process to create tonal
differences, while the Collagraph is made from a collage of materials
glued to the surface of a board or base plate that creates texture and
tonal variations. In intaglio printing, the areas that cut into the surfaces
are wiped clean of ink and therefore do not print. Both paper, usually
dampened, and the plate, are run through the press. The intaglio print
is recognizable by plate marks or the embossed edges of the image that
are caused from the pressure of the press.
STEP: Transfer image to plate -> cut surface with tool or
acid bath -> ink plate -> wipe off ink from nonprinting areas
-> transfer image to paper by running plate and paper through press,
under pressure
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[ PLANOGRAPHIC ]
The technique for producing a Lithograph
is called a planographic process because the printing surface is neither
raised nor sunken. The flat plane surface of a limestone or metal (zinc
or aluminum) plate is prepared to utilize the principle that grease
and water do not mix. Numerous steps are required for actually processing
the plate but essentially the surface must be made greasy where it is
to be printed and water-absorbent where it is not to be printed. An
image is created with a crayon or grease-based liquid, so that it adheres
to the plate and prints the image when inked. A large roller is used
to ink the plate, which has been sponged with water. The arduous task
of inking the plate with the ink-charged roller while sponging the surface
keeps the non-greasy areas free of ink while allowing the greasy areas
to accept the ink. The inked surface is built up with multiple passes
of the roller until the plate surface is deemed ready for printing.
Dampened paper is place on the plate and both are run through the press.
If more than one color is to be printed, separate plates have to be
prepared for each other. Careful registration is of prime importance.
In an Offset Lithograph, the image is taken from the plate by
a rubber roller that then directly transfers the image onto the paper
without the usual reversal of the image.
Lithographs can often be recognized by spontaneity in brushstrokes
and watery textures. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish a lithograph
from an actual drawing as the surfaces of both are flat and show no plate
marks.
STEP: Process plate or stone to receive the image -> draw
design with greasy compound -> chemically process image -> charge
roller with ink -> sponge plate with water -> ink late with rollera
repeat (repeat cycle as many times as needed to ready inked plate for
printing) -> place dampened paper on plate -> adjust press pressure
-> run through press
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[ STENCIL ]
Instead of a block or plate, the Stencil technique utilizes masking material
such as paper, fabric or plastic that has been cut or perforated to allow
ink or paint to pass through and print onto another surface. Traditional
Japanese stencil printing uses a paper stencil, usually made from two
kinds of Japanese paper (washi), one porous to function as a screen permitting
the passage of the ink, and the other non-porous and east to cut to function
as the stencil. Basically, there are two types of stencils; one positive,
where the block-out material fills in the background when the actual image
is printed , and the other a negative stencil, where the image is blocked
out and the background is printed. In the Silkscreen process, the most
common stencil method used today, silk or nylon fabric is stretched over
a frame and an ink-resistant stencil is bonded to this screen. In the
case of Paperscreen, paper is used instead of silk or nylon fabric. The
frame is placed screen-side down with the paper to be printed places beneath
the screen. A squeegee is then used to force ink through the screen, to
form an image on the paper below. Serigraph is another term for silkscreen.
A silkscreen print is often recognizable by bold flat colors, and the
thickness of the ink that sits on the surface of the paper. Sometimes
a nylon or silk mesh texture is also visible.
STEP: Create image -> make stencil of image -> fabric screen stretched
over frame -> attach stencil (or bond with ink resist) to surface
of screen -> place paper under screen -> push ink with squeegee
through screen onto paper -> allow print to dry thoroughly ->
repeat entire process for additional colors
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REFERENCE: 49th CWAJ SHOW CATALOGUE
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