Universal Principles of Art

64 PRINTMAKING

REPRODUCTION BROADENS THE AUDIENCE FOR ART

Printmaking creates multiple impressions, allowing wider dissemination and lower cost. Since the mid-nineteenth century, artists have numbered and signed their prints, creating limited editions.

PRINCIPAL METHODS

• Relief

The artist carves into a surface or “matrix,” removing areas that are to remain white in the final image. The matrix is then inked and paper placed on top. This is pressed onto the surface either with a barren or by running it through a press. Woodblock and linocut are relief techniques.

• Intaglio

The artist makes a cut into the surface of a metal plate.

Engraving. The line is gouged using a very sharp engraving tool. The surface is inked and then wiped clean so that ...