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How to make a print
Artists start a print by creating an image, which is usually drawn and
carved or etched with special tools into a matrix. The matrix is
typically a slab of wood, metal, or stone, sometimes called a plate.
The surface of the prepared matrix is inked, and the blank print
surface (generally paper) is placed face down upon it. To transfer the
image from the matrix to the paper, pressure must be applied. This
process of transferring the image is called pulling a print (or
impression). Woodcut prints are often pulled by hand, while
lithographs, etchings, and monotypes are usually pulled with the help
of a printing press.
Select any of the printmaking techniques listed here in order of
historical development to learn more about it:
Intensive care
The labor-intensive printing process can be high-touch or relatively
high-tech. Woodcuts are traditionally made by gouging lines into a
piece of wood, putting ink on it, pressing a piece of handmade paper
onto the inked surface, and rubbing the back of the paper with a baren
(a special Japanese tool). Many modern printmakers swear by this very
hands-on process. Etching and lithography printing may include
centuries-old processes involving hand-cranked presses, hand-cut
plates, and handmade papers — but some artists use high-tech
presses, laser-cut metal plates, teams of printers, and a studio full
of special equipment. Either way, the artist is personally involved and
invested in the outcome of every single print.
Less is sometimes more
Fine art prints are usually pulled in limited editions that generally
range in size between one and 100. The size of the edition tells you
how many times an artist will recreate the same image. For example, if
an edition size is limited to 26, the artist will never make more than
26 final editioned prints of that exact same image — even if
collectors are clamoring for more. The artist may make several
preliminary prints (called artist's proofs) to try out various
technical approaches, but these are not part of the edition and are
usually not meant to be publicly viewed or sold. Prints produced in
smaller editions are generally valued more highly — but original
prints created by well-known or especially gifted artists are highly
prized even when the edition size is 100.
Grace under pressure
Prints are usually created on paper, but artists also print on bark,
leaves, cloth or any other material that is absorbent enough to hold
the inked image. Another term used to describe the object produced by
a printmaking process is an impression, because the image is
transferred by pressing the matrix onto the paper (or other printable
surface).
Grace under pressure
To create an edition, printmakers repeat the process of inking the
matrix, laying the paper onto it, and hand-pulling the print or running
it through a press. The matrix must be handled with care; under the
wrong conditions, even a block of stone will crack. As the prints are
pulled, the carved wood block or metal plate will gradually wear down
until the image is degraded beyond acceptable limits. But artists
consider this wear and tear on the matrix when deciding how large their
editions should be, and do not make more prints than a matrix can
withstand. When purchasing prints, collectors must consider the laws of
supply and demand: as an edition sells, the price for the remaining
prints often goes up.
Why make prints?
Why bother with all this? If an artist can make a drawing or painting
without any special equipment, why would he or she go to the extra
effort and expense of making a print? There are several reasons, both
aesthetic and economic.
A vision realized
From an aesthetic viewpoint, printmaking techniques yield visual and
textural effects that cannot be created any other way. For example,
Rembrandt's ink drawings are beautiful and skillful, but he could not
create with pen and ink the atmospheric tones he achieved in his
etchings. Andy Warhol made art out of almost anything he could lay
his hands on, but only his silkscreens gave him the absolutely flat,
industrial look he wanted.
Broad appeal
Since artists can create multiple prints from a single image, prints
are usually sold for less than a one-of-a-kind image (such as a
painting) by the same artist. This lower price appeals to a broader
base of collectors, and enables collectors to buy original works by
renowned artists even after their unique works have risen in price to
levels beyond most collectors' reach. Images on paper are also
lightweight and easy to ship, so the art can be easily disseminated to
a large audience.
Below are samples of different types of prints available from
NextMonet. Click on any of them to learn more about the work and the
artist.
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| Chad Buck |
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Hans Sieverding |
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Maria Porges |
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Christopher Brown |
Select any of the printmaking techniques listed here in order of
historical development to learn more about it:
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