What is print making ?
“Fine Art” print making is quite separate from the processes and scale of commercial printing of posters and other large volume print reproductions.
Fine art printmaking involves the hand creation of a master plate from which an artist makes multiple images. The work is done either wholly or in most part by the original artist and a limited number printed (known as a limited edition).
The four main types of hand printmaking are relief, intaglio, lithography, and stencil (silk screen print). The process and materials used in producing these techniques influence the appearance of the final print.
The artist prepares the printing plate by cutting, etching or drawing an image onto the plate. Ink is applied and paper is pressed onto the plate either by hand or by way of a hand-run printing press. The finished print is pulled from the plate.
What is a print?
The impression that results from the above process is the print. Prints are made either in black and white or in multiple colour. Individual copies or proofs may be signed and numbered by the artist in pencil on the lower edge.
Why is my print valuable?
Your print is unique and handmade.
During the printmaking process many test prints or proofs are printed to show the artist how the work on the plate is progressing until the artist is satisfied.
An edition is a limited number of prints from the same plate. Often the first three or four prints are different than the rest of the edition. These first prints are called “artist's proofs”. Although none are ever exactly the same even if the differences are very subtle.
Once a certain number of prints are pulled, the plate is destroyed so that it can no longer be printed, thus ensuring the value of the edition.
At the bottom of a print two to three things always written in pencil. On the left is a number that appears as a fraction (e.g. 3/10). This means that the print is number three of a total of ten prints pulled from one plate. This number excludes the artist proofs, which are designated with an A/P. In the centre of the bottom of the print is the title (if any). At the bottom right, is the artist's signature and date.
Only the best quality paper is used to get the best possible results.
What is an Etching?
Etching is a means of incising lines in a metal plate with acid for printing in the intaglio technique. The plate is first covered with an acid resistant ground (wax or bitumen), through which the artist scratches a design with a stylus or needle, revealing the bare metal below. This plate is then immersed in an acid bath that cuts the incised lines into the plate. Etched lines often betray the subtle motions of the artist's fingertips The longer the plate is left in the acid the darker the image will appear when printed. After the image is finished being etched, ink is wiped onto the plate. The plate is buffed down to remove excess ink and damp paper is placed on the plate. This is then passed through a hand-press under extreme pressure. The paper is literally forced into the small lines that have been etched into the plate. The ink that was in the grooves becomes the image on the paper. Other techniques are used to produce variations in line and tone.