An original print:
A term that is generally used to distinguish printmaking such as intaglio, lithography, screenprint, etc., from mere photographic reproduction. An original print is made from a plate hand-worked by the artist, and printed in an edition under the supervision and control of the artist, and ultimately numbered and signed by the artist. Photographic reproduction obviously takes place without any reference to the artist and is a reproduction of the art work rather than the art work itself. An original print, therefore, is the art work as the artist made it and intended it to be.
|
Aquatint:
an intaglio process for creating an even tonal field by etching around particles of resin or other acid resistant material. Aquatint can produce effects of velvety smoothness or of rough stubble depending upon the distribution and size of the particles used.
|
BAT:
literally, "bon a tirer"- good to print, meaning the proof designated by the artist as the example that all impressions in the edition must match.
|
Carborundum print:
a process similar to aquatint. Carborundum is an abrasive powder made of carbon and silicon. It is also used for giving new grain to lithography stones.
|
Collagraph:
also called "heliotype", this is a photographic print method which prints continuous tone rather than screened dots. A rare speciality, it can produce a remarkably subtle image.
|
Digigraph:
a computer generated image printed by laser, inkjet or dye-sublimation.
|
Dry lithography:
a modern form of lithography which does not utilise the water/grease resistance of conventional lithography. Instead the image is produced with a solution of copier toner in water and the non-printing part of the plate is sealed with silicon.
|
Drypoint:
an intaglio method in which a plate is directly scored with a needle.
|
Edition:
a term that is now taken to mean a group of identical impressions made from the same matrices and bearing the same title and date, usually signed and numbered by the artist.
|
Engraving:
the oldest type of intaglio printing in which grooves are cut into a plate by a burin. Traditionally engraving has also been used as a method of decorating metal, especially silver. Burrs that might catch ink are removed from the surface so that engraved lines tend to be smooth and sinuous with a tapering end. Although still used to wonderful effect by some artists, it is now considered archaic by many.
|
Etching:
this is an intaglio method in which lines are bitten by acid, having been drawn with a sharp etching needle on a plate which has been covered with an acid-resistant ground. The strength of the line will vary with the strength of the acid and the length of time it has been exposed to the acid. This technique produces a rougher line than engraving but allows much greater ease of drawing. Rembrandt was the first great master of the medium. Whistler is another renowned expert.
|
Impression:
this term should be distinguished from the term "copy". The latter, in the context of print, means a redrawing by another party of an original. The term "impression" refers to an impression made from the original plate by or under the supervision of the artist, and approved by the artist.
|
Ink:
the ink used in print is oil rather than water based. It is made by grinding lamp black very finely and mixing the result with oil. Intaglio ink requires more oil than relief. Lithographic oil must contain grease so as to be resistant to water. Many different fluids are suitable for screenprinting: the only requirement is for an ink that will pass through the screen mesh- one reason why screenprints can look so different from other forms of print.
|
Intaglio:
This term generally refers to those print processes in which ink is pulled out of grooves made in a plate. The plate will usually be of copper, but sometimes other metal, usually one or two millimetres thick.
The most common forms of intaglio are engraving and etching. Whereas woodcuts and wood engravings are inked so that the ink lies on the surface, intaglio plates are wiped clean so that the ink remains only in the incisions. The impressions are then made under great pressure with the paper being forced into the grooves and drawing out the ink.
|
Lino-cut:
This term refers to the same process as woodcut except that linoleum is used instead of wood.
|
Lithography:
a printing technique based on the phenomenon that grease and water repel each other. The original meaning of the term is "stone-drawing". In essence, lithography consists of drawing or making marks on a suitable printing surface (such as stone) in a greasy medium. The surface is then dampened- the water settles only on the unmarked areas. Ink is then applied with a roller, adhering only to the marked areas. Finally the printing surface and paper are run together through a scraper press, which transfers the ink to the paper. In practice lithographic operations are much more complicated than they sound here.
|
Mezzotint:
This term refers to an intaglio process which moves from dark to light by applying a grounding material to the entire plate and the scraping out the highlights. The main reason for the early (17th century) success of mezzotint was it's suitability for portraiture.
|
Monotype:
Regarded as a print because it involves a printing process, monotype refers to the process whereby an unworked metal plate is painted with ink by the artist and then printed onto paper. The ink will usually deliver one strong and one weak impression. Invented in the 17th century, monotype was used by, among others, Degas, and finds much favour with artists because of the remarkable effects it can produce.
|
Numbering:
This refers to the practice, almost universal in contemporary print but not always so, where a number such as 8/10 means that it is the eighth impression in an edition of ten.
|
Proof:
The practice has grown up of creating a number of artist's and printer's proofs, in addition to the regular edition of impressions. Most reputable print-makers will limit these proofs to three of each.
|
Relief:
This term refers to a class of printmaking in which the printing surface stands in relief to the rest of the block which has been cut away. Ink is applied to the surface of the block which is then applied with vertical pressure to the paper. Woodcut, linocut and wood-engraving are the most important forms of relief printing.
|
Screenprinting:
This refers to a method of stencil printing through a mesh. The term is used interchangeably, and confusingly, with "silkscreen"; the mesh used may but need not be silk.
The technique involves fixing the mesh to a rectangular wooden frame which is placed directly on top of paper. Printing ink is spread over the mesh and forced through it, onto the paper, with a rubber blade. The design may be made by stencil blocks on the paper or by painting over areas of the mesh so that the printing ink will not pass through, or by a number of other techniques. Quite common in contemporary print is the use of photo-stencils which allow the artist to incorporate photographic images into print.
|
Wood-engraving:
This refers to a particular form of woodcut although in appearance it is quite different. A block of very hard wood is cut accross, rather than along the grain. However, instead of cutting with a knife, the wood is engraved with a graver. The use of the word engraving therefore refers only to the method of cutting rather than to the method of printing (as in intaglio).
|
Woodcut:
(See relief above)
A process in which the outline of the design is left standing in relief above the block- in this case of wood.
|
