Printmaking 1. Printmaking

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1 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

2 Level HE4-40 CATS Open College of the Arts Michael Young Arts Centre Redbrook Business Park Wilthorpe Road Barnsley S75 1JN Telephone: Registered charity number: OCA is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England under number Copyright OCA 2006; Revised 2012, 2013 Document Control Number: PM1ipm No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise - without prior permission of the publisher (Open College of the Arts) Images The Bridgeman Art Library London, New York, Paris. Any additional images by OCA students unless otherwise attributed. 2 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

3 Contents Introduction Background Why printmaking? The course Starting the course Keeping sketchbooks Keeping a learning log Student profile A note about printing inks Health & Safety considerations Mounting and displaying your prints Assessment and self-assessment On completing the course Project and assignment plan Part one Project 1 Project 2 Project 3 Project 4 Assignment one Introducing monoprints Simple monoplate prints Equipment and materials Images and visual material Getting started Preparing the printing plate Preparing the inks Your first monoprints Further experiments Positive and negative masked monoprints Two coloured masked monoprints Back-drawing Textured and combination monoprints Monoprints Printmaking 1 Printmaking 3

4 Part two Project 5 Project 6 Project 7 Assignment two Introducing relief printing - linocuts Equipment and materials What is linocutting as a printmaking method? Designs for linocuts Getting started Linocuts Making and using a bench hook Single colour linocut Multi-block linoprint Registering your multi-block linoprint Editioning First relief prints Part three Project 8 Project 9 Project 10 Assignment three Advanced and experimental relief prints Equipment and materials Getting started Reduction method linocutting More complicated examples Experimental mark making on lino Experimental relief prints Dab printing Developing relief prints Part four Introducing collatype (collage block) printing Project 11 Project 12 Assignment four Collecting materials to make your collage Making a test collage block Collatype collage prints Examples of collatypes Collatype collage block prints 4 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

5 Part five Exploring printmaking and combination print techniques Project 13 Project 14 Project 15 Assignment five Combination mono and linoprint Investigating combination printmaking and incorporating chine collé collages Developing a series of four combination and experimental prints Combination prints, chine collé and further experiments Printmaking 1 Printmaking 5

6 Introduction Background Some of you will be approaching this printmaking course from a background in painting or drawing where you have already started to express your creative ideas in one or more different media. For others of you, this will be your first adventure in exploring your artistic ambitions. For all of you this course is an opportunity to develop the expressive and creative potential of the printmaking experience. Course aims The unit aims to: develop your visual awareness and ways of expressing your visual ideas explore the use of different printmaking techniques and media develop awareness of the history of printmaking and the work of other printmakers develop your reflective skills. Learning outcomes On successful completion of the unit you will be able to: use drawing for investigation, generating ideas, and recording and selecting visual information use a range of printmaking techniques and media skilfully demonstrate knowledge of some important artists and movements in the history of printmaking reflect upon your own learning experience. If you are new to OCA, make sure you work through OCA s free online induction course An Introduction to HE on before you start. 6 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

7 Why printmaking? Communication of a visual idea can take many forms. In painting we have oil paint, acrylic, watercolour, gouache, egg tempera and many other media to convey our ideas to the viewer. Similarly, the world of printmaking offers a wide range of techniques and processes for us to express ourselves. These are grouped into 6 main categories: Relief methods where the print is taken directly from the raised surface of the print block. These include woodcut, wood engraving and linocut. Intaglio methods where the print is made from an incised line in the surface of a metal plate or other flat surface. These include etching, engraving, aquatint and mezzotint. Planographic methods where the print is made from a flat surface. This includes lithography. Stencil methods where the print is made by pushing the ink through a surface or stencil. This includes screenprinting. Monoprinting, which is most similar to painting and, as the name suggests, makes only one impression of the print. A new printmaking method is collatype where the print is taken directly from a prepared collage which can contain a range of different textures and surfaces. All printmaking methods give unique visual effects which the artist can exploit to present images and ideas to the viewer. The manner in which an image is created through the print technique influences the way in which the artist designs and plans the work, and the character of the final piece. This course has been designed to allow you to explore various printmaking techniques that you can learn at home without the need for complicated equipment or materials. You will be introduced to monoprinting, relief printing, collatype collage prints and combined processes. These are methods which do not require the use of a flatbed press or acid baths as in intaglio methods or lithography. Printmaking is an exciting art form capable of developing representational ideas as well as abstract images. Through the course you will be able to use forms of image-making which can be reproduced several times over. The history of printmaking on paper is relatively short compared to that of painting or sculpture. However, in a simple form, handprints are to be found in the caves at Lascaux in France dating from 15,000 years ago. It was not until the invention of the printing process in the middle of the Printmaking 1 Printmaking 7

8 15th century that artists were able to explore the opportunities that mass production of printed images offered to communicate ideas. The earliest form of printing images, which preceded that of written texts, is relief printing in the form of woodcuts. A wooden block was prepared and cut into to leave the relief of an image, sometimes with a simple text, and covered in ink. This was then printed onto paper to produce several good impressions before the wooden block wore out in the process. As a result simple woodcut prints became a cheap and relatively easy way of distributing small religious images and texts to people for their own private devotions. However, woodcuts have one main disadvantage. The amount of detail possible in them is very limited and soon artists discovered a more suitable medium to allow them to reproduce finely observed details - the engraving. This is an intaglio print method where fine lines are scratched into a copper plate, filled with ink and printed. The artist is able to draw the most minute details directly onto the copperplate as with a hard pencil onto paper. Together with the woodcut, engravings became the way in which images were distributed all over Europe. Artists could learn ideas from each other and reproduce, or develop them. In this way printed images from Renaissance Italy spread north to influence the work of artists such as Albrecht Durer, himself a master of the woodcutting and engraving methods. Throughout the following centuries more and more printmaking techniques were developed and invented. As the mass distribution of printed literature increased and became cheaper to produce, so too did the reproduction of printed images. These images were often copies of master paintings and helped spread ideas and visual records round the world. The printmaking processes such as etching and engraving, mezzotint and aquatint also enabled artists to make original printed art works rather than copies of existing paintings and sell them to a wide audience. Several copies of the same image could be made from each plate to be sold to an up-and-coming middle class looking to decorate their homes with original and contemporary art work. In this way art prints could be sold more cheaply than a commissioned painting and became affordable to a greater number of people as well as providing the artist with an income. 8 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

9 Toulouse Lautrec, Aristide Bruant dans son cabaret, 1893 (colour litho) Rembrandt s mastery of the etching technique was widely acknowledged during his lifetime. It is clear from looking at his prints that he is using the etching medium to fully express his creative ideas. He exploits the full expressive range of the process to create works of the same quality of intensity as his paintings. During his lifetime Rembrandt s etchings became highly sought after and connoisseurs formed collections of them, many of these collections still exist today and form an amazing record of the evolution of Rembrandt s etchings. At the same time the painter and printmaker Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione was working in Italy and is credited with the invention of the monoprint. In England, about a century later, Hogarth achieved fame and some financial success by reproducing series of his paintings as engravings. These paintings depicting moral tales appealed to the popular market and sold in large quantities. Using his early training as a book illustrator Hogarth used the print medium to market his talents as an artist to a wider audience. Unlike Rembrandt however, he did not use the medium to express new creative ideas which were different to those he used in painting. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 9

10 Colour printing processes add another range of opportunities for artists. Combining expressive and commercial opportunities for working with a wide audience, artists have exploited the use of the art print. In the mid-19th century multi-coloured woodcuts from Japan were finding their way to Europe. These highly skilled printed images had one of the most significant influences on the development of Western contemporary artists for decades. The Japanese prints showed dramatically composed scenes where the subject could be partially cropped out of the picture, areas of flat colour and sweeping lines. Artists including Degas and Manet were among the first to adopt the ideas found in these Japanese woodcuts in their own paintings. Whistler, also an admirer of the prints, used their ideas on composition and design in his paintings, etchings and engravings. In Paris, Toulouse Lautrec developed lithographic posters and extended the understanding of how colour could be used by mixing his own expressive palette. The influence of fashionable Japanese woodcuts is clear in his simplification of detail and the way in which bold shapes and patterns form a highly organised image. The comparison between Rembrandt s and Hogarth s use of the print to reach their respective markets emphasises two of the important ways artist use prints. Firstly the print medium, whether it is relief or intaglio, lithograph or screen print, has unique expressive qualities for the artist to exploit. Once familiar with print techniques, an artist can communicate a wide range of visual / emotive ideas. Secondly the print process enables the artist to make multiple Edvard Munch, The Gothic Girl 1930 Woodcut reproductions that can be more affordable to a wider audience, which does not normally invest in original art work. It may surprise you to discover that many early 20th century painters explored printmaking methods as a means of creative expression. Degas, for example, developed monoprints representing his ballet dancers; and Picasso and Matisse made use of linocutting to produce prints. 10 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

11 In the late 19th century Munch and Gaugin began to exploit the grain in wood as an important element in their woodcuts. Since then many artists have used opportunities to incorporate the natural texture of wood, and expressive cut marks in their prints. The German Expressionists of Die Brüke in particular use the intrinsic nature of woodcuts as a major form of expression. Interest in printmaking continued throughout the 20th century with many artists exploring the creative possibilities of, and extending the range of, printmaking media through experimentation with new materials and techniques to express their artistic ideas. Some continue to use and develop traditional methods such as etching, lithography and woodcuts whilst others extend the expressive range to achieve new and exciting results. Contemporary artists continue to use printmaking as a significant part of their work. David Hockney, Peter Blake, Briget Riley, Lucien Freud and Tracey Emin have all produced prints in a variety of media alongside their paintings and installations. They have all recognised the creative potential and expressive range of printmaking and use many of its forms to express their artistic vision. The course This course aims to introduce you to the creative possibilities of a range of printmaking methods. Through a series of projects you will gain knowledge and confidence in preparing, printing and displaying original prints. Using a well thought out plan to include colour, composition and design you will create a portfolio of finished prints in both relief and monoprint methods. In addition you will have the opportunity to explore collatype, chine collé and experimental relief prints. For the final project you will combine your experience by making a themed series of fine prints to demonstrate your acquired abilities in printmaking. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 11

12 The course layout Each of the 5 sections will begin with a project about gathering material and images suitable for each printmaking method or technique. They will include the figure, landscape and still life themes as well as abstract themes. You will be guided through image-making and design, specific printmaking techniques and further development of ideas. There will be specific working practices for each printmaking method. To make sure you are working safely these will be noted at the beginning of each section. It is important that you read these and follow the simple instructions given. Particular care must be given when using sharp cutting tools or solvents. Each printmaking method will require a variety of tools and materials. For each section the range of equipment and materials will be listed. A more comprehensive list for the whole course is given in this opening section. In addition to the suggested equipment you may like to experiment with other mark making tools and try a variety of coloured inks and papers. Each project will be illustrated with images showing step-by-step guides to the printmaking process and further illustrations will include examples of prints by different artists. During the projects you will be required to make notes and gather images and information to support your finished prints. Your preparatory drawings and ideas will be the starting point for your final printed image. However there will be several stages to develop before you get to the printmaking process. You will have to make decisions concerning colours, simplification of ideas, design and other visual vehicles depending on the process you are using. Each printmaking process has its own characteristics which you will be exploring through your initial subject ideas. The course will guide you through the possibilities of each process in turn. Good preparation for a printed image is essential to ensure you have planned the process correctly and will avoid unnecessary errors. In some printmaking methods such as reduction linocut or other relief processes it is not possible to return to a previous stage in the process. This is why planning and preparation are important. There is nothing worse than reaching an advanced stage in your printmaking only to discover that you have forgotten to print an earlier stage in insufficient quantities. The projects will start with the simplest printmaking methods and build up to the use of more complex combination methods in a final project where you will have the opportunity to develop your own original ideas making use of two or more print techniques. 12 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

13 Projects Each section has a number of projects for you to do: to introduce specific techniques to show you how to combine a number of techniques to achieve a more complex result. As you proceed through the projects, keep a log with informal notes on your progress. Assignments There are 5 tutor-marked assignments, one at the end of each section. When you have finished each assignment, send the following to your tutor: the images for the assignment (sketches, designs and prints) your sketchbook and learning log pages if requested by your tutor. You can send your images to your tutor in a hard backed envelope or tube. Your tutor may accept digital images via . Discuss this with your tutor. You may also wish to send notes. When your work is returned, your tutor will send a Tutor Report commenting constructively on the assignment and offering help and advice. You need not wait for this to arrive before starting work on the next section. Important note about sending your assignments to your tutor In the back of your course is a checklist to help make sure you send the right things packaged up in the right way, to your tutor, for review. Make use of this checklist every time you package things up to send to your tutor. If you are an overseas student and you are sending work through the post to your tutor, mark the outside of the package you send as EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS. If not marked in this way, the courier may levy additional charges at customs. Starting the course What to do first Begin by reading the introduction and then look through the whole course. Make a note of any questions you might have and consider a rough timetable you can work from to complete the course. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 13

14 Student profile First, write a bit about yourself to tell your tutor a little about any past experience you have and how confident you feel about some of the skills of printmaking. This is your first link with your tutor and gives you the chance to introduce yourself. Give your tutor as much information as you can about your previous experience, your reasons for exploring printmaking to use and what you expect to achieve from taking the course. OCA tuition is on a one-to-one basis and so it is possible for our tutors to angle their advice to meet individual needs; but only if these are defined in the Student Profile. On receipt of your Profile, your tutor will write to you, introducing him/herself and suggesting a date for the submission of your first assignment in line with your timetable. Please note that this date is given as an indication and that there is a degree of flexibility. If you feel you can complete the section earlier, then by all means do. If you feel you need a little longer, that's fine. If, however, there is going to be a considerable delay we would appreciate your contacting the tutor and giving an anticipated date for the submission of your assignment. The most important thing is that you gain the maximum pleasure and satisfaction from taking the course. Once you have looked through the course and ed your student profile, you can begin to start your first project. Course work Each section of the course explores a different area of printmaking and you should spend a total of around 80 hours per section, including all your research, reflection and consolidation time. If you spend 10 hours each week on this course that will produce a schedule of eight weeks of elapsed time per section. This is the sort of timetable you should aim to work to and a timetable that you could suggest to your tutor for arranging tutorials. The way you manage your time is most important. If possible try to develop a regular working schedule so you and your tutor know where you are in the course. It is fine if you have to make changes to this timetable but make sure you let your tutor know! Wherever possible try to work in your own space uninterrupted by distractions. Even if you can only manage a few regular hours at a time, the focused time this will give you is more beneficial than trying to achieve everything all at once. Short bursts of working will also enable you to absorb what you are learning as you go along. 14 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

15 Keeping sketchbooks It is impossible to over-emphasise the importance of using sketchbooks for making paintings and drawings of anything and everything. This constant practice will undoubtedly improve your drawing skill and, crucial to your development as a printmaker, your ability to see colour and tone possibilities in different subjects. Sketchbooks are for recording objects, places and events that you encounter in everyday life and, in addition to developing your drawing skill, working in them will develop your visual awareness and imagination. Think of your sketchbooks as visual diaries and as part of a wider activity of collecting and exploration (Project 2 has more to say about this). Sketchbooks should show what you have seen that has interested and intrigued you. Some sketchbook studies will be the starting points for prints. You may sometimes wish to make written notes in sketchbooks, perhaps, for example, a note about colour or a brief description of a particular effect that your drawing has failed to capture. Sketchbooks should be essentially true visual records made up as you go along, not compiled by sticking good drawings in them in an effort to create a favourable impression. A sketchbook will inevitably have poor drawings and paintings as well as good ones because not everything you decide to draw will turn out to be as good an idea as you first thought. Don t tear out pages if something goes wrong. Some studies in your sketchbook may have taken you several hours but others perhaps only a few seconds. It all depends on the subject and the time available. Making quick drawings and colour studies is important because working at speed compels you to decide, in an instant, what is important about the subject. Your individuality will sometimes be revealed more clearly when you are working spontaneously in this way. Sketchbook studies are vital for exploring ideas that relate to current projects but they also enable you to store up ideas for future prints. Sketchbooks also provide an opportunity to experiment with different methods of working. Don t only use pencils and paints but also use, for example, any other drawing materials you happen to have. Using a different medium makes you look at a subject in a new way and is another means by which your drawing skill will be improved. Include any trial prints, colour tests etc. which show your thought processes in working towards your final print. Sometimes sticking in a photograph or photocopy or just a fragment of another image that is directly related to research you are doing at the time can trigger off new ideas and help to remind you of an idea later. Draw or paint anything you see: trees, flowers, a bicycle, a sheep, a dustbin in the yard, a cup and saucer, the texture of old stonework, a group of figures at a Printmaking 1 Printmaking 15

16 bus stop, waves breaking on a beach, shadow patterns in a sun-lit room. Sometimes, working on something for a second or third time, perhaps in different medium, is more profitable than looking for a new subject for example, drawing the same scene from a different viewpoint, using a different materials, or working to a different scale. Keeping a learning log You will need to compile a learning log. The purpose of your learning log is to help you record your aims, your influences/inspirations, your planned images and to help you chart your progression reflections. You should also keep filed within it, your copies of your tutor s reports. The learning log could take a variety of forms and be any size. Bear in mind however that if you want to submit your work for assessment your learning log must be either an online blog or of a kind which can be easily sent by post or carrier with your other work. An A3 or A4 sized scrapbook, loose-leaf folder or ring binder will probably be best. Your learning log might contain drawings, photocopies, postcards, press cuttings and notes on visits to museums and exhibitions. It might include your current thoughts on printmaking or your enthusiasm for a particular printmaker or print that you have just discovered. Just sticking a reproduction of a print in your learning log isn t enough - you need also to say why it intrigues you and what you have learned from it. There is no set way of keeping a learning log. The information in it should be relevant and important to you and should demonstrate your developing awareness of the history of printmaking. It should also log your progress through this course. Also keep in your learning log any written information you receive from your tutor. Students tutored by post should file all their tutor reports, That way you have a record of the dialogue between yourself and your tutor. Students attending tutorials do not normally receive a written report from their tutor until they are well into the course but we strongly recommend that they make notes of comments made at tutorials. Your learning log should certainly contain your responses to the section What have you achieved? which appears after every project. Finally your learning log should contain your responses to Research points raised in the course. At the beginning of the course write in your learning log what your hopes, plans and expectations are; when the course is completed write a brief note on what you have achieved and how you feel your attitudes have changed. 16 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

17 Visiting Museums and Galleries Exhibitions are one of the main sources for extending your knowledge of printmaking. Reproductions in books provide important information but seeing the real thing is of the utmost importance. It is only when you see prints at first hand that you appreciate their scale and the way they have been produced. It may not be possible for you to visit major collections in large cities but you should make every effort to see important prints in your vicinity. Some may be in country houses rather than galleries. See as many exhibitions as you can. The work you see doesn t have to be of the highest order. There is much to learn even from only fairly good or even bad prints. Look for the ideas behind the prints. Look for new subjects. Try to find prints where the artist has been grappling with the same problem that you are currently involved with. When you go to museums and galleries use any guidebooks available to plan your visit. Try to be selective and decide what you intend to see. It is only too easy to dash around everywhere, looking at everything and really seeing nothing. Always take a sketchbook and notebook with you on gallery visits. You may make notes about the prints, and drawings of people in the garden looking at sculpture. It can be useful to go with a friend who may be able to offer a second opinion on the exhibits and help you to clarify your thoughts. A couple of pages of notes about each exhibition visit will make a valuable contribution to your learning log. Annotating After a visit to a museum or gallery, it can be useful to annotate postcards you have bought there, photos from the gallery website, or your own sketchbook recordings of exhibits. Annotation means adding explanatory notes to the pictures. You may not want to write on the pictures themselves; a good way of annotating them is to stick the picture or drawing on a larger sheet of paper, at least A4. Unless you keep a special sketchbook for this purpose, it is best to photocopy the original drawing rather than to remove a sketchbook page. Position your picture or drawing in the top half of the sheet and draw a line across the sheet about two thirds of the way down. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 17

18 Above this line and around the edges of your picture make comments to remind you of particular features of the original print you saw. Perhaps you want to remember that the reproduction doesn t do justice to the original print. You might want to analyse the composition of the print with a tiny diagram. Perhaps you want a reminder of the way colours had been laid layer over layer in the print. Below the line dividing your sheet, jot down your further research on the print and its maker. For example, when was it made? is it a typical work by the particular printmaker? was it commissioned? Annotations of pictures and drawings of exhibits should be included in your learning log. Theoretical Studies Theoretical studies are concerned with the investigation of printmakers work and their ideas and theories of art. Through this information you can consciously and subconsciously solve some of your own printmaking problems and be provided with new ideas. Artists have always learnt from each other; sometimes in the past through a formal apprenticeship and more recently in a college environment, working alongside other students for several years. Full-time art students have an important theoretical studies element in their courses but for the home-based student theoretical studies take on an even more important role. For you the study of how printmakers work becomes one of the main ways you learn from the practice of others. Don t believe that basing your work on the work of other printmakers is cheating. If you look at a view and think it could make a good subject for a landscape print, you are probably seeing it through the eyes of a printmaker you admire. That is why it is important that you acquire a broad knowledge of art and have an informed opinion on printmakers and how they may influence your work. 18 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

19 Space required and working environment This printmaking course has been designed to give you the opportunity to experience a variety of printmaking techniques from home. All of these can be carried out with the simplest equipment and in a relatively small clear space such as a table top or worktop. If you are organised with your process and keep only the minimum of materials around you when printing you will not need a large space. The inking area The printing area Tools area An example of a printmaking workspace You will need some space to keep your batches of prints laid out or hung up before they are dry. The most efficient method here is to peg your printed images on a washing line during the print run. When dry they can be stored between sheets of newsprint or blotting paper. Each stage of printmaking can be separated from the others so that they can be made in different spaces if necessary. In simple terms they are as follows: preparation and planning of ideas preparation of print plate or surface printing images in one or more stages cleaning equipment drying and pressing. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 19

20 Each stage varies in terms of its length and complexity depending on which printmaking method you are using. Full details will be given for each project. There are common requirements for each process these are detailed here. You will need access to water and room to soak paper on occasions. This should be as near to your printing area as possible as the paper can dry out quickly if your working environment is warm. Good light is essential for all art work and whether you are working on your initial ideas in your sketchbook or printing the final stages of a complicated linocut, you will need light. Some artists like to use daylight lamps which emit a bright blue-white light simulating natural light. Alternatively a strong lamp or overhead light is just as suitable. Daylight is always appropriate of course. Cleaning up may require the use of solvents if you are using oil-based inks. It is not essential to use oil-based ink as water-based inks are also available. The strength of the final image can be determined by the type of ink and the chosen print method. A note about printing inks Some inks are more transparent than others. They will be affected by the colour over which they are printed. For example yellow can appear green if printed over blue. It may only be seen as yellow if it is printed over white. This is something to take into account when planning your design. With careful thought you can print three colours with just two by cutting away areas where the pure colours are intended and leaving areas for the colours to overlap. However, if you are mixing your own inks from oil paint and printing medium you can achieve flat colours without the transparent layering effect. Transparency is achieved by adding more medium than oil colour. Drying times for each type of ink vary. Oil-based inks take longer. This is a consideration if you have limited space available and cannot leave work drying for an hour or so. 20 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

21 Health & Safety considerations The following is a generalisation based upon Daler Rowney s recommendations for its printing inks. You should always consult the manufacturer s Health & Safety guidelines before using their products. Handling/personal protection Avoid ingestion, eye contact and prolonged skin contact. DO NOT eat, drink or smoke whilst using. Wash hands after use and before eating, drinking or smoking. Wear overalls or a smock. Storage Avoid extremes of temperature. Store inks and paper in a cool dry place. Accidental release measures (spillages etc.) Clean up with absorbent cloth. Use protective gloves. Wash affected area with soap and water. Ensure good ventilation. Dispose of in accordance with local regulations. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 21

22 First aid measures In case of an accident, the following first aid measures should be taken. General Inhalation Eye contact Skin contact Ingestion In all cases if in doubt or when symptoms persist, seek medical advice. NEVER give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Remove from exposure. Keep warm and at rest. Irrigate with copious amounts of clean water for at least 10 minutes. If discomfort persists, seek medical advice. Wash affected area with soap and water. If discomfort persists, seek medical advice. DO NOT induce vomiting. Give patient plenty of water to drink. Seek medical advice. Disposal considerations Care should be taken when disposing of solvents and waste inks, as they may be unsuitable for putting into the normal sewer system. Dispose of products in accordance with local regulations (notifiable in accordance with Control of Pollution (special waste) Regulation 1980 S in U.K.). 22 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

23 Mounting and displaying your prints To present your prints in a professional manner you may want to use a single or double window mount. The correct way to frame a print is to leave a border of un-printed paper around the print so that the edges of the print show and allow space at the bottom for the edition number, title and artist s signature. A example of how to correctly frame and present a print Developing your creative interests Our aim is not just to help you to master the technical skills of creative printmaking but also to be able to apply this knowledge to the creation of images relevant to your particular interests and circumstances. You will be encouraged not just to work on your images but also to study the work of others and to form your own conclusions about them. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 23

24 Assessment Criteria Here are the assessment criteria for this course. These are central to the assessment process for this course, so if you are going to have your work assessed to gain formal credits, please make sure you take note of these criteria and consider how each of the assignments you complete demonstrates evidence of each criterion. On completion of each assignment, and before you send your assignment to your tutor, test yourself against the criteria - in other words - do a self assessment, and see how you think you would do. Notes down your findings of each assignment you ve completed in your learning log, noting all your perceived strengths and weaknesses, taking into account the criteria every step of the way. This will be helpful for your tutor to see, as well as helping you prepare for assessment. Assessment criteria points Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills - materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills Quality of Outcome - content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts,communication of ideas Demonstration of Creativity - imagination, experimentation, invention, development of a personal voice Context - reflection, research, critical thinking (learning log) 24 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

25 Printmaking 1 Part one Introducing monoprints Cave Drawings, Gloria Wallington,1994 monoprint Printmaking 1 Printmaking 25

26 These projects are designed to introduce you to a variety of monoprint techniques. They will start with simple techniques and develop through a series of experiments to reach more complicated prints. At the end of the project you will have made prints in the following forms: simple mono plate prints one colour masked prints multi-coloured masked and layered prints textural plate and drawn prints. In preparation for these projects you will need to have the appropriate materials, work space and image ideas. These will be listed at the beginning of each section to help you plan your work. Simple monoplate prints This is the simplest form of monoprinting. One impression of the print is taken from a painted plate. You will be able to paint an image directly onto your glass, perspex or metal plate using brushes and prepared inks. Once you are satisfied with your image, paper will be laid over the plate, pressure applied and the paper lifted to reveal your first monoprint. Equipment and materials A good source for printmaking equipment and materials is the Great Art catalogue, which can be bought as a book or can be viewed online at where the supplies can also be ordered online. 26 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

27 You will need the following equipment for this section: glass plates with bevelled edges* for mixing inks (alternatives are plastic or metal sheets. An example is Great Art s Japanese Ink Tray). brushes in a variety of sizes, shapes and ages palette knives for mixing your inks two printing plates glass*, plastic or metal plates for your monoprints (these can be of any size). Ensure whatever you use has bevelled smooth edges so you do not cut your fingers on the edges. acetate sheets hard rubber rollers for spreading ink and rolling the back of your print printing inks (oil- or water-based) turpentine or white spirit, as solvents if using oil-based ink a selection of papers including some thin practice paper (cartridge or newsprint ) old newspaper, rags and cloths for cleaning up disposable latex gloves (if you choose to use them) * Bevelled edge glass plates can be specially cut to size by glass merchants / glaziers. Make sure you tell the supplier exactly what you want the glass for. Water-based printing inks in a variety of sizes Printmaking 1 Printmaking 27

28 A selection of hard and soft rollers A selection of palette knives for mixing inks Water-based printing inks in a variety of sizes 28 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

29 Images and visual material It is important to remember that the image you create in the printing plate will be transferred in reverse. When you design your image keep this in mind. A well balanced image will be equally good when reversed. The painted monoprint has few limitations. It is possible to make any subject you can paint with a brush into a monoprint if you remember the following points: keep the image simple make bold marks and shapes with a variety of brushes use a range of colours leave some areas unpainted to use the colour of the paper. To familiarise yourself with the process of monoprinting, your first few prints will be made from abstract patterns and shapes. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 29

30 Getting started Firstly you should arrange your workspace and try to keep to the set areas for working as described in the introduction. Try to keep everything as clean as possible and well organised. Printmaking can become very messy if you are not careful. It is a good tip to replace your newspaper table cover as soon as it gets inky. Make sure you have a large paper bin or refuse sack nearby to throw the paper into once it has been used. If you are using latex gloves make sure you replace them as soon as they get inky too. If is essential you have clean hands or are wearing gloves when you lay the paper onto, or lift the paper to slide over the paper edge and from the inked plate. You can use small pieces of folded paper to slide over the printed paper edge and lift your printed paper to avoid getting fingerprints on the paper edges. Once your workspace is ready and you have everything organised prepare a pile of printing paper while your hands are clean! For the first few experiments you do not need to use top range paper. Plain newsprint or cheap, thin cartridge paper is fine. However, if one of your experiments looks so good after you ink the plate, you may decide to print it on your best paper. Always think about this before you lay the paper over the plate. Using paper grips to avoid getting fingerprints on your image 30 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

31 Preparing the printing plate Whether you are using a glass or metal plate it must be spotlessly clean. Small lumps of dried ink or dust can spoil your print by leaving tiny raised pockets which print as white spots. For a new glass plate all you need to do is give it a thorough wash in warm soapy water. Dry it with a lint-free cloth. If you use a fluffy cloth it will leave fibres on the plate which will also spoil the final print. A new metal plate may need cleaning with metal polish or paint stripper first. Then wash and dry as for the glass plate. Always clean your printing plate immediately after you finish working Health & Safety If using glass plates for mixing inks or as printing plates, make sure that they are laid od a flat surfaces. Unevenness in the base surface could lead to cracking of the glass if hish pressure is applied. Research point Before you get started, see if you can find any learning logs (blogs) online by other OCA printmaking students. If you look on the oca-student.com website for coursemates you may find some blogs listed. An alternative is to google OCA printmaking blogs and see what comes up. Make notes in your own log (or blog). Printmaking 1 Printmaking 31

32 Preparing the inks Mixing two acrylic paint colours with acrylic printmaking medium For your first monoprint experiments choose three colours that you would like to work with. If you are using ready-made printing ink, squeeze a little of each colour onto your mixing plate. Make sure there is plenty of space around the ink. Water-based inks will have to be used more quickly as they start to dry straight away. You can add a little amount of acrylic screen printing medium to your water-based ink to extend its viscosity and transparency. Only add a small amount, as too much will result in a very thin ink which will not print as a smooth flat colour. Oil-based inks should be mixed with a few drops of linseed oil to make them flow more smoothly and take to the plate more effectively. Do not add more than a few drops of oil to the ink as this will bleed into your paper and may spoil your print. If you are using oil paint mixed with oil-based printmaking medium you will have to experiment with the proportions. The more medium you add the more transparent the final mixture will be. Mix the oil paint and medium together on the mixing plate using your palette knife, you can also add a few drops of oil to improve the flow. However, until you become familiar with the viscosity and behaviour of the ink it is best to use it without oil to start with, only adding oil if the ink becomes too sticky and lumpy. 32 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

33 Comparison: water-based and oil-based inks Water-based inks Advantages: easy to clean with soap and water only water is needed to dilute or clean inks quick drying which allows many layers to be built up quickly suitable for most types of printing paper. Disadvantages: sometimes dry too fast causing paper to stick or tear colour can be patchy or thin not suitable for use with soaked paper colours can bleed if still wet. Oil-based ink Advantages: slow drying flat colour can be used on damp paper can be diluted with oil, solvents or printing medium good even coverage suitable for thin papers. Disadvantages: solvents required for cleaning, thinning or tending long drying time prevents layers from being quickly built up. You are now ready to make your first monoprint. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 33

34 Project Your first monoprints Experiments in mark making and painted plates With your printing plate in front of you begin to make patterns of colour using your ink and brushes. Use different brushes for each colour. Remember to leave some plate unpainted - this will print as white (or the colour of the paper you are using). Try to remember how the ink feels and the way it behaves on the plate. If it is lumpy you will need to use a palette knife to mix it more thoroughly on the mixing plate until it is smooth. Student work If the ink is too wet, it is because you have added too much oil (or water), it will need to be thickened by adding more ink or medium. Always mix every addition in thoroughly with your palette knife until the ink is smooth. Slightly thicker ink will leave a brush mark on the surface of the printing plate whereas smoother, slightly thinner ink will make a smooth even line or mark. Experiment with different brush marks, fast ones, dots, lines, patches etc. Old brushes can make very rough, expressive marks. Soft synthetic brushes leave a smooth line. Try using old household brushes for a big mark. There are limitless possibilities which can all add to the excitement of your printmaking experience. 34 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

35 Do not consciously try to make representational drawings; simply explore the effect you can get with the brushes and ink. Once you have completed your design on the printing plate you are ready to take your first print. Before you lay your paper and in this order, make sure: the edges of your printing plate are wiped clean the surface around your printing plate is clean and you have replaced the newspaper underneath the plate. that once you have moved your printing plate your hands are clean. Next take a sheet of printing paper and gently lay it over your printing plate. Do not drop the paper straight down onto the plate as you may create air pockets which will spoil the print. Instead gently roll the paper back from the top edge of the plate to the bottom edge ensuring there is enough paper to make a border around the plate. If you are using very thin paper it is best to place a clean sheet of newspaper or blotting paper on top to soak up any ink which may leak through the printing paper. With the soft, lower part of your fist gently rub the back of the paper over the printing plate, making sure it does not move. Work your hand all over the paper with a firm and even pressure until the paper is stuck to the plate. Work in all directions - top to bottom, side to side and diagonally. Alternatively you can use the back of a wooden spoon, a baren or a hard fabric pad to rub the back of the paper You may see an impression through the paper if the paper is thin. This is where the ink seeps through the paper. It will not affect your print but be careful not to get any ink on your hands as you may smear the back of the print. Now you can reveal your first print. Pick up the bottom corners of the printing paper, one in each hand. Gently pull the paper up until you have cleared the printing plate. Be careful not to drop the paper back onto the printing plate. Lay your print ink-side-up to dry, or peg it to your washing line if you are working through several prints at once. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 35

36 If there is still an impression on the printing plate you can take another, weaker image by repeating these stages. This ghost print can be used as the base for additional prints by printing another monoprint on top. How did your print turn out? Was it as you expected? Monoprinting is not always predictable. There are many ways the printed image can change from the time you ink the plate to the final print. Varying the pressure on the back of the paper can make the coloured ink more or less dense producing either a rich strong coloured print or a more subtle one. Remember the printed image can be very effective if it is a free and spontaneous one. Further experiments Now you have printed a few experiments using a brush and colours, extend your range by adding more colours and using the brush in different ways. What happens when you use the brush handle to draw through the ink on your printing plate? Can you put one colour on top of another? What happens when this prints? Research point Take a look at monoprints by Degas. How have these been achieved? How successful are they? Take a close look at one or two of his prints, print them out and annotate them. What can you learn from his prints? Make notes in your learning log. 36 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

37 Painted monoprint from life Once you feel confident with the process of applying the ink with a brush and the making of the print, you can explore a subject using the brush as you would in a painting. A painted image on the printing plate can be transferred to your printing paper and produces an exciting and creative response to your subject. First find two contrasting objects and stand them on a piece of paper. Try to place them in a strong light either by putting them near a window or by using an angled lamp. They should be of different shapes, colours and textures. In your sketchbook make a quick drawing or two to familiarise yourself with the shapes and tones you see. You can also try the objects in different positions to find a pleasing composition. The negative space is the space around the objects. Working directly onto your glass printing plate, paint a contrasting colour for the negative shape behind the objects and for the background. Make sure you leave enough space for the two objects. In this example, blue has been chosen to represent the negative space. Student work Printmaking 1 Printmaking 37

38 Next begin painting the objects in the simplest way possible remembering not to make them too small. The objects are the important part of this print so make sure they fill the printing plate space. Don t forget their shadows. In the example given, only a few colours have been used to make the printed image. These have been used straight from the mixing plate and mixed together. A few drops of solvent have been added to help the flow of the ink - as in the experimental prints you have already made. When you are happy with your painting, transfer the printing plate to your clean printing area and take a print. Remember to rub firmly the back of the paper to ensure the ink is taken up by the paper. Further painted prints Explore a variety of themes to include still-life, figures, landscapes and so on. Enjoy the spontaneous results you can achieve and the freedom of working directly onto the printing plate provides. There is no limit to the number of colours you can use in a painted monoprint. Similarly you can make a monoprint of any size. Have you exploited these facts? The freedom given by using a brush is the least confining of the monoprint methods and gives a full range of marks and expressive forms to include in your final print. How have you translated your subject using this freedom? Have you been able to express your ideas fully using the monoprint? 38 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

39 Drying and storing prints Oil-based inks will take longer to dry than water based ones. It is unlikely that you will be able to store your wet prints flat if you have made a large quantity. Peg them up, with a clothes peg at each corner, to dry on your washing line (indoors) and when they are dry, store them between sheets of blotting paper and place a weight on top to flatten them. Drying oil-based prints on a washing line indoors Printmaking 1 Printmaking 39

40 Project Positive and negative masked monoprints This project explores the use of paper masks to make monoprints. This technique involves creating a design which works well as both a positive and negative shape. Finding a design The example shown is clearly influenced by Matisse s blue nudes which exploit the use of once colour and the white of the paper. Matisse used coloured paper cut out and stuck onto his support to represent his vision. The figure is transformed into an expressive form which has as equal an impact as the surrounding white space. The blue figure can be seen as the positive shape and the white background as the negative one. In another piece by Matisse, the Venus of 1952, the spaces are reversed so that the blue becomes the background and the white the figure. Blue Nude by Matisse Icarus falling, a simple, single colour masked monoprint Consider this idea as you search for a subject. The overall shape is important and it does not have to have any surface detail as this will be eliminated in the simplification of the form during the print process. Figures, plants and animals make suitable starting points but you can choose anything that inspires you. 40 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

41 Once you have found your subject you can begin to make a design from it. Do this by drawing your form onto paper the same size as your printing plate. Try drawing the subject in one continuous line without taking your pen/pencil off the paper. Alternatively, still working with the same size of paper, make cut-outs from a coloured paper and lay them on the surface to arrange the composition. Do not rush this stage as it is an important part of the creative process. You may take several attempts to finalise your design and end up with a sketchbook of many alternative ideas for future projects. Be adventurous and try a number of different subjects and ideas until you have at least 4 which are favourites. Make one careful drawing or collage, the exact size of your final printing plate, from which you will be able to make a template. Venus by Matisse Printmaking 1 Printmaking 41

42 Making the masks To make the mask you will need some thin paper such as unprinted newsprint, brown paper, cheap copier paper or cartridge paper. The original drawn design of seated figure Positive and negative paper masks cut from one piece of paper Using your design carefully cut out the positive shape of the image. This you can now use as a template to make your masks. On a piece of paper the same size as your printing plate, draw the outline of your image using the template. Keep your original template in case you want to use it again. Placing this piece with the drawing on top of several other pieces of paper the same size, cut out your templates so they are all the same. In this way you will be able to make several prints from the same design. If you run out of templates before you finish printing you can always cut some more from your original cutout. Do not throw away the negative template you have cut. This will be the first to be used in this project. Each template can only be used once so it is wise to plan ahead and make sufficient templates for your project. Research point Look at Matisse s blue nudes and see what you can learn from them. What makes them so powerful? Is it the simplicity, the composition, the cut out quality? Find other artists work who work in this way and compare them to Matisse and to what you are doing. 42 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

43 Inking the printing plate with rollers In the last project you applied the printing ink directly onto the printing plate with a brush. You will have experienced the variety of textural marks this makes. In this project, the aim is to coat the printing plate with a smooth even layer of ink. For this you will need to use one of your hard rubber rollers. First mix one colour of ink with a few drops of linseed oil (if using oil-based ink). Mix it well with your palette knife on a flat glass or perspex inking plate. (Do not use a dinner plate or anything which is not totally flat.)if you use water-based ink you will not need to add any oil but you can dilute it a little with a few drops of water or washing up liquid if it begins to dry out.oil paint can be used to make an oil based ink if it is mixed with a similar amount of printing medium. Take your roller and begin to roll the ink up and down, and side to side, on your inking plate. At first the ink will seem lumpy and uneven. With an even and firm pressure continue spreading the ink in this way until it begins to even out. When the ink is evenly spread on the inking plate gently roll the roller over the ink until the roller is evenly coated with a thin layer of ink. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 43

44 Inking the plate Transfer your inked roller to your clean printing plate. Transfer the ink off the roller onto your printing plate by rolling it over the plate. This will take some time but continue spreading the ink until the whole surface of the printing plate is covered with an even layer of ink. You may re-ink your roller from the inking plate as many times as you find necessary. Make sure you have sufficient ink on the plate and that it is not too transparent. If it is, apply more by re-loading the inking roller from the inking plate as many times as is necessary. When you have finished, your printing plate will be evenly coated with ink. Now wipe the edges and transfer it to your printing area or replace the paper beneath it with clean sheets of newspaper. Wiping the edges of a glass plate rolled with an even layer of acrylic printing ink 44 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

45 Masking the printing plate Placing the negative mask onto an inked printing plate Next, place your negative mask onto your inked printing plate. This is the paper you cut out from around your image. REMEMBER the image will print back to front unless you turn the mask over at this stage. Be careful to line up the mask with the edges of your printing plate and not to move it around as this will rough up the ink and spoil the final print. Printmaking 1 Printmaking 45

46 Taking your print on paper When the mask is in place you can gently place your paper on top of the masked plate. As before, remember to use a large piece of paper with sufficient space all the way around the plate to leave a border of at least 5cm. Rub, or roll with a clean roller, the back of your paper starting from one corner and working consistently out from there until you have smoothed across all the paper. Repeat the rubbing until the paper sticks to the inked part of the plate which is not covered by the mask. This rubbing is essential if the ink is to adhere to the paper. Apply good pressure to the areas where the mask is laying underneath your printing paper to ensure these edges stay sharp and defined. When you rub the edges of the paper round the printing plate apply sufficient pressure to ensure a slight indentation Rolling the back of the paper over the masked plate appears. This is the impression of the printing plate and will be important for lining up the paper if another layer of print is to be applied. Gently lift the print from the bottom corner checking as you lift that the paper has taken the ink. If it looks a little weak, and the ink on the printing plate is still wet, you can carefully drop the paper back onto the plate and rub the back again over the area you wish to strengthen. Lift the paper from the plate, lay on a flat surface, or peg on your line to dry. 46 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

47 This impression is a positive mask print where the image has printed in colour by using the negative mask. Lifting the print The final positive print Printmaking 1 Printmaking 47

48 You can take a further impression before you re-ink the printing plate. Simply re-print, being careful not to disturb the remaining ink and then follow the same printing procedure as before. This second stage print will give you a softer, less distinct image. Lifting the second print without removing the mask As a final experiment, remove the mask before taking a print of the plate. Removing the mask before taking the third print 48 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

49 Lifting the third print notice how pale the ink has become For your next print, clean the plate then re-ink it in the same way but with a contrasting colour. Then apply the positive mask in the desired position. The positive mask placed on the inked plate ready to print Printmaking 1 Printmaking 49

50 Repeat the rubbing and impressing process and lift the print. This time you will have a negative print where the negative space around the image has printed and the image is left as a space. Lifting the print The final negative print, produced from a positive mask 50 Printmaking 1 Printmaking

51 Make at least two more versions of both negative and positive prints. Concentrate on achieving a smooth, uniform ink layer and an even print. How did you find this process? Did your ink dry too quickly and not print evenly or was it easy to achieve a smooth print? Does your image work well in both its positive and negative forms? The positive print made from a negative mask (left) and the negative print made from the positive mask (right). Printmaking 1 Printmaking 51