Mount Fuji, from the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, colour woodcut by Katsushika Hokusai
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of the same piece, which is called a print. Each piece is not a copy but an original since it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is technically known as an impression. Painting or drawing, on the other hand, create a unique original piece of artwork. Prints are created from a single original surface, known technically as a matrix. Common types of matrices include: plates of metal, usually copper or zinc for engraving or etching; stone, used for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts, linoleum for linocuts and fabric plates for screen-printing. But there are many other kinds, discussed below. Works printed from a single plate create an edition, in modern times usually each signed and numbered to form a limited edition. Prints may also be published in book form, as artist’s books. A single print could be the product of one or multiple techniques.
ARTE 320
We used several types of matrices to create prints, including linoleum blocks, styrofoam and layered construction paper. We used rollers to spread the paint onto sheets of glass, then used the paint to print images onto white or colour paper.
Artists:
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
http://www.rembrandtpainting.net/
LESSON PLANS
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/26986/printmaking_lesson_plans.html
