Relief Printmaking

Begin with some quick thumbnail sketches of compositions that can be made with one color and black or with two colors. Remember that your design will reverse in the printing process. Draw your composition onto a piece of drawing paper, the scale of your printing block with heavy graphite.

Place the printing block over your pencil drawing. Make sure the edges are perfectly aligned.

Fold the sides of the paper and tape them to the block to secure the drawing.

Flip it over and rub the drawing onto the printing block.

Carefully remove the paper. The outline of the drawing should be transferred to the printing block.

Outline everything with a Sharpie. Fill in all black shapes.

Place the other side of the printing block onto the drawing. Transfer the image again.

Trace the "color" shapes only.

Place the "color" side of the printing block onto a bench hook for safety. Choose 3 linoleum cutters:

1. Small blade (for details) 2. V-shape blade for outlining 3. U-shape blade for larger areas

Start cutting with a V-shape blade. Outline the shapes. Cut away from yourself. You can rotate the printing block as you cut. Use the bench hook to keep plate from sliding around.

After you are done outlining, use the U-shape blade to remove the background. Use short cuts—don’t try to remove too much at once, it’s hard to control. Do not dig too deeply, you’re carving both sides and don’t want to carve through. You just need to remove the surface.

This is how it should look. What is left standing is what will print.

Once your "color" side is done - flip the printing block.

Cut out all shapes that are not black.

This is what it should look like.

Now it's time for printing.

Protect the area with newspapers.

Mix at least two colors of the printing ink using craft sticks or palette knives. Mix and roll out the ink on a charger plate. Use a roller to transfer ink onto the block.

Make sure it is covered uniformly.

Place the printing block onto an alignment board or gridded layout sheet. Align the corners. If you want to create a board, use tape on the back of a Plexiglas plate to mark the size of your block and the size of your printing paper and use these to line align your block for proper printing registration. Put the tape side down so that you’re laying your block and paper on a smooth side. Keep this Plexiglas plate clean—wipe off any stray ink between each print.

CLEAN YOUR HANDS! Place a corner of printing paper in the upper corner of the board. Let the paper fall onto the printing block. If you are using a Plexiglas plate, line the paper up with the marked corner and let it fall onto the block.

Use a clean roller or round baren to transfer ink onto the paper. Do not let the paper sift around

Hold the corner of the paper and lift to see if it is transferring well. If not, adjust the pressure or technique of rubbing. Lift of the paper carefully when you finish. Keep the margins of the print clean. Wash your hands before you handle it if they have gotten “inky” in the process.

This is your first color print. Print additional copies. You can use different colors if you are making monoprints rather than an edition. Let the prints dry! Wash the printing block. Repeat the process for your second color.

Apply black ink onto the other side of the printing block. Align it the same way on the board or Plexiglas plate. Make sure both your hands and registration surface are completely clean.

Make sure both your hands and the registration surface are completely clean. Use your "color" prints for printing. Align your paper exactly the same way on the board or Plexiglas plate.

Lift the print….TaDa! Isn’t that beautiful?

Let it dry. Print your other copies.

Follow instructions given in class for how to correctly sign the print depending on whether you were making monoprints or an edition of identical prints. Don’t stack your prints until you are sure they are absolutely dry. DONE!!!!