Printmaking
• Printmaking is the act of creating a work of art with the intention of making reproductions of it.
• There are many different types of printmaking, including etching, block-cutting, and screen printing.
Techniques and Tools• Printmaking can be
done in a variety of ways: typically a plate or block has a design etched onto it, and then ink is applied to the block.
• Paper is then pressed onto the inked block to make a negative (reverse) copy of the image.
Editions
• A series of prints of the same plate is called an edition. The edition number usually signifies the number of the print, and the number of prints overall from a particular plate.
• Once you have reached the overall limit, it is morally wrong to EVER print from that plate again without making some sort of adjustment to it… adding lines, changing colors, etc.
Prints
• At the bottom of a print, information about it is usually written in pencil.
• Typical print information includes the edition number, title of the print, and signature from the artist, to be sure it is genuine.
History of Printmaking
• Printmaking began in China after paper was invented in about 105 CE.
• Since the invention of the Printing Press, printmaking has been an inexpensive and effective way for artists to make a living… it gave rise to the first “commercial artists.”
Tomb rubbing, China, 2nd. C. CE
In Korea and Japan in the 8th c. (700 CE-800CE)There were great advances in printmaking – Creation of Buddhist texts
Moveable Type
• Koreans invented moveable type in 1377 century – pieces of type are cast of bronze: This book was called the JIKJI
• Johannes Gutenberg was credited with inventing moveable type in Europe in 1438
Europe
• In 1400, over six centuries after it was introduced in Asia, Europeans begin woodblock printing
• The first edition ever printed in Europe was a set of playing cards.
Albrecht Dürer
• Albrecht Dürer was the first European to realize the benefit to printmaking… one block could yield several hundred prints that could be sold at a nice price.
• In effect, he became the first commercial artist.
Japanese Printmaking, 19th Century
Some of the best prints ever were made by Japanese printmakers in this era
The most famous of all Japanese printmakers were
Hokusai and Hiroshige