ABOUT PRINT MAKING
Monotype: is a one-of-a-kind printing technique where no two prints are alike. Images can be similar, but exact editioning is not possible. The appeal of the mono-type lies in the unique translucency that creates a quality of light very different from a painting on paper or a print, and the beauty of this media is also in its spontaneity and its combination of printmaking,painting and drawing mediums.
Monoprint: The process of mono-printing and mono-type printing is similar: the artist applies color directly onto a surface and then prints it running it under an etching press. Mono-prints differ in that they have an impression that can be repeated. Artists may use etched plates or some kind of pattern such as lace, leaves, fabric or even rubber gaskets, to add texture.
Chine-collé : is a special technique in printmaking in which a paper surface is bonded to a heavier paper for support in the printing process, resulting in a collage look.
Intaglio: is a basic printmaking technique involving an incised image into a surface. Plexiglass, copper or zinc plates are used as a surface, and the incisions are created by etching, engraving, dry-point, or mezzotint. To print an intaglio plate, the surface is covered in ink, and then rubbed vigorously to remove the ink from the surface, leaving it only in the incisions. A damp piece of paper is placed on top, and the plate and paper are run through a printing press. The pressure results in a transferred image from the ink from the recesses of the plate to the paper. Etching is also considered an intaglio process.
Woodblock Printing:The wood block is carefully prepared as a relief matrix, which means the areas to show ‘white’ are cut away with a knife, chisel, or sandpaper leaving the characters or image to show in ‘black’ at the original surface level. The block was cut along the grain of the wood. It is only necessary to ink the block and bring it into firm and even contact with the paper or cloth to achieve an acceptable print. The content would of course print “in reverse” or mirror-image, a further complication when text was involved. The art of carving the woodcut is technically known as xylography, though the term is rarely used in English. For colour printing, multiple blocks are used, each for one colour, although overprinting two colours may produce further colours on the print. Multiple colours can be printed by keying the paper to a frame around the woodblocks.
