Matrix: Contemporary Printmaking - Museum of Fine Arts - Florida ...

Fall 2009
Different Types of Printmaking
and How They Work
The process of creating a lithograph
involves using oil crayons, water, acid and ink.
An image is created on the stone or metal plate
using the oily crayon. Then water is applied to
the plate. The water is repelled from the oil and
when ink is added to the plate, the oil based ink
is repelled from the areas that are wet from the
water, allowing only the drawn lines to soak up
ink and produce a print. In more
advanced forms of lithography
acid is used to prevent the ink
from moving to other parts of the
plate, by creating a stronger
barrier then water.
When attempting to create
a lithograph with color, the
process is very similar to that of
color wood block prints, or relief
printing. Multiple plates are
produced, each one
for a color intended
to be added to the
print. They are
layered onto the
paper.
This form of
printmaking allows
for a large amount
of prints to be
pulled, making it the
more popular
choice for modern
artists, like Eugene
Delacroix, Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec,
and Edouard Manet.
Lautrec
1895
Henri de Toulouse-
May Milton
color lithograph,
Producing a lithograph without much
expensive equipment is difficult. It is possible
however to demonstrate the basic principles of
lithography with ease. The main principle is the
basic chemistry of oil and water. Using a sturdy
piece of metal, an image can be produced with
an oil crayon; a Crayola crayon will do the trick.
Once the image is drawn, the metal can be
held at an angle, and water poured from the
top down. This will show how the water is
repelled from the waxy image. Using this
method to create a print may take more steps,
but it is possible with the correct ink and
printing paper.
Serigraphy:
Most well known as stenciling, this
method is the most used among students and
non-artists. Stencils can be made from paper,
plastic, fabric, metal, or almost any material.
The design is
removed from the
material, and then
ink is rolled over the
opening to make a
print.
Andy Warhol
Campbell’s Soup Cans
silk screening on
canvas, 1962
This method of printmaking has
existed for many years. Stencils are
used in the fine
arts but also in the commercial arts.
Stenciling has also developed into an
art form that is utilitarian, proving to be
an asset in anything from decorating
walls, to creating unique designs for
T-shirts, known as silk screens.
Andy Warhol is known for having
used stencils and silk screens to complete
his famous representations of Campbell’s
soup cans. Many famous artists used
stencils to help them plan their works, for
example Michelangelo, who used a
stencil to outline his plans for the Sistine
Chapel in Rome. Although these examples
don’t result in prints in the technical sense of
the word, they do assist the artist in making
multiple copies of one image, which is the
essence of the idea of printmaking.
Creating stencil prints is one of the
easiest forms of printmaking to do without a
large amount of equipment. Simply begin with a
material that will block the ink, and not allow it
to permeate onto the print except in the desired
places. This can include cardboard or poster
board, and non-cotton fabrics. Then remove
the image from the material to create the
stencil. At this point the medium in which the
print can be created is very open. Paint, ink, or
a simple pencil can be used.
8