Content For Services (Di'nee Delete)

Marks can be drawn directly onto the surface using grease-based substances, from lithographic crayon, to tusche washes. If the drawing needs to be done on location and the thought of carrying a stone or plate around is unappealing, then there is the option.

There are a number of ways of approaching this process, but for ease of description, the artist draws directly onto a film or paper that has a degree of translucency and all the information is transferred to the plate by exposure under UV light.

This process is used for making a print from an existing image. First a transparency, scan or high resolution digital file is needed, from which a set of films are made in order to transfer the information to plate.

A process developed for photography that allows us to print a continuous tone photographic image, which means that the quality of the image is not lost by being broken up by dot screens.

Marks are made by drawing through a wax resist on a plate, then etched with acid. In hard ground etching, artists scratch through a smoked hard wax layer to reveal marks. Soft ground etching involves drawing on paper over the plate, where pencil pressure removes soft wax, allowing acid to etch the design. The plate is then inked and printed using a press.

Photo etching, or photoengraving, combines photography with etching by transferring a photographic image onto a metal plate coated with light-sensitive emulsion. When exposed to light, the emulsion hardens, creating a resist, while acid etches the unprotected areas, embedding the image with depth. This technique produces fine, nuanced prints that blend photographic detail with the tactile quality of traditional etching.

Aquatint is an intaglio technique for creating watercolor-like tonal effects. A metal plate is coated with powdered resin and heated to adhere, then submerged in acid, which etches around the resin particles. This texture holds ink, producing tonal variations. By adjusting acid exposure or using stop-out varnishes, artists achieve gradations from light gray to deep black, making aquatint ideal for soft shading and adding depth to prints.

À la poupée is a printmaking technique for applying multiple colors to an intaglio plate in one press pass. Named after the small cloth "dolls" used to dab ink, this method enables artists to color different areas of the plate directly, avoiding separate plates for each color. By blending inks on the plate, à la poupée creates vibrant, painterly effects with a unique, hand-colored quality in each print.

Relief printing is a technique where an artist carves into a block, like wood or linoleum, leaving raised surfaces to hold ink. The inked block is then pressed onto paper, creating bold lines and strong contrasts. Known for its graphic quality, relief printing is used in both art and commercial applications, including woodcut, linocut, and letterpress methods.

Hybrid printing combines multiple printmaking techniques, like relief, intaglio, lithography, and digital, in a single artwork. This approach enables artists to achieve unique textures, colors, and effects by layering or blending methods, creating rich compositions that extend beyond traditional printmaking. Hybrid printing is valued for its flexibility and creative potential.

Spit bite aquatint is an aquatint technique where the artist applies thickened acid directly to the plate with a brush, instead of submerging it. After applying an aquatint ground, the acid, traditionally mixed with spit, is painted onto the plate. This approach allows for controlled tones and creates a watercolor-like effect in the final print.

Woodcut is an ancient printmaking technique where an artist carves an image into a wood block, leaving uncarved areas to hold ink. When pressed onto paper, these inked surfaces produce bold, graphic prints with strong contrasts. Woodcut has long been used for both fine art and book illustration.

Linocut is a relief printmaking technique like woodcut, but it uses a linoleum block, which is softer and easier to carve. The artist cuts away areas that will remain white, leaving raised surfaces to be inked. This technique allows for finer details and clean lines, making it ideal for bold, high-contrast images and expressive designs.

Steel-facing is an intaglio technique that strengthens a copper plate by electroplating it with a thin steel layer, enhancing durability for repeated printing. This preserves fine details and textures, ensuring high-quality, consistent prints across an edition. After printing, the steel layer can be removed, returning to the original copper plate.

Mezzotint is an intaglio technique that produces deep blacks and smooth tonal gradients. The artist roughens the plate’s surface with a rocker for solid blacks, then smooths areas with burnishers and scrapers for lighter tones. This creates a tonal range from dark blacks to bright highlights, valued for its dramatic contrasts, soft shadows, and painterly details.

Multi-plate printing uses several plates, each with a different color, to create a layered image. Each plate represents part of the design, like outlines or shading, and is printed in sequence on the same paper. Precise alignment ensures colors blend cohesively, making this technique ideal for vibrant, multi-colored compositions with depth.