What is Printmaking?
Printmaking is the timeless art of printing paintings. You may confuse it with normal printing which involves texts or images. But, note that printmaking is a special process. It helps in preserving the originality of the painting as much as possible. With printmaking, artists find it comfortable to create limited edition paintings. Also, they use it to print other pieces of prints of paintings for exhibitions. This gives a large number of options for the artists.
One interesting thing to note about printmaking is that it involves many styles. Printing on paper, canvas, cloth fabric, hard surfaces, etc.
This is what makes it so special. The art of printmaking has many techniques which use different tools. Different printing methods are also used for printmaking. In the past, there were large factories and printing press that were in use to carry out printmaking. These days, although it is difficult to spot any of the printing press, the advanced tools have made it easy. With tools like screen printing, large printers, inkjet printers. Thus, printmaking continues with a sense of modern technology. If you want to learn more about the famous printmaking techniques, keep on reading. Below, we have mentioned few printmaking techniques that everyone should know about:
Printmaking Techniques Everyone Should Know About:
Linocut: As the name might suggest, the main tool here is linoleum. A sheet of linoleum is all it takes to print with this marvelous technique. Not an ancient technique, Linocut gained popularity around the middle 20th century. People engrave the shape and design of painting on the piece of linoleum which is further dyed. After dying, people print it.
Etching: An easier method, this technique has been there in our recent history to reflect art. People use it on hard objects and soft like sheets as well. First, with special chemicals and wax, layering occurs after which a sharp needle is there. With these both, the design becomes alive and painting completes.
Engraving: Using sharp tools and engraving objects, a very fine design of the painting. This printmaking technique requires patience and precision. With the sharp tools, after the engraving completes, the desired ink comes into play. With the precise ink used for a precise spot, the painting is then printed.
Lithograph: Another age-old technique used for printing on flat surfaces. In this, the main object is limestone which helps put the visual art on display. One of the most famous artists to use this technique was Raja Ravi Verma. With his amazing artistic skills, he popularised this technique for the future.
Hence, these were some amazing methods of printmaking that are well known. There are also many other printmaking techniques. Some of these involve offset, monotype, serigraph, giclée, etc.
With so many newer methods evolving at a rapid pace, printmaking is running at an all-time high. Although digital printing has revolutionized the process of the art printing. But, these traditional methods have not lost their identities. You should look forward to exploring more such ideas and printing techniques. If you want to build a career in this field, it is an exciting opportunity. Especially if you are a lover of medieval art.
