Monday, October 31, 2016

Monoprint vs Monotype

Printmaking 101: Monoprint vs Monotype


Side by Side monotype by Ellen Verdon Winkler
When visiting the gallery you may notice that many WPG artists create monoprints and monotypes.  Unlike some print techniques which go by various names (screenprints and serigraphs are the same thing), these two processes are different!
Both monoprints and monotypes involve the transfer of ink from a matrix (copper plate, litho stone, silkscreen, etc) to canvas, paper, or other surface. In monotypes, the plate is featureless.  This means it contains nothing (such as etched or engraved lines)  that will pass on any characteristics to the prints. In the absence of any permanent features on the plate, all imagery is reliant on the artist manipulating the ink, resulting in one distinctive print.

Shimmering monoprint collage by Rosemary Cooley
Monoprints are the outcome of matrices that have permanent features, and can be considered variations on a theme.  The theme is the result of permanent features of the plate (such as a silkscreen template or etched lines). Variations on the theme are made when the plate is inked differently prior to each print. Possibilities for variance are infinite, and include monoprints of different color, ink density, or even size, but certain permanent features on the plate will always carry on from one print to another.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Intaglio



Intaglio (in-tal-ee-oh)
   Intaglio is used to describe a specific family of printmaking that utilizes the incised line in a surface (usually a metal like copper or zinc) to retain ink which is then transferred to a special paper by way of extreme pressure. It is the direct opposite of relief printmaking. The method originates from antiquity, when metalsmiths would transfer designs engraved in armor to show examples of their work.
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Original Etching
Intaglio printmaking has many different subcategories, at Antiquated Press, we primarily work within the "Etching" realm.
A relevant definition of an Original Etching comes from E.S. Lumsden's The Art of Etching "Our English word is derived from the Dutch 
etzen to eat; therefore, in order to make an etching at all one must employ an eating-away, or as it is technically called, abiting process….. It is the impression which is printed from a bitten plate on any suitable material such as paper, vellum, parchment or silk which is termed an "etching" not the etched metal itself. It follows that every impression or "proof" is equally an originaletching."

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Identifying an Intaglio print
Many digital and other prints try and replicate key features of an intaglio print. But in these areas one can easily spot the difference: 
Plate mark - The process of printing a copper plate under extreme pressures creates a "plate mark", an embossed frame reflecting the edge of the plate on the paper. Many paper companies make sheets with fake plate marks, but they, comparatively, are far too precise and generally too shallow due to the need to pass through a printer. Plate Tone - In an intaglio print there is a printed tone on the unbitten fields created by the ink still left on the plate in the wiping process. To wipe the plate completely clean would eliminate the plate tone, taking away from the beauty of an intaglio print (unless this is the artists true intent). The plate tone is very difficult to reproduce outside of intaglio due to the fact that every single print has its own unique plate tone. Paper - In order to be processed by a machine or printer - the paper of contemporary prints need to have precise machine cut edges. This is not the case with hand pulled printing. A natural torn or mould made deckled edge is an indication that the print is a hand pulled etching. Additionally, the paper used in intaglio printmaking is dense and of high quality to endure the process and pressures of the press without tearing. Embossing - When the dampened paper is compressed against the plate in the printing process embossing occurs. The paper actually conforms to the incised lines. This not only transfers the ink from the plate to the paper but also embosses the paper with the form and depth of the incised lines. This is impossible to replicate through other means and is truly unique to an intaglio print.
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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Printmaking 101: What is printmaking





Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints that have an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of a same piece, which is called a print. Each print produced is not considered a "copy" but rather is considered an "original". This is because typically each print varies to an extent due to variables intrinsic to the printmaking process, and also because the imagery of a print is typically not simply a reproduction of another work but rather is often a unique image designed from the start to be expressed in a particular printmaking technique. A print may be known as an impression. Printmaking (other than monotyping) is not chosen only for its ability to produce multiple impressions, but rather for the unique qualities that each of the printmaking processes lends itself to.



Prints are created by transferring ink from a matrix or through a prepared screen to a sheet of paper or other material. Common types of matrices include: metal plates, usually copper or zinc, or polymer plates forengraving or etching; stone, aluminum, or polymer for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts and wood engravings; and linoleum for linocuts. Screens made of silk or synthetic fabrics are used for thescreenprinting process. 
Multiple impressions printed from the same matrix form an edition. Since the late 19th century, artists have generally signed individual impressions from an edition and often number the impressions to form a limited edition; the matrix is then destroyed so that no more prints can be produced. Prints may also be printed in book form, such as illustrated books or artist's books.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Member News- Colleen M Kelly

Member Colleen M Kelly is exhibiting 
in the following exhibits that are on view through November

Brand 44: Opening Reception for the 44th Brand      

Annual National Juried Exhibition

On View: September 24 - October 28, 2016 

Celebrate the opening of the 44th Brand Annual National Juried Exhibition, sponsored by Brand Associates. This year’s juror, Laddie John Dill selected 102 works of art out of 842 submissions from across the country.

        Brand Library & Art Center

    1601 WEST MOUNTAIN STREET 
                                                                                    
GLENDALE | CALIFORNIA | 91201
HOURS: MON - THU 10AM-8PM  |  FRI - SUN 10AM-5PM
818.548.2051  |  info@brandlibrary.org  | www.brandlibrary.org






Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Member News-Monica Wiesblott

Inkspot member Monica Wiesblott
was juried into 
ICONIC:BLACK PANTHER 


Fifty years of an iconic legacy in American history will be celebrated in the group art exhibit ICONIC: Black Panther. The exhibit opens October 7, 2016 at the American Steel Studios in Oakland, California and closes November 6, 2016. The Black Panther Party was a catalyst for a nationwide ground swell in the 1960s in African American neighborhoods to empower their community by creating free food programs, free clinics and more. The exhibit will feature over forty artists from the Bay Area and nationwide of all races. Celebrity supporters include Sway Calloway, Danny Glover, Danny Simmons and Fab 5 Freddy. The show is produced by SEPIA Art Collective.

" Angela, Charlotte, Barbara, Kathleen"
Battleship Linoleum, 2016

Monday, October 3, 2016

Member News- San Luis Obispo Museum of Art



Pressing Matters
October 7-November 13 2016

In conjunction with Central Coast Printmakers, the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art presents
Pressing Matters
A juried print exhibition open to artists in California, Oregon and Washington.
Work will be on view in the Gray Wing
from October 7- November 13, 2016

Karen L Brown has two pieces in this exhibition 
"Kee"

" Century's Flight"

Bay Hallowell

The Inkspots Book was also accepted into the exhibition: