Category:Printmaking

Goals

The goal of the Printmaking committee is to learn, teach, and create with various printing methods. This committee is very focused on teaching and hosting classes that are beginner friendly. The classes are categorized as to their relative depth into the printmaking world, it is intended to have any class be someone's first printmaking class.

Events:

• Print-a-Thon

• Steamroller Printing Event

• Print Exchange

For detailed event and class descriptions, please visit the [Printmaking Workshops] page

Classes:

The printmaking classes are all designed to be as approachable to new printmakers as possible, where the goal is to not require prerequisites for any of the classes. However, each of the classes is categorized as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. You are more than welcome to jump in to an advanced class as your first class but please be aware that the more advanced classes may gloss over some more basic printing principals.

Beginner Classes

• Screen Printing Basics: Printing on Paper

• Screen Printing Basics: Printing on Cloth

• Block Printing Basics: Relief Printing

• Letterpress Basics

Intermediate Classes

• T-shirts and totes

• Making Screens from scratch

• Screen Printing in 3D – Anaglyphs====

Advanced Classes

• Screen Mono-printing

• Gelli plate Mono-printing

• Plexiglass Mono-printing

• Complex Cloth

• Multi-color Printing – 4 images from one screen

• Super-Secret Class

For detailed event and class descriptions, please visit the [Printmaking Workshops] page

Overview of Printmaking

Printmaking (this version)
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 the 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 for engraving or etching; stone, aluminum, or polymer for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcutsand wood engravings; and linoleum for linocuts. Screens made of silk or synthetic fabrics are used for the screenprinting process. Other types of matrix substrates and related processes are discussed below. 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.

Techniques, Tools, and Materials

Print Media

Printmaking can be done on a multitude of media, almost anything that can take ink. Most commonly printing is done on paper, although cloth, wood, and leather are some other possible materials to print on. If ink will stick, it can be used as print meida.

Inks

Ink is a pigment or dye that is suspended in a liquid that when dried leaves behind the pigment on the media. Paint is very similar where tends to be made with different physical properties, such as viscosity or pigment to liquid ratio, there isn’t a strong defining characteristic that separates the two. Dye on the other hand, typically is mixed in a solution with a liquid and bonds differently to the media. Where ink leaves a colored film on the media, the dye becomes part of the media and alters the color of the media. That explanation is overly simplistic but helps illustrate the general difference between them. Typically, in printmaking ink is used. However, there are specific materials which are designed to make, for example, acrylic paint able to be used in silk screening (GAC 9000). Pretty much any fluid that has the properties for a particular process can be used, including dyes.

Types of Ink

There are a few different types of fluids that are typically used in printing. The most common are water-based inks, oil-based inks, and plastic-based inks (plastisol). Water-based inks can be either permanent or washable, with the others typically being permanent. There are some other inks that don’t fall neatly into those categories as well, such as water-washable oil-based inks, discharge ink (similar to bleach), and dye-attractant inks (like the opposite of bleach).

Types of Printing

The two most common types of printmaking are screen printing and block printing. Screen printing uses a screen stretched over a frame where ink is applied and a squeegee is used to force the ink through onto the substrate. Most often times a design is left open on a screen by blocking the rest of the screen by using an emulsion chemical which hardens on the portions of the screen that are not meant to be printed. Block printing involves getting ink on a block or plate and transferring that ink to the media by touching them together, typically under pressure. Block printing has a lot of variants described below.

• Screen
• Relief
• Block
• Leno
• Letterpress
• Lithographic
• Intaglio
• Chincole’

Print Media:

Paper:

Ink:

Paint:

Printing Supplies:

Screen Printing:

• Screens:
• Squeegees:
• Emulsion:

Relief:

• Blocks (wood):
• Blocks (lino):
• Stamps (rubber):
• Brayers:
• Barens:

Suppliers/Supply sources:

• Daiso (weekly coupons available; online and local)
• Michaels (weekly coupons available; online and local)
• Joann (weekly coupons available; online and local)
• Hobby Lobby (weekly coupons available)
• Amazon (online)
• Blick Art Supply (online)

Equipment:

• Screen Printing Press - 1 station 4 screen
• Screen Printing Press - 2 station 6 screen (Riley Hopkins Jr.)
• UV Screen Exposure Unit
• Screen Drying Box
• Manual Flash Dryer
• Automatic Flash Dryer
• Letter Press - Hand
• Letter Press - Automatic (1930's or 1940's Kluge)
• Roller Press
• Computer with Vector based graphics software, including large font library and custom printing-specific brush styles
• Wacom Bamboo pen and touch graphics pad
• Dedicated large format printer(11" by 17" ) with UV blocking ink for transpaerencies
• Laser Etcher
  (Laser Committee owns this equipment):
• Multicam CNC Router
  (Woodshop Committee owns this equipment):

Committee:

Members:

Committee Chair:
Lisa Gabriel - @lisaletters - Printmaking Chair

Committee Vice-Chairs:

Members:
Astrud Aguirre - @Print_Witch
Paul Wilson - @hardsuit
Matthew Mulherin - @HoarseHorace
Mary Mulherin - @Belles
Ingrid Thebault - @FrenchFrog
Rose Smith - @JustMe
John K - @JohnK
Josh - @grobber15
Katelyn Smith - @Katelyn_Smith
Stephenie Webb - @heyheymama
Rani Baransi - @Trivial
John Gorman - @talkers
Daniel Hawn - @tombakerftw
Shannon Bales - @igot2bmenmw
Audra Heaslip - @Audra
Lisa Gabriel - @lisaletters
Russell Crow - @Russell_Crow
Robert - @roberthines544

How to Join:

Members of the Printmaking Committee are generally (a) active participants in Printmaking Committee events, and/or (b) regular attendees at Printmaking Committee meetings

Please add your name and TALK id to the list of Committee members above.

Discussion: