A Brief History
Printmaking has been an art form that has been around for a long time. In fact, when you think of very old books, that is all done by print makers! Although many things have changed since then, there are some steps of the process that are the same even today. If you’re looking for a bigger breakdown of printmaking now and then, click here.
My Process
I find inspiration in random parts during my day. Maybe I see a can that I like the design of, a poster or a sunset. So I either take a photo or make a quick sketch to remind myself later of this idea. Once I have time I measure out the size of block I want and draw my design.
I take a piece of linoleum (yup your high school’s floor) or rubber and either transfer my design (depending on how important it is for the image to not be reversed) or I draw straight onto the block
Now, I carve the block. Any part of my design I want to have ink on (aka color), I don’t carve, this system will make a relief. By doing this detailed carving, my design develops.
After I’m satisfied with the print, which I check by doing test prints. This is the time I see if I miss anything and what color I want, and the pressure I need. This way I save the nice paper until the print is ready.
Ready to print? I now mix my ink. If it’s colored, I have to mix the color to the shade I like. But if it’s just one color, I still need to make a good consistency. After that I take my brayer (like a paint roller, but a hard rubber instead of foam) and spread the ink out on a piece of glass (or another smooth surface) and roll it until I have the right amount of ink.
I spread the ink on the block, and line up the paper on top of it. Usually I make a registration board, so that the image is centered on my page. This is especially important for two colored prints, because I have to line the two prints up exactly the same way.
Now I print. This involves putting pressure on the back of the paper that is sitting on the block. I usually use a baron (kinda like an iron, but no heat) to rub the back of the paper so that the ink transfers, without the paper shifting.
I peel the paper off and jump up and down with joy when I see the picture. Seen above is the first layer of the print. But this was a two layer print. So I carve away the block more to create my next image, ink it and line it up again, using these once printed paper.
Lastly I sign all my pieces, write the title, and add the number of prints, I made in that run. After that I package my print, so they are ready to find a new home.
My art at Start Here Coffee and me looking like a proud mom.
Tools-that I currently use
I currently use Flexcut tools and Pfeli tools. I use the Flexcut tool sharpener, which is great for sharpening the tiny v and u gouges. For a brayer I use a hard rubber brayer from speedball. For ink, I would recommend picking up transparent extender ink, This will help you give your ink the right consistency, especially if you are using a jar of speedball ink (I find this is sometimes too tacky). For printing I have recently upgraded from a spoon to a ball baring baren, although this is pretty pricey, it has been a game changer with ease of printing, ink vibrancy and consistency, especially when using linoleum. That being said for many years I had great success with a spoon. For blocks I either use battle ship gray linoleum or speedball speedy carve rubber blocks, I prefer this one because I think it easier to carve and ink, and it lasts a long time throughout the printing process,