Drypoint: Dead Stuff
The technique I used for this print is called Intaglio, which uses various methods of 'cutting' an image into the surface of a metal plate. Once the plate is inked, the incised and scratched lines hold the ink whilst the rest of the plate is wiped clean. The plate, in contact with damp paper, is passed through a press under pressure. The paper is forced into the sunken areas to receive the ink. The inked lines on the finished surface are often slightly raised and there is generally a visible line around the image where the plate has been pressed into the paper, called the platemark. The presence of a platemark is a good way of telling an intaglio print from a relief.
Monotype:
‘A Pizza Fell on Her Foot’
There are various methods for making monotypes, it’s exciting to experiment and make a process your own. I made this print by painting directly onto a sheet of Mylar; it has a smooth surface with a ‘tooth’ that holds the ink. I used my etching press to transfer the image directly onto the paper. This work is completely unique.
This printmaking technique is closest to painting and allows for chance mistakes.
Wood Cut:
Bird Catching
This is a relief print. I used a block of wood that I found; it wasn’t anything special. I cut away the areas around the image that I didn’t want to be printed, which left the image on the block in relief. I inked up the raised areas with a roller and the transferred the image onto paper by rubbing the back of the paper with a barren, or you can even use a spoon This technique is “low tech’.
Screenprinting:
Doing Nothing
Screenprinting is the process of pressing ink through a meshed screen with a squeegee to create a printed image. I made drawings onto drafting film and exposed them onto screens for this print ‘‘Doing Nothing’’, I used 5 individual screens to produce the final image.