Hey Friends!
Have you ever noticed how when you walk inside your home on to a clean floor, your dirty shoes leave marks or footprints? You just made a print with your shoe!
Printmaking is an artistic technique. It is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, from objects such as wooden blocks or metal plates that have an image carved into them.
A woodcut is a common way to create a print. First, the artist creates a drawing on a wooden board, remembering that the image will be reversed when it is printed. All of the portions of the drawing that the artist wants to be white in the final image are cut away from the wood with a knife or chisel. Ink is then applied to the raised portion of the finished wood block, a moistened sheet of paper is laid on top, and the paper is rubbed with the ball of the artist's hand. This can also be done with a machine called a printing press!
The black sections of each print always show the part of the wooden block that were not cut away. Think of this as a stamp! Have you noticed how when you put a stamp on an ink pad, only the raised section gets covered in ink?
This work is called The Great Wave off Kanagawa. It is from around 1830 and is a colored woodcut.
The design was by a Japanese artist named Hokusai, and cutters and printers made it a colored wood cut! How did they do all that amazing color? Multiple blocks were be printed together, one for each color. Can you count the colors you see and guess how many they had to use? For the sky above Mount Fuji, the colors of gray were all printed into the same block.
The design was by a Japanese artist named Hokusai, and cutters and printers made it a colored wood cut! How did they do all that amazing color? Multiple blocks were be printed together, one for each color. Can you count the colors you see and guess how many they had to use? For the sky above Mount Fuji, the colors of gray were all printed into the same block.
Another type of printmaking is etching. This is when the artist etches the lines from the drawing directly into a metal plate. This requires a great deal of strength and sharp tools!
The artist then covers the plate with ink. The artist is sure the ink is in all the crevasse of the plate and clears the ink away from the raised parts. The plate is then printed onto the paper under a high pressure printing. In this print, the portions the artist left uncut are the white parts of the print!
Rembrandt, a 17th century Dutch artist, often used this technique. Here you can see a self portrait he created using etching!
The artist then covers the plate with ink. The artist is sure the ink is in all the crevasse of the plate and clears the ink away from the raised parts. The plate is then printed onto the paper under a high pressure printing. In this print, the portions the artist left uncut are the white parts of the print!
Rembrandt, a 17th century Dutch artist, often used this technique. Here you can see a self portrait he created using etching!
Another type of printmaking is engraving. This is when an artist uses a burin a or small chisel to cut very fine lines in different patterns onto a copper plate. This allows the artist to be very detailed in their work! Albrecht Dürer was a master German engraver in the 16th century. His prints were often in a series, which is a group of different prints about a subject. Take a look at this engraving below:
This print is called Saint Jerome in His Study, an engraving from 1514--506 years ago!! It shows Jerome, an ancient Christian priest, sitting at his writing desk in his home. What can you see in his study? look at all those small details--the light from the window hitting the wall, the pattern of wood on the ceiling, the individual hairs on the lion, and the sand dripping through the hour glass. Remember, Dürer engraved this print all by hand. This is truly a masterpiece!
Why do you think he has a lion? This is quite the unusual pet! according to the legend, Saint Jerome gained the trust and friendship of a lion after removing a thorn from his paw!
Why do you think he has a lion? This is quite the unusual pet! according to the legend, Saint Jerome gained the trust and friendship of a lion after removing a thorn from his paw!
But wait, there's more!
Check out this video to learn more about printmaking techniques!
Can you make a print?
Here's what you need:
- Paint or ink.
- Sponges and an old cookie tray or foam plastic tray. (It's a good idea to put the paint on a sponge so that when an object is dipped into the paint, the sponge will only let off a little bit of paint … because a little is all you need.)
- Paintbrushes, water and water containers.
- Paper
- A covered work area.
- Fruits and veggies of all kinds. Some good ones are:
- carrots
- starfruit
- mushrooms
- cauliflower
- broccoli
- tomatoes
- peppers
- apples
With an adults help, cut your fruits and vegetables in half so you have a flat edge. Lightly cover the flat side with paint, and use it as a stamp to make a print on your paper or canvas!
If you have a white potato, Try cutting it in half and using a spoon to carve out a design on the flat side, then cover the raised parts with paint and print!
You can also do this activities with other objects such as flowers, leaves, LEGO's, or puzzle pieces. What else can you find that will leave a print?
If you have a white potato, Try cutting it in half and using a spoon to carve out a design on the flat side, then cover the raised parts with paint and print!
You can also do this activities with other objects such as flowers, leaves, LEGO's, or puzzle pieces. What else can you find that will leave a print?
