i'm trying to flesh out my portfolio for art school applications this winter, so i decided to try some new genres while i have the time & resources. i just enrolled in a beginning printmaking class, and i'm really excited. however, never having tried it before, i'm very curious about what i might be doing.

anybody have printmaking experience? it says i'll be learning basic "lino-cut, multi-block woodcut, and etching." i kind of know what the last two are, but not entirely. can anyone give me tips or info?

thanks!

Lino cut is when you get a piece of linoleum and use these different tools to dig out a design. Then you spread ink on it with a roller and print it on paper etc. It comes out as the reverse of what you carved out, think about doing a design on a potato stamp, same idea, It's fun :)
jt

I've done etching before, I loved it. I love printmaking, especially silkscreening!!!!! You'll have a lot of fun in those classes. sorry, don't really know much about lino-cut or woodcut stuff but i'm sure it's the same principle. You're gonna have so much fun!


_ng

I love print making too, I wish it was an art form which was easier to do at home.

Lino-cuts will probally be what you do first, they are basically what was described before. Some of the best advice I got was when you are coming up with the design (sketching it on paper first) use nothing but a sharpie. With linos you get positve of negative space, nothing else. The ink is there or not, so having the sharpie really helps, otherwise (like if you use pencil) you'll find yourself puting in shading that you just can't do with linoleum (you can kinda do shading, with little lines or stipling, but you can't do grey scales-or whatever color ink).

Etching is fun too, but a whole differnt ball game. The way we did it was to draw out the designs on our sheet of metal, then you paint it with this stuff which acts as a barrier. So when you submerge it in the acid only the part that isn't painted gets affected (etched). You can do this multiple times, so that some parts will be etched by the acid more than once, and you can have more gradations.
Here is a better explination: http://www.philaprintshop.com/whataprt.html#Etching


These are lino cuts:>http://www.printalliance.org/gallery/ga_linn_tn.html


Enjoy, I'm jealous....

okay, so lino-cut is kind of like making a photo negative, right? i feel like it's also the same idea as with pysanki (ukranian egg dying), where you're coloring/desiging backwards . . .

thanks, gals! keep it coming!

Think of a lino cut as a big stamp. You carve out what you want to be the negative space (what won't show up) and leave where you want the ink to be. The material is kinda similar too. Word of warning: do not cut towards yourself (I think I still have scars and that was years ago)...

Oooh what gorge prints you linked to, sarcasm queen! Her work really suits the medium. I'd love those for my wall. I did a bit of lino printing at school when I was about 15, take advantage of your class having all the equipment on tap, so to speak, as buying it all and setting it up at home can be a bit of a bother (well I suppose no more than most crafts, but y'know).
And if you end up enjoying working with lino and want to get a bit fancy, some friends of mine used a technique of which I do not know the name, but basically they'd carve a little out of the lino, make a number of prints, carve some more out, print on top of those prints with a different colour, etc etc. The trickiest bit is getting it to register (line up) correctly, but if you've thought out your design and colours, worth it! xxxx (and i have scars too!)

I looooove printmaking.

My tip is: lay down the cash and buy good tools (used is ok, they can be sharpened). It will make your life 30 bagillion times easier.

You know, one of my printmaking teachers in college told me about a student who made a press in her house...now that's a few tons (literally) of dedication.

Have fun! You'll love it, I'm sure!

Print makeing is so much fun, I secend getting good tools, you will save your self a lot of pain litterly, Most programs start you in lino first, personaly I prefer woodblocks, if you are able buy good wood, don't believe them when they tell you to use plywood it sucks, bass is an excelent wood, available at nicer lumber yards. With lino and wood blocks you want to think in solid blocks of color you can create texture by texturing wood. I oddly have never done etching, but you draw on a metal plate and throw it in a vat of acid to ectch your desing on it. All of theses are a lot of fun and you will have a great time.

Printmaking rules!! There are many of good books out on printmaking. (The Complete Printmaker is one.)Check your local library or spend an evening browsing through it at b and n or borders. There are also ways to print at home without a press. I've been making graphic greeting cards with that speedball white eraser-like stuff that you can find at craft stores (like Michael's) and water-based inks.. (also..at Michael's). It's the same concept as a lino cut...but you don't need a press, they're easy to make and clean up is a breeze.