My First Prints

So I'm really loving the printmaking - it's a lot of fun. These are my first two prints.



This one is a lithograph. It's an amazing process - it's completely chemically driven.
Here's the Wikipedia explanation of the chemical process:
Lithography works because of the repulsion of oil and water. The image is drawn on the surface of the print plate with an oil-based medium (hydrophobic). The range of oil-based mediums is endless, but the dexterity of the image relies on the lipid content of the material being used--its ability to withstand water and acid. Following the placement of the image is the application of an acid emulsified with gum arabic. The function of this emulsion is to create a salt layer directly around the image area. The salt layer seeps into the pores of the stone, completely enveloping the original image. This process is called etching. Using lithographic turpentine, the printer then removes the greasy drawing material, leaving only the salt layer; it is this salt layer which holds the skeleton of the image's original form. When printing, the stone or plate is kept wet with water. Naturally the water is attracted to the layer of salt created by the acid wash. Ink that bears a high lipid content is then rolled over the surface. The water repels the grease in the ink and the only place for it to go is the cavity left by the original drawing material. When the cavity is sufficiently full, the stone and paper are run through a press which applies even pressure over the surface, transferring the ink to the paper and off the stone.





This one is an etching. For this type of print, you use a metal plate.
First you cover it with a layer of wax and then draw the picture into the wax using a metal point which basically just removes the wax. The entire plate is put into acid which eats away at the plate only in the places where you've drawn because the rest is protected by the wax. After washing off the wax, ink is pressed into the lines that were etched into the metal by the acid, while the rest of the plate remains clean. The press then transfers the image to a sheet of paper.