Understanding Printmaking Techniques

Intaglio

Intaglio encompasses a variety of techniques – including engraving, etching, drypoint, aquatint, mezzotint, sugar lift, soft ground, and spit bite – all of which involve inscribing a composition as a system of grooves for the ink to fill the matrix.

In some intaglio mediums (like engraving), the artist directly carves the metal plate using a burin (a specific tool), while in others (like etching and aquatint), the plate is incised by chemicals. In engraving, the most commonly used technique, the artist carves a metal plate and applies one of the various techniques (such as drypoint, woodcut, or linocut). The plate is then inked, and the surface is wiped clean, leaving the grooves filled with ink. The plate is then pressed against the paper, creating a print with a unique texture due to the plate’s edges leaving traces on the print, giving it a rich, special feature.

Notable Artists: Mantegna, Dürer, Holbein, Lucas Cranach, Piranesi, Chagall, Rembrandt, Goya, Blake, Gauguin, Munch, Picasso, Tàpies.

Screen Printing

Screen printing, also known as silkscreen or serigraphy, is a technique with roots in the Far East, where it was used for printing on fabrics long before our era. In the West, screen printing was fully embraced as a valid form of expression by artists in the 1950s. Pop Art, fascinated by urban culture images, found this technique to be an appropriate means for recreating its themes.

In screen printing, the artist cuts an image, removing cut areas to create a stencil that is then affixed to a screen made of fine mesh fabric (originally silk) stretched onto a frame. The frame is placed on a sheet of paper or other support, and ink is spread along the top of the screen, pulled down the fabric with a rubber blade, reaching the open areas of the stencil. This process is repeated for each different color, sometimes taking several months to complete a piece.

Screen printing is ideal for flat and straightforward compositions without too many thin or large details, producing a dense, subtle, and silky effect on the print.

Notable Artists: Andy Warhol, Patrick Caulfield, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Victor Vasarely.

Lithography

Lithography, derived from the Greek word lithos (stone), was invented in 1798 by German inventor Aloys Senefelder. This technique experienced its full fruition towards the end of the century.

Lithography is one of the most direct printmaking techniques, allowing artists to work as they would on sketches or watercolors, without the intermediary steps of woodcut or intaglio. It doesn’t require chisels, knives, burins, or scrapers.

Drawings are made with a greasy material on a specific type of stone. The stone is then brushed with a chemical solution that helps bond the drawing to the surface. It is then wiped with a solvent, which dissolves most of the drawing but leaves a greasy, ghosted version behind. Next, the stone or plate is moistened with water, which is absorbed only by the blank areas. An oil-based printing ink is applied, adhering to the positive parts of the image while being repelled from the wet parts. This technique is based on the principle that oil and water don’t mix. Finally, the inked matrix is placed on the bed of a press with a sheet of damp paper on top and is run through the machine.

Notable Artists: Honoré Daumier, Édouard Manet, Pierre Bonnard, Toulouse-Lautrec, Chagall, Miró.

Photography

In the context of contemporary art, photography has established itself as a language with a truly diverse range of applications, often incorporating traditional techniques. As one of the most emblematic expressions in modern times, photography editions help preserve the ever-changing faces of modernity in our memories.

Digital Print

Digital printing is a relatively new method of creating and materializing an image. The artist’s creation is completed entirely or partially in digital form, materializing in the final printed result. The inks used are guaranteed for durability, and the materials comply with the quality required for traditional printing (high grammage, good percentage or 100% cotton, acid-free, available in different textures).

Hybrid Artworks

In the context of original printmaking, the artist has complete creative freedom to use any of the aforementioned techniques or combine them, resulting in hybrid artworks (serigraphy and woodcut; engraving and digital printing; lithography and serigraphy; collage of printed fragments, etc.). Sometimes, artists opt for a medium other than paper, creating works on canvas, silk, felt, nappa, or other materials.