OUR PRINTMAKERS TECHNIQUES

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REDUCTION LINOCUT notes by Printmaker, Pauline Meade ....

Making a Reduction Linoprint

This process for making a multicoloured print uses a single printing block which is made of traditional lino on a hessian backing, or of modern vinyl. The block is cut away in stages, inked on the surface with a roller and printed either on a press or by rubbing the back of the paper laid over the block with a simple tool such as a wooden spoon.

Firstly the complete design is drawn onto the piece of lino. Any parts to remain unprinted are cut away and the block is inked with the first colour and printed. All of the prints in the edition must be taken at each stage as the process will eventually destroy the image on the block.

The lino block is then cleaned, and any areas to remain in the first colour are cut away. The surface is then inked in the second colour and all the prints are reprinted with careful registration on top of the first colour.

This process continues until all the required colours have been printed. Over laying of transparent ink means that a large range of colours can be obtained.

Notes for the images. Stages in the printing of ‘Lion and Pipal Tree’

1 White areas have been cut away, and first print taken in Prussian blue.

2 Blue has been cut away and overprinted in white, creating a light blue.

3 Light blue details have been cut away and overprinted in yellow.

4 Yellow areas have been cut away and overprinted in blue, creating green. The blue has also been wiped off in some areas to modify the next colour.

5 Green areas have been cut away, overprinted in red, creating orange/brown


WOODBLOCK PRINTS: notes by Printmaker, Laura Boswell

Traditional Japanese Water Based Woodblock Printing
The technique I’m describing here was taught to me during an eight week residency at Nagasawa Art Park in Japan. It is pretty much the same method, give or take some modern materials, that was used during the Edo Period in Japan. I was lucky enough to be taught by a master carver and master printer who, amongst their other work, are called upon by museums and galleries to re-cut and reprint some of the best loved and most iconic of Japan’s woodblock prints.
This description is pretty basic. There are many techniques for adding shading and manipulating colour, but this gives a brief taste of how to make a basic print. I use plywood which can be bought in the UK as Japanese plywood. It is shima or linden wood and has a fine grain. I use mulberry or washi paper, but I have also used kozo paper which works well.

Stage One: designing the print
• I make a full colour drawing of the final print at the correct size
• I measure the image
• I work out how many blocks it will take to replicate the image in print. Most Japanese prints have several colour blocks and a line block which outlines the colours and pulls the image together
• I take tracing paper and draw a 3cm margin and positioned the image within the 3cm margin (the margin will be the blank space around the edges of the print – 3cm is the traditional spacing) and then trace the image carefully

Stage Two: transferring the image to the blocks
• When working out the spacing I always use the bottom right hand corner of the image as that is where the registration will happen.
• I take my woodblocks and work out how much space is needed for each part of the print, always allowing for the 3cm margin plus a I.5cm margin around that.
• I inset the position of the tracing paper by the 1.5cm margin from the edge of the block (this is so that I have space to cut the chisel slots, or kento, for registration)
• Using carbon paper I reverse the tracing and transfer the various areas of the drawing onto each block, being careful to line up the corner of the tracing paper with the margin I have drawn on the woodblock.

Stage Three
• To register each part of the drawing I cut kento slots. I cut two slots. One is a right angled slot cut to match exactly the position where the bottom right hand corner of the tracing paper lay.
• The other kento is a straight slot three quarters of the way along the bottom edge of where the tracing lay.
• It is essential to be meticulous as all the kento on all the blocks must allow me to lay the paper in exactly the same place to align the various layers of the print

Stage Four
• I cut the outline of the various shapes using a knife or hangi-to.
• Using small chisels and gouges I cut around the shapes making sure that every area has a cut away margin two fingers wide. It is important that the cut away areas are concave like bowls so that the paint can pool away from the surface of the print
• I smooth off the outer edges of my cut away areas so that they will not emboss on the printing paper.
• Ideally each area of the print now stands proud with a ‘moat’ of cut away wood.

Stage Five
• I take a newspaper and, using a big brush dipped in water, I damp every fourth page thoroughly.
• I put the newspaper inside a plastic sheet and weigh it down flat and leave it for 20 mins.
• I cut my printing paper to the size of the final image plus a 3cm margin
• I put the paper in the centre of the now damp newspaper and, with the brush, damp every fourth sheet of that as well. Then I pack it up and weigh it all down again and leave it for a minimum of an hour. It will be fine like that for several days.

Stage Six
• I mix my colours in small dishes with plenty of water. For translucent areas I use watercolour, for a more opaque effect I use gouache
• I take some liquid rice starch or nori and mix it with water until it is at a soft dropping consistency
• I wet the block I want to print thoroughly (I usually work with large areas of pale colour first) and wait for a few minutes before blotting off the excess water
• I dab colour all over the block and, using a chopstick, add dabs of nori paste.
• Using a soft brush (it looks like a small shoe brush) I work the paint and the nori together and spread them evenly over the block, pushing the excess paint into the cut away area
• The final brushing is delicate and against the grain to smooth away any remaining excess paint

Stage Seven
• I take a damp piece of printing paper and hold it with the index and middle fingers of both hands as though my fingers were scissors cutting the paper from each side
• Using the kento slots I position the bottom right hand corner of the paper into the kento slot and use the straight kento to line up the bottom of the paper accurately.
• I let the paper fall gently and accurately onto the block
• Using non-stick baking paper as a buffer I rub the back of the print with a baren, using small circular stokes: firm, but not over hard.
• I peel off the paper and replace it between the damp newspaper before printing all the edition
• I work through the blocks until all areas of the print are complete, finishing with the detailed line block; there is no need to wait between each layer of the print
• I dry the prints by sandwiching them between layers of dry newspaper and weighting them down with boards





ETCHING: notes by Printmaker, Catherine Sutcliffe-Fuller..... coming soon




SCREENPRINTING: Notes by Printmaker, Clare Caulfield......... coming soon



COLLAGRAPH notes: by Printmaker, Emily Harvey.....

‘What is a collagraph?’ is a question I am often asked…..
Finding a quick way to explain is challenging because such a wide range of techniques and materials are used to make a plate, and the final prints can resemble anything from a delicate etching to a craggy wood cut or a graphic screen print.
The base plate is usually wood, card or metal, it is built up by gluing textured material on, (e.g. fabric or wallpaper) painting with different media, (e.g. acrylic paint and varnish) and pressing things into cement before it sets, (e.g. leaves, feathers). The effect is like a collage, hence the name ‘collagraph’.
The plate is printed in different colours by treating it as an intaglio and a relief print at the same time. In the intaglio process ink is rubbed onto the plate and then wiped off. Where the plate is rough with small indentations and scratches, the surface holds ink; these areas print dark. Where it is smooth the ink wipes off, so the smoother the surface the lighter it prints.
To make a relief print, ink is rolled over the surface of the plate and only touches the raised areas, leaving low places un-inked. This is the reverse of intaglio, so by using contrasting coloured inks the different contours of the plate are revealed.
Happy accidents are an essential element in the process, but it is possible to exert as much or as little control as your inclination and experience dictate.
If this idea leaves you intrigued, (or confused) why not book on a course and have a go yourself – it is great fun, and you will definitely discover new ways of exploring the world and expressing yourself.
One day and two day courses for small groups run from my studio near York.


LITHOGRAPHY: Notes by Artist