Relief Prints, Intaglio, Serigraphy, Lithography, Essay Example

Relief Prints:  This is a printmaking procedure in which the artist carves or etches a printing plate or block (also known as the matrix).  Ink is then applied to the raised surface of the matrix. It can then be applied to paper to create an image.  There are a variety of ways that relief printing can be expressed, including woodcuts, linocut, and metalcut.  The woodcuts of Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) are an example of this process.

Intaglio:  This is a printmaking procedure that works in the opposite manner of relief prints.  With intaglio, the artist etches the desired image onto a metal plate or other surface.  Ink is applied to the recessed areas and not to the raised surface.  This requires a greater pressure to be used than with the relief print process.  This results in the ink, once dried, standing out slightly from the paper.

Serigraphy:  This is a method that is also known as silkscreening and screen-printing.  A stencil and fabric are used to create the image.  The artist stretches the fabric tightly on a screen frame and blocks out the areas that he/she doesn’t want covered in ink.  Using a squeegee, ink is applied to the material. The resulting image appears on the surface that was placed beneath the screen.

Lithography:  In lithography an image is printed from a flat surface like stone or metal.  The surface used must be completely flat in order for the technique to work.  The artist will roughen or smooth the surface as needed.  It works under the principle that oil and water repel each other.  Thus, the artist draws on the surface with a greasy or waxy substance.  The image can then be printed directly from the stone surface.