There are two presses in my studio. I talked previously about my etching press, which is the larger of the two. The other press is a Lithographic ('litho') press. It is a Takach-Garfield press with a 34" x 60" bed. At first glance, it would seem to be very similar to the etching press, but a closer look will show [...]
In my last post, I mentioned briefly a couple of characteristics of printing ink. I thought I would take a little bit and elaborate on them, as well as on a couple of the materials that can be used to adjust those characteristics. I should mention here that I basically use two types of ink in my studio: Etching ink [...]
Ink is not paint. Yes, they both have pigment, and in many cases, they both have a linseed oil base (or a modified linseed oil base) but the similarities stop there. Their working characteristics are wildly different. A while back I posted a link to a video about the making of ink (printers ink) that is very similar to [...]
The single most important piece of equipment that a printmaker owns is their press. It is probably also the single most expensive piece of equipment and it may be the heaviest piece of equipment. If you have never been in a print studio though, it may be difficult to imagine what one of these beasties looks like. There are several different types [...]
I really like paper (big surprise there). I'm not really sure why, but there is an appeal a sheet of heavy art paper: no creases, no marks, the feathery edge from the deckle, the subtle textures of the surface. Perhaps I am feeling the latent possibilities. The watermark of Rives BFK A mold made cotton paper The dominant material in paper [...]
Printmaking has long tradition of collaborative art. When making an original print, there are two distinct roles: artist and printer. For many printmakers these two roles are combined. The artist is also the printer. But it doesn't have to be that way. High quality printing requires a lot of skill and often a significant investment in space and equipment. [...]
Ok, I am not normally one to link to videos, but this one touched a soft spot for me. There is something about ink that gets under the skin (and under the fingernails) of every printmaker. We love the way the stuff goes down on paper, the way it layers, the way it shines. I love to mix color, to [...]
I read an interesting article today about color. Specifically about color and paint, but it can easily be extrapolated to ink. It was written by Sarah Sands at Golden Artist Colors and appears in the new issue of Just Paint, a newsletter produced by the staff at Golden.I would recommend it to any artist, but I wanted to summarize a [...]
Green is the thing these days. Many artists are concerned with the toxicity of their materials. With good reason. In years past, many artists poisoned themselves with lead, cadmium, dust or solvents. The manipulation of plates and stones has the potential to expose printmakers to more than their fair share of nasty stuff.As a result, many printmakers are switching to [...]
