Printmaking Techniques
More to discover ↗A carved block can turn plain fabric into a printed patch, tote or garment panel. Learn how to choose a suitable ink and cloth, make a test swatch, transfer the image evenly and care for the finished print.
Read article · 3 min↗A jigsaw linocut divides one block into pieces that can be inked separately, fitted back together and printed at once. Learn how to plan the color boundaries, keep the pieces aligned and make a small, consistent edition.
Read article · 4 min↗Chine-collé lets a printmaker add a delicate paper to a larger backing sheet in the same pass that prints the image. Learn how to choose paper and paste, arrange the layers, and troubleshoot common problems.
Read article · 4 min↗A practical troubleshooting guide to three familiar screenprinting problems. Learn how to identify the cause, rescue a print run when possible, and adjust your setup before the next pull.
Read article · 4 min↗A clear stencil begins before the light goes on. Learn how to prepare a coated screen, hold artwork in close contact, test exposure, wash out the image gently, and recognize common problems before printing.
Read article · 4 min↗A hand-cut paper stencil makes screenprinting approachable without exposing a screen. Learn how to design connected shapes, position the stencil, pull a test print and troubleshoot uneven results.
Read article · 4 min↗In subtractive monotype, a dark layer of ink becomes the starting point for a print. Learn how to prepare a plate, lift ink to build light and texture, and make a first impression with simple studio tools.
Read article · 4 min↗Both monotypes and monoprints produce impressions that vary from one pull to the next. The difference lies mainly in the matrix: a monotype begins with an image made for a single impression, while a monoprint starts with a repeatable image that the artist changes between pulls.
Read article · 4 min↗A collagraph turns ordinary textured materials into a printable surface. Learn how to build a sturdy plate, control raised and recessed marks, ink it in two different ways, and make a small series of prints.
Read article · 5 min↗Engraving and drypoint are both intaglio techniques, but they make and print lines in different ways. Learn what a burin cuts, what a drypoint needle raises, and how those differences affect drawing, inking and edition planning.
Read article · 4 min↗Aquatint brings washes of tone to an intaglio print. Learn how a textured ground creates printable areas, how successive bites build light and dark values, and how to plan a small first plate in a properly equipped studio.
Read article · 4 min↗Hard-ground etching turns drawn lines into grooves that hold ink. Follow the process from preparing and drawing on a grounded plate to etching, proofing and printing, with practical ways to build a first plate.
Read article · 4 min↗A good intaglio wipe clears ink from the plate’s surface while leaving enough in its recessed lines to print. Learn a repeatable sequence for applying ink, using tarlatan, finishing by hand and adjusting the wipe after a proof.
Read article · 4 min↗Drypoint turns scratched lines into an expressive print. Learn how to choose a plate, build lines, ink and wipe the surface, and pull a first impression while understanding the delicate burr that gives drypoint its character.
Read article · 4 min↗A patchy relief print is a clue, not a failure. Learn to read pale areas, blotches and repeated gaps so you can adjust ink, pressure or the block before making your next impression.
Read article · 4 min↗A reduction linocut uses one block to build a multicolor image. Print a color, carve away the areas that should keep it, then print the next color from the altered block. Learn how to plan the layers, keep sheets aligned and give yourself enough copies to finish an edition.
Read article · 4 min↗Learn a repeatable way to align two relief blocks on the same sheet of paper. This beginner-friendly guide covers planning the color layers, making a registration jig, proofing, and correcting common alignment problems.
Read article · 4 min↗A printing press is not essential for making a relief print. Learn how to ink a block, position paper, transfer the image by hand and troubleshoot uneven impressions using simple studio tools.
Read article · 4 min↗Even inking starts before the brayer touches the block. Learn how to prepare a thin ink film, roll with light overlapping passes, and use test prints to tell an inking problem from a printing-pressure problem.
Read article · 4 min↗Wood and linoleum can produce similar relief prints, but they respond differently to the blade. Learn how grain, surface resistance and tool choice shape your lines, textures and printing decisions.
Read article · 4 min↗A first linocut is easier to manage when the design is simple, the block is steady and every cut travels away from your hands. Learn which tools to start with, how to plan the marks you will remove and how to make a small proof before printing an edition.
Read article · 4 min↗The four major families of printmaking differ in where they hold ink and how they deliver it to paper. Learn the basic mechanics of each method, from the raised surface of a relief block to the open areas of a stencil, and find a simple way to compare them in the studio.
Read article · 4 min↗
