Accent on Niagara Artists Original Art and Print Facts

Original Art and Print Facts

"Everything which can be seen or touched is originally
experienced as something plastic in space."©

An artist's original work of art comes from formulating the experience
of these two senses, or communicating it to others, noting down what
has been seen; drawing points, lines, and areas in contrasting colours
onto a flat surface, or sculpting and modeling a representation of volume
in three dimensions.

An original unique envisioned image is then created, giving an illusion,
reproducing the experience; stronger, weaker, or equal in force to the
original experience, according to the ability and material used
by the artist.

In abstract form, the vision may detach itself completely from the
memory of recognizable objects, abstracting from a universally
recognizable external form, inner, subjective processes and reactions
which are actually unreal and do not correspond to a common vision
or feeling. Words and explanations are then needed to quide the
response of the beholder to the point from which the painter started,
so that contradictory interpretations cannot be read into abstract pictures.

A picture, sculpture or modeling's true nature is to create an unequivocal
effect without words. The beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

© Jaxtheimer, Bodo W., "How to Paint and Draw", Thames and Hudson,
London, United Kingdom, 1962, p. 1.

What is an Original Print? ©

An "original print" is the image on paper or similar material made by
one or more of the processes described here. Each medium has a special,
identifiable quality but because more than one impression of each image is
possible, "Original" does not mean "unique."

The artist's intention to create an original print is the key to the "originality"
of the finished work. For example, if he/she first conceives of a watercolour,
then has the result copied by woodcut, the result is not "original" but merely
a reproduction. The total number of prints made of one image is an "edition."
The number may appear on the print with the individual print number as a
fraction such as 5/25 meaning "edition" was 25 examples with this example
numbered 5. If intended for use with a written text original prints will not likely
be numbered (or hand-signed) and may be produced in very large editions.

Giclée (pronounced "zhee-clay") reproductions were originally developed in
1989 as a plate-less method of fine art printing. The word Giclée is French for
"to spray" and is a registered trade name of the "IRIS" printer. The images are
scanned and digitally stored in a computer and sent directly to a high resolution
printer. Unlike other printing methods, each image is sent to the printer
individually. This advanced method has numerous advantages. Since each
piece is individually produced, the artist can order one reproduction at a time
if desired. There is no obligation to finish an edition. Giclée prints are produced
on watercolour papers and canvas, much like the original painting. This gives
each piece a similar look and feel to an original work of art.

Colour: Blocks, plates, screens or two or more stones may be used, one
for each colour, printed on top of each other to produce the final print.

Restrikes and Cancelled Plate Proofs: Both are original prints but from
unlimited editions usually printed after an artist's death.

Original Graphic Arts Processes:

RELIEF

PLANOGRAPHIC

STENCIL

INTAGLIO

(A) Woodcut

Engraving

Lithograph

Serigraph

Linocut

Drypoint

Embossing

Mezzotint

(B) Wood Engraving

Etching

Aquatint

COLLOGRAPH

Prints what is left of the

Prints what is below the

Prints what is drawn on

Prints open areas of the

surface of the plate

original surface

the surface

stencil

(A) Household

Etching Press

Litho Press

Original Serigraphs are

Tablespoon

(Clothesringer type)

(Sliding, scraping

usually hand screened

(B) Washington

pressure)

Press

or Letterpress

(A) Plank-grain wood

Copper

Limestone

Silk

Linoleum

Zinc

Organdie

(B) End-grain wood

Plastics, etc.

Aluminum Plates, etc.

Nylon, etc.

Knife

Etching Needles

Litho Crayon

Squeegee

Gouge

Burrins

Tusche

Screen

Burrin, etc.

Acids

Litho Rubbing Ink, etc.

Nufilm

Grounds, etc.

Glue

Tusche, etc.

WOODCUT: Made by cutting into the broad face of
a plank of wood, usually with a knife. (The linocut is
made by the same method, exept that linoleum is
substituted for wood.) In working the block, the
artist cuts away areas not meant to print. These cut
away areas appear in the finished print as the white
parts of the design while the ink adheres to the
raised parts.

WOOD-ENGRAVING: Made by engraving a block
made up of pieces of end-grain, extremely hard
wood. The block, being naturally much harder,
enables the artist to engrave (rather than cut) a
much finer line than is possible on the softer
plank surface used for woodcuts.

COLLOGRAPH: Pringing surface is built up on the
plate or block by applying various materials which
may also be incised.

ETCHING: A metal plate is coated by a material
which resists acid, called the ground. The artist then
draws his design on the ground with a sharp needle
which removes the ground where it touches it and,
when the plate is put in an acid bath, these
exposed parts will be etched (or eaten away). This
produces the sunken which will receive the ink.
In printing, the ink settles in the sunken areas
and the plate is wiped clean. The plate in contact
with damp paper is passed through a roller press
and the paper is forced into the sunken area to
receive the ink. The artist etches on the plate
those parts which will appear in the finished print
as black or coloured areas. White areas are left
untouched. Depth of tone is controlled by depth
of each.

ENGRAVING: The design is cut into the plate by
driving furrows with a burin, then the plate is
printed as above.

DRYPOINT: The sunken lines are produced directly
by diamond-hard tools pulled across the plate. The
depth of line is controlled by the artist's muscle and
experience. The method of cutting produces a ridge
along the incisions, called burr. This gives the dry-
point line the characteristically soft, vevety appear-
ance absent in the clean-edged lines of an engaving
or etching.

AQUATINT: A Copper plate is protected by a porous
ground which is semi-acid resistant. Then the white
(non-printing) areas are painted with a wholly acid-
resistant varnish. The plate is then repeatedly put
in acid baths where it's etched to different depths.
The final effect is an image on a fine pebbled back-
ground (imparted by the porous ground). Aquatint is
usually employed in combination with line etching.

LITHOGRAPH: The artist draws directly on a flat
stone or specially prepared metal plate (usually
with a greasy crayon). The stone is dampened with
water, then inked. The ink clings to the greasy cray-
on marks but not to the dampened areas. When a
piece of paper is pressed against the stone, the ink
on the greasy parts is transferred to it.

SERIGRAPH: The artist prepares a tightly-stretched
screen, usually of silk, and blocks out areas not to
be printed by filling up the mesh of the screen with
a varnish-like substance. Paper is placed under the
screen and ink forced through the still-open mesh
onto the paper.