New Hampshire Printmakers Past and Present

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New Hampshire PrintmakersPast and Present
A Peaceful Day on Star Island, serigraph print,
William Mitchell
The New Hampshire Printmaking Project
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Printmaking Terms
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Printmaking Terms
WOODCUT PRINTS A traditional woodcut is done by
taking a plank of wood or sheet of veneer, oiling
the surface with linseed and then dried. After
the wood has been seasoned the image is carved
directly into the surface with carving tools.
When the image is printed a sheet of paper is
laid over the block and it is either sent through
a light pressure press or it is hand rubbed with
a wooden spoon or barren. The process is repeated
several times to create and edition the number of
prints the artist chooses.
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Herbert Waters, wood engraver
White Mountains of New Hampshire, wood engraving,
Herbert Waters
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Nora Unwin, wood engraver
Spiral Rythms, wood engraving, Nora Unwin
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Matt Brown, wood engraver
"Grosbeaks on Lambert Ridge", wood engraving,
Matt Brown
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Printmaking Terms
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Printmaking Terms
INTAGLIO (Etching) When a line is engraved into
a printing surface, wood metal or cucumber it is
called intaglio. Etching takes place when acid is
used to engrave lines in metal. The procedure is
as follows You begin with a polished and cleaned
metal plate, usually copper or zinc. A thin layer
of Asphaltum or tar is placed on the surface and
heated so it adhears. Lines are drawn with an
etching needle to expose the metal and remove the
tar. The plate is then placed into an acid bath
were the exposed metal is etched out. After the
etching is complete, the asphaltum is washed away
with solvents and the etched lines remain in the
plate. Inks are then placed on and rubbed into
the lines . The plate is placed on a press with a
piece of paper and rolled through to make final
print.
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Nancy Nemec, engraving
Too Young to be a sage Intaglio and relief print
Nancy Nemec
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Christopher Morse, etching
"A Serendipitous Resurgence of Neoteny etching
Chris Morse
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Matthew Smith, etching
Goodbye Old Man etching Matthew Smith
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Printmaking Terms
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Printmaking Terms
Linocut or Foam Block printing The linocut is a
printmaking technique similar to that of the
woodcut, the difference being that the image is
engraved on linoleum instead of wood. Since
linoleum offers an easier surface for working,
linocuts offer more precision and a greater
variety of effects than woodcuts. Long disparaged
by serious artists as not challenging enough, the
linocut came into its own after artists like
Picasso and Matisse began to work in that
technique.
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Annette Mitchell, block print
Big Chicken foam blockplate Annette Mitchell
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Printmaking Terms
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Printmaking Terms
Silkscreening (also called serigraphy and
screenprinting) is based on the graphic principle
of the stencil. A stencil is prepared and adhered
to a fine meshed screen of silk, polyester, or
nylon that has been tightly stretched onto a
wooden or metal frame. Ink is forced through the
screen with a hand held tool called a squeegee
onto a sheet of paper placed beneath the frame.
The ink passes only through the open areas of the
stencil, thus creating a particular shape or line
on the paper. Printing several colors requires a
separate stencil for each color as well as an
accurate method of registering the paper for the
additional colors.
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Catherine Green, serigraph
Eddies Garden serigraph Catherine Green
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William Mitchell, serigraph
Summers End serigraph William Mitchell