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Understanding Main Types of Printmaking: Relief, Intaglio, Lithography, Screen-printing
Due to their incredible versatility and affordable prices, prints have become a popular choice among collectors. All major auction houses have events dedicated to prints and multiples and there’s an increasing number of art fairs that focus on prints only. But print collecting is not without its difficulties. When acquiring prints, inexperienced collectors often find themselves confused by the terminology. What is an etching? Is a serigraph more valuable than a lithograph? What is the difference between a woodcut and a linocut? In this blog post, we’ll try to answer some of these questions and help you find your way around the exciting fine art print market.
Woodcut
Woodcut is the oldest printmaking technique that reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries. The process is simple. The image is drawn onto a block of wood and the background carved away to leave the image elevated slightly above the surface. The paint is applied with a roller onto the raised surface. When a paper is applied to it, the relief leaves an impression like a stamp.
Linocut
Using the same technique, the artist can carve an image on linoleum. Linoleum is popular among certain artists, as it is easier to cut than a block of wood, but its fragility makes large editions problematic.
Linocuts and woodcuts are called relief prints since the ink is transferred from the area that stands out from the background. Prints created by inscribing the image into the plate and then filling the gaps with ink are called intaglios. Etching and engraving are the most common types of intaglios.
Engraving
As its name suggests, engraving includes inscribing lines into a metal plate with a tool named a burin. When the plate is engraved, the ink slides into the indents and the rest of the plate is whipped clean. The printing press forces the paper into the lines, to pick up the paint and create a print.
