History of Print Making
There are two main basic techniques in printing relief and intaglio, both with a long history. The first involves cutting away everything which is not to be printed this is the method shown in the programme. The second involves cutting lines into the surface of a metal plate using tools or acid the whole plate is coated with ink, which is wiped clean, only leaving ink within the cut areas. A dampened paper is then pressed against the plate. Intaglio includes engraving, etching and aquatint. Dianes recent work includes etched linocuts.
Woodcut is the oldest method of making a print. The board is of wood and several boards are used one for each colour. In the past, three people carried out the process the artist who made the design, the woodcutter and the printer. In principle, this is a similar technique to the one seen in the programme, apart from the fact that lino is used instead of wood. Other artists prefer wood engraving, which involves cutting along the grain of the wood.
Linocut is based on the woodcut technique. Linoleum is softer than wood so is easier to cut. Picasso used this method of printing but instead of using several boards to create a multi-colour print he achieved the same end product by using only one board and cutting more and more away after each pressing. This is the reduction technique we see Diane using in Handmade.
Etching is an intaglio technique. First a plate is covered with an acid-resistant wax. The image is cut into the wax with an etching needle. Then the plate is dipped in acid. The acid bites into the lines where the wax has been removed. These acid-bitten areas hold the ink. This technique dates back to the fourteenth century, when it was used to apply decorations on armour, and Rembrandt developed the technique in the seventeenth century.
