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Please respect Copyright. The artists retain copyright on all of their images. If you are interested in reuse of any image, please contact us in order to obtain permission or license.
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Handmade Prints As discussed in our section on Why Buy Originals, original works look better and last longer than poster prints. Handmade prints are original works of art handmade by the artist-printmaker. To be an artist-printmaker required first the talent and training of an artist, PLUS the practice and training to master the mechanical methods of printmaking. Few art schools teach these methods, and so artists often acquire this knowledge via apprenticeship and many years of work. There are various forms of handmade prints: ETCHINGS Probably one of the oldest forms of art print making, these works begin by the creation of artwork on metal (nickel) plates. Often, several plates are needed to create one composition, and when the image is printed, the impressions from each plate must be perfectly aligned. Because the ink is applied to the plate(s) individually by hand, there is variation among the images produced in a series from a set of plates. The artist determines the number of images to be in a series, and when the series is completed, the plates are destroyed. It is important to note that the process of creating etchings is meticulous, and not all attempts to print an etching are successful, even for the most experiences artist-printmaker. Etchings are prized works, and the most sophisticated etchings are quite valuable. Because the ink reacts somewhat with the nickel etching plate, the resulting color has an earthy quality that is very difficult to recreate, even digitally. The printing of etchings can also be harmful to the artist-printmaker's health, as the fumes from the acid used in the process can damage the lungs over a period of time. Estrella Fine Art brings you fine etchings by Elaine Simel and Joseph Borg. EMBOSSMENTS Closely related to etchings, embossments are also crested via a plate, but instead of applying ink to the plate, the pressure of the printing press is used to create a raised, uncolored image in the rag paper. Our featured artist Joseph Borg includes embossments in many of his original works, and his mini edition prints are also individually embossed. MONOPRINTS and MONOTYPES Contemporary handmade prints are often done in monoprint series. The artist creates the design on a plate, usually heavy acrylic. For monoprint series in which design elements are repeated with minor variations throughout the series, the basic design can be placed beneath the clear plate as a guide to the application of the ink design onto the plate. The paper, also called ground, is placed on top of the plate, and then both are passed through a printing press which transfers the inks onto the paper. Sometimes, a second image, called a "ghost" is produced from the same inking, creating a delicate, paler verion of the first image. Monoprints are a liberating medium for an artist-printmaker such as Reina, because the versatile lightweight plastic printing plate provides freedom to more easily create variations within a series. Also, because the inks do not react with the plastic plate, the colors in the finished work are far brighter than is possible in an etching. Monoprints have recurring forms within a composition, such as the wine bottles in Reina's Victorian Lace series, whereas the Harmony monotype series on handmade paper, is more freeform, without repetitive form elements. MIXED MEDIA Artist-printmakers often combine monoprints or monotypes with hand done embellishments that further individualize each work. Anita Benarde frequently works this way, adding translucent layers of thin handmade rice paper, pastel, colored pencil, paint, or other colllaged elements . SERIGRAPHS Also called screen prints, serigraphs can be handmade or mechanically made. Before the recent advent of fine art quality digital printing (giclee) which has to day become the dominant form of mechanical fine art reproduction, serigraphs were the considered to eb the highest fidelity form of reproduction. If there were 100 different colors in a painting, then 100 screens were created to apply each color precisely, often retaining the texture of applied patched of paint. High volume mechanical serigraphs are still produced particularly for works that demand depth and some texture, as well as to permit the artists to manually embellish them, creating multiple originals series. Meanwhile, handmade serigraphs are becoming increasingly rare, as few artists have the facilities to work with this medium. We feature a series of serigraphs by Louise August. BLOCK PRINTS The artist-printmaker carves an image into a block. The block can be wood, or a tile much like linoleum (sometimes called lino-block). This exacting process results in durable, detailed plates to which ink or paint is applied by hand. Then the color is transferreed to the paper by plating the paper and plate into a press. Our Louise August creates superb prints in this medium, many of which have been used as book illustations. COLLAGRAPHS The plate for collagraphs is made of layers of smooth, heavy paper what is cut and carved to create the design. Ink is hand-applied and is transferred to the paper via pressure in a press. Because the plate is made of paper, it is not as durable ad a metal etching plate. Hence, fewer images can be made from a plate and the editions tend to be smaller compared to etchings or monoprints. Lika Tov, one of today's best-knows artist-printmakers, works primarily in collagraphs.
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emmie@estrellafineart.com with questions or comments about this web site.
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