(1) The principle of printmaking

What is printmaking? In art exhibitions and in countless newspapers and magazines, you can often see the signatures "woodcut" and "woodcut" under some works of art. The words "copper plate", "silk screen plate", etc. are also marked with "watermark", "color rubbing", "black and white", and some even only indicate "printmaking". Some people will definitely ask, in the field of art, why is there only one type of painting, printmaking, with so many names? How are they made? What are their respective characteristics and relationships with each other? "Printmaking" seems familiar to everyone, but it is also confusing. So, what exactly is printmaking?

In life, we can often see dirty handprints and ball marks on white walls, as well as various ruts and shoe marks on the road (Figure 1). These common phenomena are actually the best explanations of the basic principles of printmaking.

Figure 1 Fingerprints, shoe marks, and ruts

Printmaking, as the name suggests, is a painting that uses plates as a medium. That's what it means to say it is an indirect painting. The production of a print is inseparable from two steps - plate making and printing, which include four elements: plate, ink, paper and pressure. The sequence is: plate making, inking, paper laying and pressing. Putting pressure on the back of the paper is called sealing, and putting pressure on the back of the plate is called sealing or stamping, such as stamping or sealing (Figure 2). As we all know, boards are made of copper, stone, wood, and paper and have different textures; ink can be classified into black and white shades, colorful, oily or water-based; paper can be light, thick, thick, thin, and has different water-absorbing properties. ; Pressure includes manual, mechanical, grinding, rubbing, pressing, teasing, and changes in priorities. From these factors, it is not difficult for us to find that: through various techniques, widely varying editions can present ever-changing imprints on different paper surfaces (or other receiving surfaces). The handprints on the wall, the footprints and car marks on the ground are the hands, feet and wheels as the plates, and the wall and the ground as the connecting surfaces. Between "ink" (dust, mud) and "pressure" (cars) , human weight and hand strength). In the final analysis, printmaking is the art of using various media to create various impressions on paper to convey emotions.

Although the four elements of printmaking are all very important, the key lies in the version.

Figure 2 Printing and pressing diagram