PRINTS FROM THE COLLECTION
15 October – 26 March 2017
BlueScope Gallery
Activity sheet for Year 5 - 8 students
Student name: _________________________
Exhibition Outline:
The bold colour screen prints and delicate lines of etchings and lithographs are
explored in this vibrant selection of prints from the Gallery’s Collection. Featuring
works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, this exhibition highlights the
diversity of the printed image, and celebrates 50 years of the Print Council of
Australia.
Introduction to Printmaking
The first images made by children are prints of some kind, finger and hand prints on
paper or wall prints, footprints in the sand, show prints on a path on a rainy day.
These are early experimentations of printmaking. The more complex processes you
will see in this exhibition all rely on a mark or image being recorded, then transferred
to a surface, repetitively.
What is a Print?
The simple answer is that a print is the result of a process in which an image is
transferred from one surface to another, usually under various forms of pressure.
What are the Techniques of Printmaking?
What is a woodcut?
The traditional form of the relief print is the woodcut. As in all relief prints, the area
that is not intended to print is removed. The design is drawn onto paper and then
glued to the wood or drawn directly onto the surface to be cut. Cutters, chisels and
various tools are used to cut away the background. The surface of the block is inked
with a roller or brayer (the ink must be ‘tacky’ so that it doesn’t flow or bleed into the
cut away area). Printing is done with a press that ensures that pressure is applied
evenly, though not necessarily heavily, or it can be done by hand by stamping or
rubbing the paper with a spoon, fingers, a cloth pad or a baren.
(Left) Margaret Preston, 1925, Bowl of Native Flowers,
hand coloured woodcut on paper.
1. Preston has hand coloured some of this
woodcut print. Have a close look and list the
art medium you think she has used to do this?
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2. Do you know the names of the native flowers
featured in the bowl? List them.
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What is a lithograph?
Lithography is based on the chemical fact that water and oil repel each other. The
artist draws on a surface such as stone, zinc or aluminium with a greasy medium
such as a crayon. The surface dampened with a thin film of water which repelled
from the greasy areas and settles on the clean areas. The surface is then rolled with
an oil based ink which adheres only to the made by the drawing. The water repels
the ink from the remainder of the surface. The surface is next washed with diluted
nitric acid to ensure that the drawing remains on the plate and then rubbed with
desensitising gum Arabic when the design is completed to prevent any further
grease settling on the plate or stone. Finally a print is made by using a ‘scraper
press’ which scrapes or rubs against the paper as it passes over it.
Lloyd Rees, South Coast Beach, 1980, lithograph
3. With a lithograph, you are able to draw your design, which is different to the
woodcut print. A woodcut print requires the artist to cut and carve the design out of
the wood.
Look at the lines used in South Coast Beach by Lloyd Rees and Bowl of Native
Flowers by Margaret Preston. List the differences in which lines have been used in
these two prints. Give reason as to why you think they look different in relation to the
different processes the artists have used.
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What is an aquatint?
Aquatint is a form of etching which is created by etching areas of tone rather than
lines. It is named for the way that the tones are reminiscent of watercolour washes.
A ground is created by sprinkling a copper plate with resin dust and then heating the
plate so that the resin sticks to the plate. The melted resin creates a granulated
surface which acts as an acid resistant ground.
Usually the outline of the design is etched onto the plate, before ground is applied
and etched lines filled with ink. Sometimes the design is traced or drawn onto the
plate. When it is ready the plate is exposed to acid which bites around the resin
granules. As each required tone is reached, the plate is withdrawn and the area of
tone covered with a stepping-out varnish. This continues until the darkest tones are
obtained, possibly eight or twelve ‘bites’ being required.
In an aquatint there is a surface grain of varying depth and opacity covering almost
every part of the print. This may be course or fine but is usually consistent texture. Is
never a smooth blur but appears as lighter and darker areas of speckled powdery
tone rather than the engraver’s many individual lines. A magnifying glass makes this
clear.
To make a sugar lift aquatint, the artist draws on a plate fluidly with a brush dipped in
a sugar and water solution. The sugar solution must be removed or lifted, before the
plate goes in the acid. Aquatint is laid on the plate and it bites in the portions drawn
by the artist.
4. Instead on using lines, what art element
does aquatinting rely on to make a print?
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5. List how the artist has used different
tones in this aquatint?
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(Left) Fred Cress, Oberon, 1977, sugarlift aquatint
on paper
What is a screenprint?
Screenprinting is a variation of stencil printing. Gauze, silk, or another fine fabric is
fixed tautly to a rectangular wooden frame, which is laid on a top of a sheet of paper
or fabric. A stencil is laid between the screen and the paper or fabric or areas of the
screen can be blocked out with a stopping agent such as shellac or glue and water.
Printing ink is spread over the screen and then forced through on to the paper or
fabric with a ‘squeegee’ so that the ink is transferred onto the paper.
(Left) Brent Harris, Swamp No.8, 2001, colour
screenprint on Arches Santine
6. What sort of material is usually stretched
around the wooden frame in a screenprint?
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7. What type of printing is screenprinting a
variation of?
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8. Besides screenprinting onto art paper, list
what other materials can you screenprint onto?
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What is a collagraph?
Collography combines collage and printmaking. Materials are glued to a plate made
from cardboard, Masonite, MDF or chipboard to create interesting textures. The plate
is then inked with a roller to pick up the top surface textures, and printed as a relief
print. It can also be used to create an intaglio print by rubbing ink into the total
surface and then wiping away the highest areas. Plates can be printed onto damp
paper without ink to emboss the paper that is to leave a 3-dimensional impression in
the paper without the use of ink.
9. Look closely at this collagraph and list the
fabric the artist has used on the cow’s dress to
create a print?
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10. What materials can you think of that would be
suitable for a collagraph to create a strong
texture when printed? List them.
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(Left) Alannah Dreise, The Cow’s Wedding, 2011,
collagraph printed on Velin Arches paper
What is an etching?
The difference between etching and engraving is that the metal of an etching plate is
eaten by acid rather than cut with a tool. This makes it more attractive to school
students and their teachers as the process is easier and very fascinating.
The plate is first covered with an acid resistant ground, which is left to dry. Any
material resistant to acid and soft enough to draw on may be used as a ground. The
back and sides of the plate are also covered. The design is then drawn by scratching
into the ground to expose the metal beneath. The plate is then immersed in a bath of
acid, which immediately begins to bite or eat away the exposed design. Bubbles that
form on the plate need to be brushed away. A feather is often used for this. When
the desired depth of bite is obtained, the plate is removed, washed and the ground
dissolved. The plate is then inked and printed.
Etching plates are usually made of zinc or copper, although a much wider range of
metals may be used. Aluminium is less expensive and useful for beginners.
Graham Fransella, Walking the plank, 1988, colour etching five plates
11. In the space below, draw your own version of Walking the plank. You may add
extra elements to this drawing to make an appropriated artwork. Use lead pencil to
draw your outline, then colour in using coloured pencils.