Frequently Asked Questions

Bodycolour

The term 'gouache' is often used to describe any drawing made in body colour.Body colour is any type of opaque water-soluble pigment used by artists from the late 15th century.

Gouache

A type of paint made from pigments bound in water-soluble gum ,like watercolour, but with the addition of white pigment , in order to make it more opaque. It forms a thicker layer of paint on the paper surface and does not allow the paper to show through. Gouache is often used to create highlights in watercolours.

Prints:

Aquatint

An etching process in which tone is created by treating a plate with fine particles of acid-resistant material (resin) and then placing the plate in an acid bath. The acid bites into the plate between the resin grains and, when printed,the mass of tiny spots produces a textured area with tonal effects similar to watercolour wash.

Artist's proof

An impression that is not included in the edition,is usually printed beforehand as a trial proof and denoted as A/P.

Blindstamp

The embossed,inked or stamped symbol used by printers as a mark of identification.

Burr

When using a drypoint needle to draw directly into a metal plate, small, fine pieces of metal are raised up on both sides of the scored line.This burr holds additional ink during printing and gives the lines a velvety or fuzzy texture.

Cancellation Proof

When an addition is complete the matrix ( a block, plate, stone, or other) is effaced, crossed out or 'cancelled'. An impression is taken from this matrix, showing that the plate has been 'cancelled'.

Catalogue raisonne

A catalogue of all the known works of an artist.

Deckle Edge

The natural, untrimmed edge of handmade paper usually slightly uneven and sometimes slightly thinner than the rest of the sheet.

Drypoint

An intaglio process in which a plate is marked or incised directly with a needle. The drypoint line can look like an etched line but is usually lighter and characterised by the existance of burr.

Edition

An edition is the number of prints taken from a plate or block.

Etchings and engravings

Etchings and engravings are made on a copper (or zinc) printing plate. Lines drawn expose the metal, the plate is immersed in acid producing incised lines in the exposed metal, ink is applied to the sunken lines but wiped from the surface. The plate is placed against paper and passed through a press transfering the ink from the recessed lines.

Foul-Biting

When the acid-resistant ground on a metal plate does not keep the acid entirely out, irregularities appear. These 'bitten' areas will, when the plate is printed, catch ink and appear as spots.

Impression

Each individual print is known as an impression. An edition of 20 is an edition of 20 impressions of a print.

Linocut

A relief print produced in a similar manner to a woodcut. The lino block consists of a thin layer of linoleum which when cut produces a raised surface which can be inked and printed.

Lithography

A printing process based on the antipathy of grease and water. The image is applied to a grained surface ( traditionally stone but now usually aluminium) using a greasy medium (greasy ink, crayon, pencils, lacquer or synthetic materials). Gum arabic and nitric acid are applied to the surface, producing water-receptive non-printing areas and grease-receptive image areas. Oil-based ink is rolled over the surface and the ink sticks to the grease-receptive image area. Paper is placed against the surface and the plate is run through a press.

Matrix

The base from which the print is made - metal plate, lithographic stone, a potato, a stencil - anything from which you print.

Mezzotint

An intaglio method in which the entire surface of the plate is roughened by a spiked tool ('rocker') so that when inked, the entire plate prints in solid black. The artist then works from 'black' to 'white' by scraping out areas to produce lighter tones.

Monoprint

A unique varient of a conventional print - one impression is printed

Offset Printing

The inked image from a lithographic stone, metal plate or other matrix is transferred to an intermediary such as a rubber cylinder or blanket and then to paper, thus creating an image in the same direction as the original.

Photo-Etcing

An intaglio process in which an image is produced on an etching plate by photographic means.

Photo-Lithograph

A process in which an image is produced on a lithographic plate by photographic means.

Printer's Proof

Impressions printed especially for the printer, usually indicated as 'PP' and excluded from the numbering of an edition, but exactly like the editioned prints in every other respect.

Publisher

The person or entity who subsidises and often initiates a print edition or portfolio and disseminates the prints.

Screenprint (silkscreen)

A variety of stencil printing using a screen made from fabric (silk or synthetic) stretched over a frame.The non-printing areas on the fabric are blocked out by a stencil and ink or paint is forced through the open fabric onto the paper.

State

An impression taken from the plate at a particular stage of development and distinguished from impressions taken at other times. The Final State is the state from which the editions are generally pulled, but some artists pull several impressions in each state.

State

A state of a print is a stage in its development. An artist may alter one or more lines before printing further impressions. An early state can sometimes be more valuable than a later state.

Trial Proof or Working Proof

An early proof, often incorporating the artist's revisions and changes and generally not identical to the numbered, editioned prints.

Woodcut

A method of relief printing from a block of wood cut along the grain.The block is carved so that an image stands out in relief. The relief image is inked and paper placed against its surface and run through a press.