Grafiikanpaja Himmelblau

Terminology and signing

The first number of the fraction indicates that the print belongs to an edition of uniform quality that has been approved by the artist. The second number tells the size of the edition. The first number does not represent the order of printing, and the size of the edition as stated on the prints does not automatically mean that the all the prints were taken. It is also possible to complete printing an edition at a later time.

Aquatint is a method that enables the creation of tonal areas and various accents. The plate is dusted with fine particles of rosin or bitumen. Before exposing the plate to acid, the dust is adhered to the plate by heating it. The acid bites around the fine rosin particles. The contrast and tone of different areas depends on the time of acid-exposure: the longer the acid is left to bite, the darker the impression. Aquatint is often complemented by other methods, such as line etching or drypoint.

A model proof approved by the artist before printing and edition. The B.A.T proof is used as a standard for pr! inting the edition.

Carborundum is a printing method in which the plate is neither corroded nor engraved, but the image is painted on it with a mixture of glue and carborundum sand. The printing ink is rubbed on the plate with brushes. When the plate is run through the printing press, the rough texture of the carborundum sand creates the image. Carborundum allows for painterly effects.

Engraving is a method that requires time and skill. An image is created straight onto the plate with a burin. The burin cuts shavings out of the metal creating sharp, clear lines, which taper at the ends. The lines are elegant and rise notably from the surface. During engraving, the hand is kept still and the plate is moved, for example on top of a sandbag. More than creating a personal idiom with finger movements, this method requires strong arms. The printing ink adheres to the lines, and the image is transferred on a sheet of dampened paper as the plate is run through the printing press.

An image is drawn on a copper plate with a sharp point or a diamond needle. The needle forces up a ridge (a burr) on both sides of the line, and these ridges hold the printing ink. The higher the burr, the thicker the line will print. A drypoint needle is held in a more upright position than a pen, and by varying the angle and pressure applied, rich and diverse lines can be created. The finished impression resembles a pen mark on a damp paper that is slightly smudged.

An artistŐs proof is taken from the finished plate. Artist's proofs are intended only for the artists' own use, and are often also put up for sale by them. The number of artist's proofs taken remains small, and they are numbered as their own miniature edition, for example E.A. 3/5.

A test proof is taken from a finished plate to determine the best colour or type of paper.

Etching is a general term for methods in which acid is used for corroding an image on a plate coated with an acid-resistant ground. Line etching, aquatint and soft ground etching are all corrosion-based methods. Various kinds of lines and tones are created by controlling the time of acid-exposure. The term etching is most often used when referring to line etching, but it is broader in meaning; corroding lithograph stones is also etching. A corroded plate can also be used in relief printing by rolling the plate with ink.

Proofs that are not put up for sale. They are taken for recording purposes.

In heliogravure, photography is combined with intaglio techniques. A gelatin paper made light-sensitive with bichromate is exposed to UV-light through a film positive. UV-light hardens the gelatin in sections where the fi! lm is light in tone. A41 sheet of gelatin paper is wetted and fixed gelatin down on a copper plate that has been coated with an aquatint ground. The background paper is removed and the exposed gelatin, now stuck on the copper plate, is developed in warm water. Parts that have not been hardened dissolve in water. The plate is then corroded with iron chloride solutions of varying strengths. The plate is printed as other aquatint plates.

Line etching is the most widely implemented intaglio method. The plate is first coated with an acid resistant ground. An image is then drawn on it with an etching needle, which removes the ground and exposes the metal. When the plate is immersed in an acid bath, the acid bites into the exposed parts creating incisions. The darkest of areas are corroded first. The plate is taken out of the acid bath, rinsed off with water and dried. The process of drawing and corroding are repeated until all the desired tones and accents have been created. The longer the total time of acid-exposure, the darker the first-etched lines print. The process of etching can also be begun with the finest of lines. In this case the finished areas need to be protected with varnish.

In mezzotint, the metal! plate is systematically roughened with special rockers (spiked rollers). The rocker is worked over the plate from all directions and angles, resulting in a myriad of incisions and peaks that will hold the printing ink well. In the next phase, areas that are to print lighter are scraped down and smoothened with various burnishers and scrapers. The harder the plate is scraped down, the less ink it will hold and the lighter the image will print. With mezzotint, it is possible to create velvety shades of black and grey and gentle tonal gradations. Because the picture is worked from black to white, this is a particularly applicable method in artworks that! require a dark background.

A monoprint is a proof taken from an etched plate or a combination of plates. The artist takes only one print, and it is marked 1/1. Unlike in monotypy, it is theoretically possible to reprint a monoprint.

In monotype, the image is drawn, painted or rolled straight onto the plate (for example metal or plastic) and it is printed on paper, often by running it through a printing press. Because the ink behaves differently every time, each print is unique. Monotypes can be individu! al artworks or variations from a particular theme.

What separates printmaking i.e. art graphics from other visual arts is, that in art graphics, the original (the plate) can be printed several times. In art graphics, the image is first created on a plate, which can be made of wood, linoleum, limestone, copper, zinc or plastic film. The ink is rolled on the plate and the image is then transferred to paper. The finished artwork is the one on paper.

The image of a tailored film is developed on a photo-sensitive polymer plate by exposing it to UV light which hardens the polymer. Because the plate is treated in tap water to dissolve the dark areas of the picture, no acids are needed in the process. The plate is inked and proofed as in other intaglio techniques.

A printer's proof is a print that the artist has given to the art printer. The printer can use it as a demonstration of skill.

In art graphics, the printmaking process is called proofing or printing, and the resulting artwork (most often on paper) is a proof or a print.

In intaglio printmaking, the finished plate is coated with intaglio printing ink, which holds even to the smallest of incisions. Excess ink is wiped off, first with a tarlatan cloth and finally with tissue paper or the edge of the palm. Finally only the incisions will contain ink.

The plate is placed image upwards on the bedplate of the printing press. A sheet of dampened intaglio printing paper is placed on top, and they are r! un through the printing press. When the dampened paper is forced into the incisions, the ink is pulled out and the image is transferred on paper.

Printing a picture with several colours requires several plates. The plates need to be aligned with each other in exact registration. Each plate is then printed individually on top of the previous one on the same sheet of paper.

A porous paper made of cotton and linen. It is the most commonly used paper in printmaking.

Serigraphy is a planograph method, in which the ink is squeezed through a special pool-like frame and a silk screen onto paper. Areas not to be printed are covered up. This can be done either by making a plastic stencil which is attached to the screen or by coating the screen with a light-sensitive ground and projecting the picture straight onto the screen.

A finished frame is placed on top of the printing paper and the ink is dragged over the screen with a special rubber squeegee.

Silk screening can be used to print pictures on various materials; in China and Japan, this method was originally used for decorating house walls, festive clothing and dishes.

The name silk screening comes from the fact that for a long time, the screen materi! al was silk.

In soft ground etching, a plate is coated with soft wax and covered with a paper. As the artist draws an image, the paper is pressed against the wax. The wax gets removed and the metal underneath is exposed. Even the most delicate touch, the texture of fabric or fingerprint, is repeated in the soft ground. Depending on the paper and drawing instrument, the created line resembles tha! t of a crayon or a pencil drawing.

Indicates that the artist has personally printed the work.

A state proof is a print taken from an unfinished plate.