Task 2 – Traditional Techniques

HandEtching - This is a traditional method of using acid to cut into an unprotected metal surface such as steel and copper zinc. These were common metals for the use of creative design in the metal. The artist scratches the ground to create a wax base to view what they have created.Linocut – This is a print making technique which includes a variant of woodcut which is wrapped in some linoleum which is used for relief on the surface. They then use a sharp knife to carve their design into the linoleum.Screen Printing – This technique involves mesh material which is used to transfer ink onto a substrate however certain areas become impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil.Lithography – a method of print involving a stone or a metal plate which is used to print an image into a smooth surface of oil and water.

Technology

Letterpress – This is a printing technique using a big roll of paper and printing press. An example of this is using a metal template made of what needs to be printed and that is covered in ink and pressed onto the paper.

Rotogravure – This method is similar to offset printing and flexography as it uses a rotary method. This method is still relevant today for magazines, postcards etc. It uses a large engraved cylinder which rotates and is covered in ink and as it rotates is prints the engraved images/words onto the paper. There is a doctors blade which scrapes the cylinder before making contact with the paper to avoid it using excessive amount of ink.

Screen-Process – this technique involves a mesh which transfers the ink to a substrate however only in certain areas as they are made impermeable. Then a blade is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with the ink causing it get soaked in the ink. There is another method to screen process which is the stencil method. This method includes using polyester or other fine mesh and covering the screen with it. Then by forcing the ink into it by wetting the material, it forces the ink to fall through the substrate onto the paper.