Lesson Task – Sketching Techniques

Practical assignment (observation and analysis)

• Define, in your own words, the printmaking terms
• Find examples on the Internet to represent each of those terms
• Use your graphite, eraser, eraser putty and blending stub to sketch spheres using the following techniques: hatching and cross hatching, blending, rendering, squiggly lines and cross contour lines (please scan your sketches and upload them to your blog)
• Watch the prescribed Adobe Illustrator video on LinkedIn and complete the exercise files
• Find a poem that inspires you. Follow the exercise in the lesson above and illustrate your poem.

PRINTMAKING TERMS

Wood engraving.

It uses wood, where the image is carved out of a piece of hardwood. The artist then puts ink on it and creates prints pressing it on the print material, such as paper, either by hand or a press.

Linocut. The image is cut out of soft linoleum. The artist then puts ink on it and creates prints pressing it on the print material, such as paper, either by hand or a press.

Drypoint. The image is scratched out of a soft metal plate, before being inked up and printed off on a press. 

Etching. Wax is applied to a stiff metal plate. It is often burned on that side of the plate. Some of the wax then gets scratched away to form an image or design. The metal plate is placed into an acid bath to eat away at the exposed metal. The plate is inked up (pushing ink into the grooves) before being printed off on a press.

Engraving. A line is cut into the metal plate, inked up, and printed off. (Bank notes are produced in this way).

Lithography. Wax is applied onto stone tablets. The tablets are inked up (the ink will not stay on the wax, so it creates a “negative drawing”), and a drum is rolled across the tablet before transferring the ink (and therefore the image) to paper.

Screen-printing. Masks are made up (these masks prevent the ink from reaching certain areas of the paper) before coloured inks are pushed through a fine silk screen using a rubber squeegee, past the masks, and onto the paper. 

Monoprinting. Ink is drawn on to a plate of glass and printed off without need for a press.

Digital printing. Digital printing technology is used in innovative ways to produce limited edition, digital fine-art prints.

SKETCHING

ILLUSTRATE A POEM

A poem that I love and has been inspired by is Inger Hagerup’s poem “The ant” (“Mauren” on Norwegian) It says so much and I think everyone should read this and get inspired. The illustration is made with pentool, and gradients to get the lighting effects, and the shadow from the ant is placed and distorted with perspective tool. Hope you like it.