SELF-GUIDED TOUR

PRINTMAKING TOUR

IDWA I Stanley Museum of Art

This tour highlights a selection of printmaking techniques instead of
specific artworks. Due to their light sensitivity, we rotate works on paper
every few months. While you may not see all examples from this guide
up in our galleries, we encourage you to explore the prints we do have
on display and apply what you learn.

Printmaking is a unique medium, allowing an artist to create up to

thousands of copies of the same image. Historically, printmaking
allowed skilled artists to sell their work to a wider audience, rather
than only to the wealthy. Through printmaking, art and information
spread more quickly and diversely, and different techniques helped
communicate different ideas and emotions.

How to use this guide

This tour is a starting point for visitors interested in learning about
printmaking methods and their histories. It explores six printmaking
techniques, discusses the process and tools used to create each
print, and provides examples through which to compare or contrast
the techniques. With each technique, this tour includes a prompt to
encourage reflection and discussion with friends and family. Lastly, we
want to hear from you! Write about your reactions or draw a print you
would like to make and share with us.

This self-guided tour was developed by Annelies Knight (BA Art History 2025),
Campus Engagement Coordinator. Annelies's area of interest in her studies is the
transition from Medieval to Renaissance art in Early Modern central Europe, so she
wanted to create a tour that focused on making the conversations around prints and
printmaking more accessible to museum audiences.
PRINTMAKING Glossary
MATRIX
The plate, block, or material that ink is applied to in order to make a
print. Examples include wood, limestone slabs, linoleum, and various
metals.

RELIEF
A method of printmaking in
which the matrix is carved
into, and ink sits on the raised .......................................
sections.

INTAGLIO
A method of printmaking in
which the matrix is carved into,
and ink sits in those carved out
areas.

PLANOGRAPHIC
A method of printmaking in
which ink is applied directly to
the matrix without carving. In
some cases, there is something
to make the ink stick to specific
areas of the matrix; in others
- ......,. """' ... .,,.,.

the ink is drawn on with no

fixative.
Blue Bird from Twelve Prints by Contemporary
American Artists
1919
Wood Engraving on paper
Gift of Alan January, 2024.22
Rockwell Kent
American, 1882-1971

TECHNIQUE 1 wood engraving &woodcut

TYPE OF PRINT: Relief
PLATE MATERIAL: Wood

Woodcut printing originated in China in the 5th century and became popular in
the 15th century throughout central Europe. Both woodcut and wood engraving
are relief print techniques. They involve the artist carving into the wood, cutting
away areas that aren't a part of the design, and leaving behind a raised image.
Ink is then applied, sticking only to the raised image, and transferred to paper.
The main difference between the woodcut and wood engraving processes is the
wood itself: woodcut is done on wood planks (wood cut with the grain), while
wood engraving is done on end-grain wood (wood cut against the grain) .

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QUESTIONS
Woodcut and wood engraving are very similar printmaking methods. Looking at the
examples of these techniques in this guide, and any other examples you may find in
the galleries, can you see any visual differences between the prints? Why might an
artist use the woodcut technique instead of the wood engraving technique, or vice
versa?
 Sovereign
1970
Etching
Gift of Kohler Foundation, Inc., 2022.47
Barbara Rossi
American, 1940-2023

TECHNIQUE 2 Etching
TYPE OF PRINT: Intaglio
PLATE MATERIAL: Iron, copper, or zinc

Etching is an intaglio technique with roots in armor decoration that was

adopted in the early 1500s by printmakers in southern Germany. To prepare the
matrix, a metal plate is covered with a layer of "ground" made of wax or varnish.
The artist carves into this layer, scraping away the ground to create their image.
The plate is then submerged into acid, which eats away at the exposed metal,
leaving valleys for ink to fill. Ink is rolled on the plate, then the printmaker wipes
the plate to remove excess ink. The plate is finally covered by a damp sheet of
paper and rolled through a printing press. This process results in a print with a
sketch-like quality.

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QUESTIONS
Think about the techniques discussed so far. woodcut, wood engraving and
etching. What do you think would be easier-carving into wood, or drawing into
ground on a plate? Why might an artist choose to do one over the other?
Harrowing of Hell or Christ in Limbo from The Engraved Passion
1512, published in 1513
Engraving
Gift of Owen and Leone Elliott, 1967.442
Albrecht DUrer
German, 1471-1 528

TECHNIQUE 3 Engraving
TYPE OF PRINT: Intaglio
PLATE MATERIAL: Copper or zinc

Engraving is an intaglio technique, originating in Germany and northern Italy

in the mid-1400s, that was popularized by prominent Italian painters of the
century. The matrix, a metal plate, is first polished to ensure a smooth surface.
The printmaker then carves into the matrix, cutting their image directly into the
plate. Once the image is carved, the matrix is inked; the ink will sit in the carved
image and excess ink is wiped off. The matrix is pressed onto paper, revealing
the final print.

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QUESTIONS
Both engraving and etching are intaglio techniques, but an engraving may
make crisper lines, while an etching may look more sketched. What images or
emotions might you want to make or convey with engraving, and which might
you want to convey with etching?
 Margot Wearing a Large Bonnet, Seated in an Armchair
1904
Drypoint on Japan paper
Gift of Owen and Leone Elliott, 1966.4
Mary Cassatt
American, 1844-1926

TECHNIQUE 4 Drypoint
TYPE OF PRINT: Intaglio
PLATE MATERIAL: copper or zinc

Drypoint is an intaglio technique that emerged in the 15th century and is

produced by an artist carving directly into a metal plate to make an image. This
carving creates a "burr;' or a buildup of metal ridges alongside the carved lines.
These burrs trap more ink, giving drypoint prints a soft or blurred effect. To
create darker, more feathered lines, the artist can carve deeper and hold their
tool at an angle closer to the plate to create more of a burr. After ink is applied
and the excess ink is wiped off, a damp sheet of paper is set on top, and the
print is run through a printing press. The matrix can only produce a few prints
through this process, as the burr wears down quickly.

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QUESTIONS
Drypoint produces softer or blurrier lines than traditional engraving . When a'?!'
artist is trying to show different moods or emotions, when might they want to
use drypoint? When might they want to use traditional engraving?
 Natiurmort I (Still Life I)
1986
Mezzotint
The Alden Lowell Doud Collection, 2014.248
Konstantin Chmutin
Ru ssian, 1953-

TECHNIQUE 5 Mezzotint
TYPE OF PRINT: Intaglio
PLATE MATERIAL: copper

Mezzotint is an intaglio technique created in 17th century Amsterdam that

became very popular among English printmakers. Mezzotint's defining
characteristic is its seamless gradations from light to dark. These gradations
are achieved with a rocker tool, in a process that takes hours (or days) to create
an all-over burr on the matrix surface. After the burr is built up, the artist will
then go through and smooth out various areas; the smoother an area, the lighter
it will appear, as less ink will stick to it. As with drypoint, only a few prints can be
made from each matrix, as the burr wears down quickly.

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QUESTIONS
While mezzotint print plates can only be used a few times, lithograph blocks can
be used almost indefinitely. If you were to make a print, would you want to be
able to make many copies of your print or only a few? Why?
 The Offering
1930
Lithograph on Rives BFK
Gift of Wayman Adams, 1933.3
Wayman Adams
American, 1883-1959

TECHNIQUE 6 Lithography
TYPE OF PRINT: Planographic
PLATE MATERIAL: Stone, zinc, or aluminum

Discovered in 1789, lithography is a planographic printing process that makes

use of the water-repellent nature of grease. To make a print, the artist first draws
an image using a grease pencil onto the matrix. This image is then secured to
the matrix using chemicals, and water is applied. Because the greasy image
is water-repellent, the image remains dry while the matrix around it gets wet.
Oil-based ink is then applied, and, because it is also water-repellant, sticks
only to the image and not the damp matrix around it. Unlike other techniques,
thousands of prints can be made from one lithographic matrix, especially when
using the more expensive limestone slabs.

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QUESTIONS
When comparing lithography to other techniques, what kinds of images do you
think would benefit from being lithographs? What kinds of images would you
make using a different technique instead? Why?
Share with us
In this tour, we explored the origins, process, and
characteristics of various printmaking techniques.

• How do artists use different techniques to achieve

different effects?

• What processes do you see artists using in combination

to create a print?

• What surprised you about the print making processes?

• What other art processes would you like to learn more

about?

WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

On the next page, write about or draw your reflections from

the questions above and any other responses you have to
this tour.

Tear off this page to give to the gallery hosts at the

Welcome Desk or snap a photo of your response and share
it with us on Instagram @uistanleymuseum or by email at
stanley-museum@[Link].
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HENRY
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IDW I StanleyMuseumofArt 2025.1