Experiments In Relief Print Making

This is a facsimile edition of the first book to document and explore nontraditional "pressure printing" techniques for creating multicolor shading in relief printing of wood engravings and linoleum blocks. The author shows the process for applying shaped backing layers behind the paper to be printed, in order to create a unique artistic effect. "Several of the methods described require but one engraved block for producing prints in any number of colors, while the traditional method requires a separate engraved block for each color used, and in another method the engraved block is not necessary at all for making prints in many colors," the author writes. Experiments in Relief Print Making, by Charles Smith, was originally published in 1954 by the University of Virginia Press in a limited edition of 300 copies. It features six images printed by letterpress in multiple colors from hand-cut plates and the artist's original make-ready layers. Each color print is accompanied by reproductions showing separations of the individual color layers in isolation. For the facsimile edition all of the finished images and layers are displayed at their full original size, using high resolution scans from the limited edition 1954 book. "The term 'direct impression' as used here means that the block has been engraved and color transferred directly from the engraved block to the printing paper. The make-ready or indirect impression is different in that pressure is applied to the reverse side of the paper causing the image to offset from a block to the printing paper. This impression is never as sharp and clear as the direct impressions. Usually a combination of the two will produce softness and sharpness, although either may be used separately for certain desirable effects."

The best and most complete guide to every aspect of relief printmaking for beginners, students, and professionals, this practical guide provides clear, step-by-step illustrated instructions and is the first to include a comprehensive and detailed treatment of linocutting. Over 450 photos and artworks.

Illustrated with the work of international artists, this technical guide to modern printmaking offers practitioners and printmaking students an insight into both the traditional and progressive modes of practise currently employed, and reflects the demands of new health and safety requirements.

Here is a straightforward, comprehensive reference on the art of color printmaking created by Krishna Reddy, one of the world's greatest and most innovative printmakers. This book doesn't expect the reader to know a lot, but at the same time, it doesn't omit any technical detail. There are complete formulas, lists of materials and equipment, and step-by-step instructions documented by photos. An outstanding innovator and experimenter, Krishna Reddy sees the plate as a sculpted surface, and intaglio printing as a three-dimensional process. Reddy creates a philosophy for working the image. By varying ink viscosity and roller density, he has achieved colors of extraordinary complexity on the plate. Reddy's discovery of the principle of color viscosity has greatly simplified technical processes while at the same time increasing the expressiveness and intensity of the image. This book demonstrates the intimate connection of the artist with his materials. Krishna Reddy's artistic genius brought him universal acclaim: fifty one-man exhibitions have been mounted not only in the U.S. and Europe, but also in Montreal, Bombay, Melbourne, New Delhi, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and Beijing. He serves on numerous award juries, ranging from the Society of American Graphic Artists to the Lalit Kala Akademi of India. But it is not his artistic prowess alone that uniquely qualified Krishna Reddy to write a book on printmaking. He is also a consummate teacher: "He can initiate people to an entirely different field of expression," observes a collaborator at Paris' famed Atelier 17, which Reddy directed for more than 10 years. Today he directs the Graphics Program at New York University.

This anthology, the first of its kind, presents thirty-two texts on contemporary prints and printmaking written from the mid-1980s to the present by authors from across the world. The texts range from history and criticism to creative writing. More than a general survey, they provide a critical topography of artistic printmaking during the period. The book is directed at an audience of international stakeholders in the field of contemporary print, printmaking and printmedia, including art students, practising artists, museum curators, critics, educationalists, print publishers and print scholars. It expands debate in the field and will act as a starting point for further research.