#Intaglio printmaker manual
#Intaglio printmaker professional

Photographic imagery acquires new depth through this intaglio process. This safe and straightforward process greatly expands the creative possibilities of intaglio, and is now used by many artists who are working with photo reproductive and digital approaches, or indeed with direct drawing techniques. Arguably, non-etch photopolymer printmaking or Intaglio Type as this medium is now called, is one of the greatest innovations in 20th century intaglio printmaking. This was the birth of the non-etch etching.

He then developed the plate in soft water, and produced printed images of stunning clarity directly from the film surface. Instead of using this to etch metal Howard simply exposed the photopolymer emulsion to a random dot screen and then to a tonal positive, which could be hand drawn or photographic. Two weeks earlier he had been introduced to an etching resist called Riston, a product from the circuit board industry. In his enthusiastic Australian manner Howard demonstrated an intaglio method which looked so alien to the usual acid etching approach that I was simply stunned. When I first met Keith Howard during a workshop in northern England, there was a real buzz among the participating group. I had just completed a program of research at the RCA in London and was invited by Edinburgh Printmakers to become their dedicated research consultant for Safe Etching.

#Intaglio printmaker professional

The EPW already had a history in nontoxic developments as they had been the first professional print studio in the UK to embrace waterbased screenprinting. Keith Howard demonstrated the potential of his nontoxic intaglio approach to the Edinburgh Printmakers staff during a workshop in 1994. In 1991 he published his first book, Safe Photo Etching for Photographers and Artists and embarked on a worldwide workshop and lecturing program to outline his innovations. After experimenting with a range of acrylic products Howard found ways to use these as etching resists for all major processes, such as hard ground, stop-out and aquatint. He started with the basic assumption that acrylics might make a suitable alternative to the solvent-based varnishes of traditional intaglio. Soon other manufacturers offered similar systems and in the following decade, waterbased screenprinting found widespread acceptance in art education. The first significant breakthrough came in the mid 80s when a Swiss manufacturer of artist paints developed a screenprinting system based entirely on waterbased acrylic materials which no longer necessitated the use of any organic solvents, whilst producing quality results. The only real option for safety conscious artist-printmakers and professional workshops was to attempt to control the various hazards by using protective equipment such as vapor masks and fume extraction systems.

The hydrocarbon solvents introduced into printmaking in the mid 19th century as general cleaning and thinning agents became a new and potent health risk. Other major forms of printmaking which were devised and developed, including fine art lithography and screenprinting, expanded the creative scope of the medium but also contributed more chemical hazards to an already extensive list. These basic ingredients were used in recipes that went unchanged until the late twentieth century. Most technical innovations in intaglio printmaking originated in the 16th and 17th centuries when Rembrandt, Goya and their contemporaries researched and established the traditional etching materials and processes from resources available to them at the time. The powerful fumes of acids, varnishes and solvents were the unfortunate by-products of this artform. Of potentially harmful materials and processes. Had an unhealthy association with a whole range Silkscreen printing, but by centering his entire artĪround the notion of the reproduced image.Īlthough fusing art and invention, until recently the art of printmaking When Goya wanted tonal richness in a print he perfected aquatint.Īndy Warhol was innovative not only by choosing a contemporary medium, When Rembrandt wanted to etch crisper lines he invented his own mordant. Has been accompanied by continuous development, Has changed very little in many centuries, the practice of printmaking Whereas a canvas and the actual practice of painting not only in technical terms but also conceptually. The history of printmaking is a history of aesthetics, invention, and perfection Printmaking involves technology and where there is technology

#Intaglio printmaker manual

| Intaglio Type | Acrylic Resist Etching | Intaglio Manual | Beginners CompendiumĪnd where there are processes there are always inventors. The forward, written by Friedhard Kiekeben, Was published by Write-Cross Press, NY, in 2003 Keith Howard's book The Contemporary Printmaker The Contemporary Printmaker CONTENT | SEARCH