| You've finally bought that art print you've been | | | | crayons and pencils on porous stone or metal |
| eyeing and are looking forward to showing it off | | | | plates. An Oil-based ink is then applied to the |
| to your visitors and friends, but before you start | | | | moistened stone that adheres only to the lines |
| hanging it on the wall, you might want to spend a | | | | drawn. The plates are then pressed onto a sheet |
| minute or two to consider how these prints were | | | | of paper to produce the final print. |
| made. That piece of art that you bought is | | | | Serigraph |
| certainly not the original. It is a reproduced print | | | | Serigraphy, or screenprinting, is a stencil |
| made from the original art work. Art prints are | | | | printmaking process in which high quality paper is |
| created using different printing processes, and you | | | | placed beneath a screen (or stencil). Ink is then |
| may have come across these different terms as | | | | applied over the screen using a squeegee. The |
| you were making enquiries and shopping for your | | | | screen has certain portions cut out so that the ink |
| print. Before making your purchase, it would be | | | | can be transferred onto the paper below. This |
| helpful to know the printing process by which | | | | process is then repeated for different screens |
| your art print was made. Below is a brief | | | | and color until the final picture is complete. |
| description of some of the more common printing | | | | Screenprinting can be used on a variety of |
| methods for art prints: | | | | surfaces such as textiles, ceramics, metal, wood |
| Giclee Printpronounced as zhee-klay, it is a French | | | | and paper and is commonly used in industries |
| word which means a spray or spurt of liquid. The | | | | from clothing to product labeling. |
| name is descriptive of the way in which the print | | | | Monoprint |
| is created. A giclee is basically a digital printout of | | | | A monoprint or monotype is a printing process |
| the original art work, created from digital scans of | | | | whereby the artist paints a design onto a plate |
| the original. | | | | using a low drying ink. The image is then printed |
| Once the scan is made and the image digitally | | | | before the ink dries. One characteristic of |
| archived, a sophisticated printer then makes a | | | | monoprints, as the term "mono" implies, is that |
| high resolution printout with high quality inks. The | | | | only one unique impression can be made using this |
| printer does this using a fine stream of ink, | | | | process. That is, no two prints will ever be alike. |
| resulting in vivid, pure color with exceptional detail. | | | | Canvas Transfer |
| A giclee can be printed in various sizes and onto | | | | A canvas transfer is a process of transferring an |
| various mediums like canvas and photo paper. | | | | art work from a print onto a canvas. A special |
| An advantage of giclee printing is the high level of | | | | chemical is applied onto the art print, which when |
| accuracy and richness in color. Another advantage | | | | dried, can be separated from the paper and |
| is that it enables artists to make easy reprints of | | | | transferred onto a canvas. The canvas is then |
| their work to be sold, as and when required, or in | | | | stretched across a frame and an artist will then |
| bulk. It also avoids the heartache of selling off the | | | | apply brushstrokes to create the texture found |
| original painting. | | | | on the original art work. The end result is artwork |
| Lithograph | | | | on the canvas that looks very much like the |
| A lithograph works on the principle that water and | | | | original. |
| oil do not mix. A hand-made lithograph is a print | | | | Enjoy the art! |
| made by drawing with an oily substance such as | | | | |