This pages shows photographs of the lithography printing process.
By Andrea Mulder-Slater
This print, called “Swamp” is the result of a season’s worth of sketching and painting. The 55 1/2 cm by 80 1/2 cm prints were pulled from a 400lb slab of Bavarian limestone using a revised etching and printing method.
Printing was executed using roll-up ink in order to achieve a far more sensitive and detailed image.
Remember, lithography is the art of printing from a flat stone (limestone) or metal plate by a method based on the simple fact that grease attracts grease as it repels water.
A design or image is drawn on the surface (in this case, a piece of limestone) with a greasy material – grease crayon, pencil or ink – and then water and printing ink are applied. The greasy parts absorb the ink and the wet parts do not.
(For an brief overview of lithography, visit » What is Printmaking)
Geoff prepares the ink.
Geoff rolls up the ink while Andrea keeps the limestone wet.
Geoff rolls the ink on the limestone.
The paper is placed on the limestone.
Geoff runs the limestone and paper through the press.
After the limestone is run through the press with paper, the paper is removed.
The finished print!
Photographs by Tamara Benoit [Tamara is the print shop technician at the Georgian College School of Design and Visual Arts]
This video shows the lithography (litho) process beautifully…
