Skip to Content

Join The KinderArt Club, for Premium Art Lesson Plans.

Lithography Printing Process

Lithography Printing Process
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

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 prepares the ink.

Geoff rolls up the ink while Andrea keeps the limestone wet.

Geoff rolls up the ink while Andrea keeps the limestone wet.

Geoff rolls the ink on the limestone.

Geoff rolls the ink on the limestone.

The paper is placed on the limestone.

The paper is placed on the limestone.

Geoff runs the limestone and paper through the press.

Geoff runs the limestone and paper through the press.

After the limestone is run through the press with paper, the paper is removed.

After the limestone is run through the press with paper, the paper is removed.

The finished print!

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…


Join Our Club

You are currently on the KinderArt.com site which features lots of free art activity ideas for kids (I hope you are enjoying them!) HOWEVER, if you are looking for more detailed art lesson plans, drawing lessons, printables, sketchbook starters (and more) provided monthly, you will LOVE The KinderArt Club - a membership portal designed for parents, homeschoolers, classroom art teachers and studio instructors.

Inside the club you will find hundreds of printable PDF art lessons designed to work in small or large group settings, with a range of ages (from 5 to 12 years).

Get creative teaching kids at home, instructing students in a classroom, leading workshops in a studio, or sharing online, as you explore artists, art periods, science, nature, history, cultures and themes, with creativity and flexibility in mind.

Join us today at: TheKinderArtClub.com



Sign up for our Newsletter