Any printmakers out there? Please introduce yoruself

Brad Buchel

....welcome to the Printmakers Forum....

Please introduce yourself, or ask a question to help get this forum started.
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marking · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Melbourne

Hi all,
would love to hear from any other printmakers. I studied visual arts at Latrobe Uni Bendigo where I majored in Printmaking, spending my tird year being very obsessive about lithography in particular. After leaving uni I travelled and got swept away by general life things but did very little printmaking because of lack of knowledge of where I was able to print.

However... for ayone who is interested. I just completed a three day lithograph course at the APW in Melbourne in Gertrude street. You can only cover so much in three days but I highly recommend it o anyone who wants to do it, they also have courses in etching and mono prints etc. Everyone should check it out.
Once you feel confident they also hire out the presses for 20 - 22 dollars a day which is pretty resonable. I am not sure of the criteria for hiring them but definatley worth a look.
Anyone else out there who likes lithography?? I really like the process but if anyone ust likes the quality of a lithograph would love to hear from you.

And also.... there is a really great exhibition on at the moment at Australian Gallery in smith street in melbourne. Sorry names have sliped out of my mind but you will find it in the art almanac its really great. Just makes me want to go and etch!!

Brad Buchel · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 9:03 pm Post subject: Re: for love of litho!

Liza Paizis · Joined: 27 Jul 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Katoomba, NSW

Hi there-

I'm a part-time printmaker and full-time visual artist doing other stuff.
i did some etching courses in London, but have really got to grips with this wonderful medium here in Australia. I have done 2 courses at the National Art School , Paddington, Sydney, which have both been really proffessional and resulted in a large body of work which is selling quite well for me. One of the courses was Solar plate etching using a light source to etch into special plates with really interesting results.
It's a fairly new non-toxic form of etching, but I found it really suited my expressive style.
So i just wanted to let anyone know who may be interested in courses that these were good. Thanks!

Ricardo · Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 826 Location: Blue Mountains

Hello Liza
Welcome, should catch up some time, hope you are well.

conway · Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 37 Location: Townsville

Hello all,

I have recently started changing my art to include woodblock and linocut print making. I find it very satisfying for I love the harsh distinction between the outlines and stark colour.

My first (and, as yet, only) woodblock was quite large. I used a smooth pine board for convenience knowing that it was probably not the best choice... but I wanted something easy to experiment with. The grain was a nightmare, but I entered the final product (a thumbnail appears at left) and it won the local art competition.

So, here's my question to any woodblock printers out there... what's the best wood to use that's readily available in Australia.

Cheers
Conway

inkstorm · Joined: 19 Nov 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Murray River Region

Hi, I'm relatively new to printmaking, but am spending most of my spare time (artistically speaking) absorbed in the process. I am doing a lot of lino cuts at the moment.
I have an Ex Libris bookplate to do in the coming month and was hoping to design a few Christmas cards, but we'll see how that goes in this Crazy Time coming up to Chrissie.
I have a "normal" job in a hardware store (good for getting cheap supplies) which will be keeping me busy till the new year.
I have only ever sold one pastel painting, and have never put my prints up for sale, although I have just participated in my first exchange of prints with other artists. I hope to become proficient enough with printmaking to be justified in buying an etching press.
Well, thats my bit, hopefully I'll get to know a whole lot of you soon. Smile

conway · Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 37 Location: Townsville

G'day Inkstorm,

Good luck. I remember doing linocuts at school, but now that I am doing them for fun, I am enjoying them immensely.

My woodblock prints are hard work and getting good wood is hard and can be expensive.

Make sure you post some of your work. I'd love to see it.

Cheers
Conway

inkstorm · Joined: 19 Nov 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Murray River Region

Thanks Conway. They are heaps of fun. Developing technique and getting better is a challenge. I can definately say I've learnt a lot in the past few months.

I'm finishing up a lino cut of Lake Mulwala in Yarrawonga at the moment. It may take a while to finish, cause I have to work fairly solidly for the next 6 days.

I will be sure to post some stuff soon.

Ricardo · Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 826 Location: Blue Mountains

Hi Everyone
I do alittle printmaking from time to time, it is a great area to work in and even bring other artwork into another expression.

CarolH

Hi - I just joined the Forum. I am a monoprint artist who used to paint watercolours before I discovered monoprint. I mainly paint with watercolour on plexi-glass plates - there's a high degree of serendipity using this medium on a sanded acrylic plate. I also use styrene acetate for plates. Buy a big sheet of it at an art store for $24 and cut it to whatever sizes I want. I also use printing inks of course and I love the density of colour they give me, but I often got frustrated with how fast they dried when I was doing a reductive (subtraction) print. However I was recently introduced to a water-based, non-toxic (I think!) organic printing ink. It's the texture of thick face cream/hand cream and gives you much the same result as the quicker drying traditional printing inks in the tins. You don't need to condition it much before use and it doesn't dry so you can take as long as you like to work on your image. Also, you can save your clean left-overs (wrapped in wax lunch wrap). They also make a liquid version which is great for painting directly onto a plate as though it was liquid acrylic. Unfortunately I doubt they are available in Australia, but here's the link in case someone would like to check them out -
http://www.waterbasedinks.net/

I am from Canberra, but we have lived in Montreal for 10 years. Within weeks of our arrival I discovered a fine arts studio literally around the corner and I have been taking courses there ever since. Most of the staff have Masters Degrees in Fine Arts and these classes cater for more advanced artists - even if they are advertised for beginners, they do not teach "how to" techniques, generally. I keep going because it forces me to paint and it's been wonderful to try different techniques. Montreal is a mecca for every facet of the arts so you can see and learn anything you want here, with tuition at a professional level. Art galleries are everywhere. It's been fantastic to live here and enjoy what this city has to offer. You need a paid-up credit card to visit art stores. There's just too much to tempt you. Here's a link to the Visual Arts Centre where I go - take a look at the fine arts courses they offer if you are interested (they have Applied Arts too on the Home page) -

http://www.visualartscentre.ca/e_school_courses1.html

For all you printmakers other than monoprint, there is a Quebec Government sponsored print centre called L'Atelier Circulaire. It has resident artists who pay a ridiculous amount like $40 a week and have unlimited use of a factory-size floor jam packed with professional equipment - HUGE presses, acid etching baths - you name it, it's there. The wheel on the press they use for monoprint was about 5 feet in diameter! They made the press and they sell them for $11,000!!!! I have tried to find a picture of the printing floor (which I have somewhere) but no luck. I have toured the place as the current artist running the monoprint course at Visual Arts works in the office there and also has access to all the equipment. She just had an exhibition at the McClure Gallery at the Visual Arts Centre. While searching for a link to the Atelier, I came across this article. Lynne Bastien was the printmaker who introduced me to monoprint and I will be forever in her debt. We became friends (she thinks I'm talented!!!). Maria Chronopoulos is presently running the course (she's the one who works at L'Atelier Circulaire). I don't know if you are interested, but here's the link - it gives you some idea how important art is treated here
http://ctr.concordia.ca/2002-03/Feb_13/19-printmaking/index.shtml

This is the Atelier site, but it's in French (typical Quebec - they haven't got around to the English and probably never will). For a printmaker, this place is to die for!
http://www.colba.net/~atelcirc/

Go into the Francais version and look at the courses you can take there -
Cours et ateliers. I think you will recognise the terms OK.

There are probably hundreds of other art schools run privately by artists and local government. These are just two that I've become familiar with. I'd love to do the Chine Colle course at the Atelier but I know the artist in residence will conduct the course in French (I've spent my time studying art rather than learning the language, if you know what I mean). I can, and do, do chine colle but there's always something different to learn from the experts. I'll probably spend a small fortune at the Japan Paper Shop before I leave here. It's the most amazing place and they sell the most gorgeous paper (that's all they sell). They are experts and know exactly what paper to sell you for what you want to use it for. It's expensive though. They sell a sample set for printmaking so you can try their range.

Sadly we will be returning to Australia this year. I guess I'll find some kindred printing souls on my return to Canberra. It's a bit far to travel to Sydney or Melbourne. But I have a daughter staying here (she's part way through her degree at Concordia) so perhaps I'll come back for 3 months now and then so I can do a semester at the arts centre.

I'm very excited today though because I am ordering my own printing press to take back home with me. I'm buying a superceded model of a Richeson Large Italian press (with stand and blanket) for the incredible price of $800US. It has a 39.5 x 20.58 inch steel press bed. Unbelievable value. It will cost me a mere $200 more to get it delivered into my basement. My husband wanted me to wait and buy one in Australia!!!!!!! Can you imagine? I looked on the internet and couldn't find a price for any I found listed in Australia.

Well, that's my story. I've bored you long enough! The forum for printmakers isn't exactly buzzing but I'd love to know if anyone else does monoprint. And of course I'm happy to answer questions if anyone has any.

By the way - Conway, looks like we share the same home town! I spent 2 weeks on the Island this past June and another week in town. I saw your picture and didn't need to look where you come from!!! There's no mistaking that hill. I love your print.

I would load one of my own prints in, but I can't see how to do it. Can anyone help me with this?

Ricardo · Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 826 Location: Blue Mountains

Hello CarolH, welcome to the forum.

here's how to post an image: by Biki

go to Image Shack
http://imageshack.us/

- browse to find your image
- "host it"
- then copy the very bottom choice
- nip back here
- click the IMG button/paste/click the IMG button again.

hope this helps

velvet · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 1655 Location: Hunter Valley

Oh Carol, you make me want to run away to Montreal.

Welcome to artforum.

jet_james · Joined: 30 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 Location: Capricorn Coast

Hi ,

I'm into printmaking, I want to further it by buying a printing press , so i can keep pumping out the work Smile

My work is at this site. http://jetjames.deviantart.com/

regards

jet

chamellieon · Joined: 30 Jan 2008 Posts: 7 Location: Brisbane

Hi there,

well i can see its a while since anyone's posted in there.

I'm mel, and im a mad fan of Linocut/Eraser cut printmaking, anything relief i guess... I enter competitions with my prints, mostly of which are small in size nowadays due to limited studio space.