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  • Choosing Printmaking Paper

    Choosing Printmaking Paper

    Choosing the paper for your printmaking project can have a significant impact on the way the print turns out. Changing the colour, thickness or tex. . . 

  • Glossary of Printmaking Terminology

    Glossary of Printmaking Terminology

    Scroll through the list below to find definitions and explanations of common printmaking terms: Acid-free – refers to papers that are made with an alkaline pulp, usually with calcium carbonate added. Acids contribute to the deterioration of paper and therefore of prints. Aisuki – a rounded, bevelled chisel tool used in Japanese Woodblock Printing, often …
  • Mark Making - Using Resists

    Mark Making - Using Resists

    Using tools on your plate isn’t the only way you can create marks within an etching. You can also use resists to stop the mordant from reaching the surface of your plate. Resists can help achieve more subtle marks and washes, and they...
  • Easy Christmas Cards Six Ways

    Easy Christmas Cards Six Ways

    We’ve had a lot of fun this week working on easy, quick and fun ways to print your own Christmas cards! We’ve come up with six simple ways for you to try. Take a look at our instructions below and have a go yourself.   Bah Humbug Lino Printed Card This two-layered lino card is quick, …
  • Testing your Copper Sulphate Solution

    Testing your Copper Sulphate Solution

    When you’ve mixed a fresh batch of copper sulphate mordant, or if you have an old batch that you haven’t used for a few months, it’s good practice to test the strength of your solution. By creating some test strips for both line and tones, you’ll create yourself a reference point that you can use to help plan. . .

  • Meet the Maker: Pia Bramley

    Meet the Maker: Pia Bramley

    I’m an artist, illustrator and printmaker. Having left London after a decade of city life I now live and work in The New Forest, squeezing in drawing and printing arou. . .
  • Mark Marking - Using Etching Tools

    Mark Marking - Using Etching Tools

    When you’ve degreased and prepared your plate for etching, there are a variety of tools you can use to mark into the surface. Any marks made into the surface of the grounds will expose your plate to the mordant. When etched, these marks will...

  • Collagraph Printing

    Collagraph Printing

    Collagraphy is a really versatile printing process in which a textured plate is inked up and put through a press. Different textures hold varying amounts of ink and print different tones. Anything with a low relief texture can be stuck down and used: wallpaper, leaves, fabrics, tapes and threads etc. The collagraph plate is …
  • Prepping your Plate for Etching

    Prepping your Plate for Etching

    For a successful etch, there is a little bit of care and attention you need to give to your metal plate first. There are surface impurities and grease pockets within the metal that will need to be removed before coating your p. . .
  • Making a Copper Sulphate Mordant Solution

    Making a Copper Sulphate Mordant Solution

    Copper sulphate is a non-toxic mordant used to etch aluminium, zinc and steel plates for intaglio printmaking. Copper sulphate is a safer alternative to acids - and we always opt for safer solutions here at the Handprinted studio! Metal plates are traditionally etched using highly corrosive acids, which generate noxious gases and can cause burns if they touch your skin. Aci. . .

  • Drypoint with Aluminium Plates

    Drypoint with Aluminium Plates

    Drypoint is an intaglio printmaking method that involves scratching an image into a plate with a pointed tool. These lines create a burr that holds ink, meaning that the print reveals the drawing. Drypoint is an easy technique to get to grips with and is a great method if you would like to take your drawings into print. It’s easier than . . .

  • In the Studio 2022

    In the Studio 2022

    We have had the pleasure of hosting lots of new and exciting Fab Friday workshops and wonderful Guest Tutors in 2022, exploring a variety . . .
  • Using Mirror Card to make an Expressive Drypoint

    Using Mirror Card to make an Expressive Drypoint

    Mirror Card is a great option for intaglio plate making. It's shiny and wipeable, making it brilliant for expressive inking and sketchy designs. Peel away the surface to create dark, inky areas too. Scroll to the ...
  • Drypoint Robin Christmas Card

    Drypoint Robin Christmas Card

    This drypoint card can be traced from a photograph into a simple line drawing. A mono-printed red breast is made with a swipe of an inky thumb and will be slightly different on each card you print! This method uses a press but you can see a press-less method here. Use a piece of drypoint …
  • Drypoint with Enviromount

    Drypoint with Enviromount

    Enviromount is a brilliant paper-based drypoint surface. It can be scored with a sharp tool such as a drypoint needle, and the top surface can be peeled away. We were keen to try it out in the studio. A drypoint print is an intaglio technique in which lines are scratched into a plate, creating a … Continue reading "Drypoint with Enviromount"
  • Make Your Own Paper Fingers

    Make Your Own Paper Fingers

    When printing with intaglio methods (etching, drypoint, collagraph etc.), it’s important to print onto dampened paper. Imagine you’ve just inked up your plate, your paper is soaking in a tray of water or in a stack and it’s time to print. You wash your hands but there’s still a little inky grubbiness in your fingerprints … Continue reading "Make Your Own Paper Fingers"
  • Intaglio Printing Without a Press: Tetra Pak Collagraph

    Intaglio Printing Without a Press: Tetra Pak Collagraph

    Intaglio printmaking is a printmaking method using marks incised into a plate. Ink is worked into the recesses of the plate and is usually printed onto dampened paper through an etching press. Intaglio printmaking can create strong positive marks, interesting texture and tone – these results shouldn’t be missed out on if you don’t have … Continue reading "Printing Intaglio Without a Press: Tetra Pak Collagraph"
  • Editioning Prints

    Editioning Prints

    One of the great things about printmaking is that one design can be used to create a whole edition of prints. That being said, editioning is something that some printmakers can find frustrating if you just want to get on with the next design! Knowing how to edition, sign and number your prints can be … Continue reading "Editioning Prints"
  • Making a Carborundum Gel Plate

    Making a Carborundum Gel Plate

    Akua Carbundum Platemaking Gel is a great new product that allows you to make high contrasted, textured intaglio plates. The gel can be screen printed onto a plate and printed with Akua Intaglio Inks. Drypoint Plastic makes a perfect plate with a wipe-clean surface.   To make our own Caborundum Gel plate we used an … Continue reading "Making a Carborundum Gel Plate"
  • Tetra Pak Drypoint and Collagraph Printing

    Tetra Pak Drypoint and Collagraph Printing

    When we first heard the news that Tetra Pak cartons could be used for printmaking, we were excited to try it out. We started to collect all the cartons we had at home and got ready to put them to a new use in the studio. Here’s a little project to get started using Tetra … Continue reading "Tetra Pak Drypoint and Collagraph Printing"