Drypoint - Printing technique of intaglio engraving in which a hard, steel needle incises lines on a metal plate, creating a burr that yields a characteristically soft and velvety line in the final print.
Engraving - Printing technique in which an intaglio image is produced by cutting a metal plate or box directly with a sharp engraving tool. The incised lines are inked and printed with heavy pressure.
Etching
The "original" of each etching is a copper plate covered with a ‘ground’, a paint-like substance. The artist uses a needle tool to lightly draw the picture through the etching ground. When the drawing is complete the plate is immersed in an acid bath for a few hours to "etch" the lines. This means that the acid eats away at the copper that shows through the etching ground. When the copper has finished etching, the plate is then cleaned and all of the acid and ground is removed from the plate. Then inks are added to its surface and are worked into the needle drawing. Excess ink is then wiped off and paper is pressed onto the top of the plate. Because the ink remains only in the lines of the drawing a copy of the drawing appears on the paper and the image is ‘printed’.
Fine
Art
Art created for purely aesthetic expression, communication, or contemplation. Painting and sculpture are the best known of the
fine arts.
Lithograph
A lithograph is made by using the same principles as etching. Instead of the image being scraped away from a metal plate, the image is drawn onto a metal or stone slab with a greasy crayon. When the image is finished, water is spread over the surface and ink is applied. The lines of the greasy crayon attract the ink, whereas the wet areas repel it. Therefore, only the lines made by the crayon are visible.
1. A particular
material along with its accompanying technique; a specific type of artistic technique or means of expression determined by the use
of particular materials. 2. In paint, the fluid in which pigment is suspended, allowing it to spread and adhere to the surface.
Media
Media are the materials used to create a piece of art. The term "medium" is used when one material is used to create the artwork. If an artist uses more then one type of material then he or she is using mixed media. Artists can use more than just paint to create artwork…other media that artwork can be created from includes: - watercolour and acrylic paints - pencil crayons, charcoal, crayons, markers - paper, metal, wood, clay, sand, rocks - plastic, styrofoam, wire, glass.
Mixed Media
Works of art made with more than one medium.
Acid-Free Paper
Paper treated to neutralize its natural acidity in order to protect fine art prints from discoloration and deterioration.
Acrylic A plastic used as a medium for pigments in painting or as a casting material in sculpture
Applique
(Fr. "Applied"; pron. apli-KAY) A cutout attached to a background.
Archival quality - This term refers to the permanence and the longevity of the medium of artwork. In digital printing the paper has to be acid free, lignin free, usually with good colour retention and the ink is permanent, non-fading, high-quality ink to meet the criteria of archival quality.
Art Print
Artist proofs originally were hand picked by the artist during the printing process after the presses were re-inked. The images were usually of a higher color quality and much more vibrant and clear than those found later during the printing run. The artist was allocated about 10% of the total printing for his/her own use and these hand picked prints were signed and numbered differently than the regular edition. Today, with the quality of offset lithography being much better and more consistent, artist proofs do not usually afford the buyer any better quality print than those of a regular edition. Though the value as a collectable is greatly increased.
Autobiographical
An
artwork is autobiographical when it tells details about the artist's life
Bas-relief Sculpture in which the figure projects only slightly from the background.
Bust
A portrait or sculpture from the mid-torso or shoulders up
Canvas Transfer -
Art reproduction on canvas which is created by a process such as serigraphy, photomechanical or giclée printing. Some processes can
even recreate the texture, brush strokes and aged appearance of the original work.
Catalogue Complete descriptive listing of an artist's works.
Collage A work made by gluing pieces of paper, fabric, etc., onto a flat surface.
Certificate of Authenticity - COA
Certifies
the authenticity of an individual piece in an edition
Diptych: (pron. DIP-tick) A two part painting, often of attached panels. A triptych is composed of three parts, a tetratych four, etc.
Numbered
Open Edition Fine Art Prints
Poster - A poster is a reproduction that involves taking an original piece of art and photographing or scanning it digitally and transferring that image to paper via inks or pigments, often using a lithographic printing or inkjet process.
Print on canvas - The image is printed from a high-resolution digital file directly into the canvas using professional, 8-ink to 12-ink printer using durable pigment-based inks. The canvas' surface can be coated with emulsion after the printing if the canvas itself was not water-resistant.
Remarque
Understanding the Codes that Describe a Print Edition
Next to the description of a fine art print you
may notice something like the following:
S/N 250 A/P 12 Giclée 17 x 22 #AB1103
This means that the print is one of a Signed
and Numbered edition of 250 with an additional 12 Artists Proofs. The method of printing is Giclée. The size is 17 by 22 inches.
The catalogue number is AB1103.