Lithography is a method of print making that has been around for thousands of years. The term "lithography" comes from Ancient Greek; lithos, meaning stone, and graphein, meaning to write. This is a multistep process that requires patience and intricacy. This printing is done from a stone "plate", but new methods use plastic or metal ones as well.
This original ancient technique was done by drawing an image on a cut of limestone using wax or fat. Once the drawing is complete, the stone is treated with a mixture of acid and gum arabic. This process is called "etching". The acid mixture etches portions of the stone that are not protected by the grease image. This causes the image to "sink" into the pores of the stone. When the stone is moistened, the etched areas retain water, and an oil-based ink can be applied and stick only to the drawn areas. The inked image can then be transferred to a blank cotton fibered sheet of paper producing a print.
^^ I began my first lithograph by rendering my image in my sketch book. Once I finished my drawing, I traced the image onto a transparent sheet of paper.
^^ I taped the tracing paper on top of my limestone plate with a piece of chalk paper place in-between them. I retraced my image to transfer the chalk dust to my stone.
^^ Using a grease (fat) pencil, I traced the chalk dust which easily wipes away once I'm finished.
^^ I used a small piece of sand paper to blend the grease for a more gradient texture.
^^ My finished grease image. This is a solid slab of limestone and weighs 30 pounds.
^^ Once my grease drawing was complete, I applied a talc powder as a primer, then a liquid mixture of acid and gum arabic. I spent ten minutes "massaging" the mixture into the stone, a process called etching. This essentially makes my image a part of the stone, rather than a surface drawing. It will make the non-drawn part of the stone accept water, and the drawn part of the stone repellant to water and acceptant of the oil-based ink. Once the etching is complete, I used a cloth to wipe off the mixture and my stone is now ready to print!
^^ The paper used in oil-based ink printing is made of 100% woven cotton fibers. It is extremely soft and pliable. I prepped this paper by dipping it in water to "awaken" the fibers.
^^ Next I laid ink down on the rolling table.
^^ Leather rollers are used on limestone plates.
^^ Next, I loaded the leather roller with ink and rolled the stone until it achieved the level of darkness I wanted.
^^ Between each ink roll, I had to remoisten the stone with water to ensure that it would receive ink in the right areas.
^^ Next, I laid my water saturated paper onto my stone, laid a greased press plate on top, and rolled it through the press!
^^ And the moment of truth...
^^ It is so rewarding following through these steps that have been used for thousands of years and seeing the final product! What I find most amazing about this process is that these limestone slabs can be used hundreds of times. After I am finished printing editions of this image, I will grind the stone down using sand grit and another stone. It will then be ready to be used for another work of art!
"The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." Proverbs 28:1
This image is a drawing of The Lion of Judah, the Root of David. This is my first print of a series of four; animals featured in parables from the Bible. I'm so looking forward to the planning process of creating the next three images! More to come...
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