Guest Franz Spohn, a print artist, demonstrates intaglio printing, a printmaking method where the lines of the design are lower than the surface of the plate from which the print is made. Engraving tools (in Franz's demonstration, a craft knife) and/or acid are used to create lines in the surface of the plate, which is usually metal. Franz demonstrates printing using foam blocks and non-toxic, water-based inks. He describes several of the materials he's brought and describes their uses.
Franz's Printing Process: - He creates a base out of mat board, in which his foam block fits snugly.
- The base has two posts on it that fit through corresponding holes in the paper on which he prints. The posts and holes allow him to print in the same spot on the paper no matter how many times he stamps it.
- He uses a craft knife to create a design on an adhesive-backed foam block that fits perfectly on top of the foam block in his base.
- Using an ink roller, he lightly but thoroughly coats the foam block.
- Aligning the holes in the paper with the posts in his base, he places a piece of paper over the foam block and transfers the ink from the block onto the paper by rubbing a brayer over the back of the paper.
- He removes the paper from the block, and his print is complete.
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