Relief Print

Relief printing is pretty much like creating a big stamp. To create a relief print you first must select a surface you will be printing from (also known as a plate or block). This could include wood, linoleum, rubber, metal or even potatoes. You then begin to carve out the areas that you do not want to be printed. This creates an uneven edge to shapes that can range from being slightly wobbly to extremely jagged. Once the carving is finished, ink is rolled with a brayer unto the surface of the areas that remain uncarved. The image is now transferred by placing paper on the surface and applying pressure. Several of the limitations of this process are the inability to print different values or colors from the same block. To print separate colors, separate blocks need to be carved. Care needs to be used when lining up these separate colors with each other in the completed image. This process of lining up is called registration. These limitations and the difficulty of registration give relief printing a unique look. Several artists that have used relief printing include: Dirk Hagner, Jim Flora, and M.C. Escher.