The production and techniques of printmaking - [3] Physical printmaking

3. Physical prints

1. Overview

A pattern of imprints that appeared on pottery in my country in the late Neolithic Age (more than 4,000 years ago) The rope pattern, blue pattern, mat pattern, linen pattern, etc. are actually the earliest "physical prints" of mankind, but they are printed on pottery instead of embossed on paper. Printmaking is the art of imprinting. These rope patterns, indigo patterns, mat patterns, and linen patterns are the art of imprinting rope, indigo, straw mats, and linen patterns on pottery.

There is probably no exact date as to when physical printmaking was accepted into the family of printmaking. But one thing is certain. It has been popular in society abroad more than half a century ago, especially in Japan, and is used in art teaching in primary and secondary schools. From a modern perspective, physical prints are an indispensable factor for the expression of modern printmaking art.

The so-called physical printmaking means that any physical object with a concave and convex texture on the plane, such as leaves, coins, tea mats, keys, etc., can be printed on paper to make prints. If the rubbing method is adopted, it is not necessarily limited to flat objects. Pattern rubbings on pottery, bronzes, etc. are one example. In recent years, some people abroad have used modern technology to harden clothes into lithographs, roll ink and press them into physical prints. Some people have also directly laid paper on the iron covers of street drains or rocks to make rubbings of prints. It is said that they have attracted many audiences. Woolen cloth. A few years ago, four young printmakers from the Central Academy of Fine Arts exhibited a huge tire and the tire marks on the paper as prints at an art exhibition, which indeed challenged the traditional concept of printmaking.

2. Production of physical prints

There are three methods of production: first, imprinting; second, grinding; third, transfer printing.

**Imprinting method: ** It is to paste flat objects (such as leaves, etc.) on a wooden board or paper plate with white glue, and then imprint it with ink on a printmaking machine, or use wood engraving Knife handles, spoons, etc. are ground into prints like paper blocks and woodcuts. If watermarking is used, attention should be paid to the water-binding properties of the actual object. Generally, metal objects are not suitable for watermarking, but watercolor rubbings can be used. Imprinting can also use the "movable plate" method. The physical object does not necessarily stick to the plate. Ink can be rolled separately and printed on the paper one after another. (Picture 234)

**Rubbing method: ** Place the printed object under the paper (thin single-sheet or leather paper is preferred), and then use colored crayons or oil pastels to mark the paper Grind the surface against the concave and convex surface of the object until the grinding effect is good (Fig. 234). This method does not avoid the disadvantages of positive and negative effects of certain physical objects (such as coins, badges and other objects with words).

Transfer printing method: When printing some physical objects with words such as school badges, in order to avoid front and back printing, the transfer printing method can be used. That is, after the physical object is inked, it is first stamped on a piece of rubber and then transferred to paper. The writing is also very clear. (Figure 236)

Figure 236 Illustration of the rubber physical transfer method

The production process of the physical print "Hurry":

Collect dry leaves of different sizes in advance and place them under the leather paper according to the design. Then use a brown oil pastel to grind out the leaf veins. Then apply watercolor on the leaves and brush the outer space of the leaves with ink (because the leaf veins are oily). , so the ink is not easy to soak into), - after it is dry, use a bicycle tire to brush it with white powder, and roll it out on the appropriate place on the painting to make car marks. This painting is done. The coins and seals were ground and stamped respectively later.

(Color Figure 233)

In addition, physical prints can also be copied using a photocopier. See Figure 235.