This practical and inspirational book is a complete guide to creative intaglio printmaking. With clear step-by-step instructions and hundreds of illustrations, it describes methods that, while employing a strong traditional basis, avoid the use of toxic materials to achieve stunning prints the modern, safety-first way. Covering every stage of the plate-making and printing process, the book opens up creative possibilities for beginners and experienced printmakers alike. From setting up and equipping an intaglio studio, through choosing a printing method, to collating and presenting finished prints, this beautifully illustrated and comprehensive reference book is the only resource any art practitioner, educator, or student will ever need. 229 illustrations, 199 in color.

Here is a straightforward, comprehensive reference on the art of color printmaking created by Krishna Reddy, one of the world's greatest and most innovative printmakers. This book doesn't expect the reader to know a lot, but at the same time, it doesn't omit any technical detail. There are complete formulas, lists of materials and equipment, and step-by-step instructions documented by photos. An outstanding innovator and experimenter, Krishna Reddy sees the plate as a sculpted surface, and intaglio printing as a three-dimensional process. Reddy creates a philosophy for working the image. By varying ink viscosity and roller density, he has achieved colors of extraordinary complexity on the plate. Reddy's discovery of the principle of color viscosity has greatly simplified technical processes while at the same time increasing the expressiveness and intensity of the image. This book demonstrates the intimate connection of the artist with his materials. Krishna Reddy's artistic genius brought him universal acclaim: fifty one-man exhibitions have been mounted not only in the U.S. and Europe, but also in Montreal, Bombay, Melbourne, New Delhi, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and Beijing. He serves on numerous award juries, ranging from the Society of American Graphic Artists to the Lalit Kala Akademi of India. But it is not his artistic prowess alone that uniquely qualified Krishna Reddy to write a book on printmaking. He is also a consummate teacher: "He can initiate people to an entirely different field of expression," observes a collaborator at Paris' famed Atelier 17, which Reddy directed for more than 10 years. Today he directs the Graphics Program at New York University.

Detailed illustrated instruction in etching, engraving, aquatint, drypoint, mezzotint from preparing plate to mounting print. No better guide for beginners."

Polymer Photogravure: A Step-by-Step Manual Highlighting Artists and Their Creative Practice is a three-part book on the non-toxic process of making ink-on-paper intaglio prints from continuous-tone photographs using water-etched photopolymer plates. Author Clay Harmon provides clear and easy to understand instructions that will enable anyone to successfully make a photogravure print. By quantifying the sensitometric behavior of polymer plates, Harmon has developed a methodical approach which will enable a new printmaker to produce plates in their own studio with a minimum of time and wasted materials. Section One provides a straightforward guide to setting up the polymer photogravure studio. Section Two covers a step-by-step method of making the print from start to finish. Section Three showcases contemporary artists’ works, illustrating the variety and artistic breadth of contemporary polymer intaglio printmaking. The works in these pages range from monochrome to full color, and represent a variety of genres, including still lifes, portraits, nudes, landscapes, urban-scapes and more. Featuring over 30 artists and 200 full-color images, Polymer Photogravure is a most comprehensive overview of this printmaking process in print. Key topics covered include: Studio safety Equipment and supplies, evaluated from both a cost and utility point of view A brief discussion of the types of ink-based printing Aquatint screen considerations Image preparation and positive printing on inkjet printers Paper preparation A simple and efficient polymer plate calibration process that minimizes wasted time and materials A straightforward inking, wiping and printing method Advanced printing techniques such as chine collé, à la poupée, and printing on wood Troubleshooting guide to platemaking and printing problems Tips on editioning and portfolios A visual survey of the range of artistic expression practiced by contemporary artists Sources for supplies and recommended reading Polymer photogravure plates enable an artist to use an almost-infinite range of image color and papers to make a print. The finished prints are extremely archival, consisting of only ink and paper. With Harmon’s instructions, continuous tone intaglio prints are within the reach of all.

Winner of the 2005 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize "The image evoked by Intaglio, this first collection by Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis, rests on a paradox, one perhaps central to the poetic impulse itself: that design can be shaped by what is cut away, by the loss that surrounds it, so that what is missing creates the negative space which raises the figure in relief, presents it to sight, and touch. Relief: a word whose two meanings--one artistic and material, the other emotional and intangible, together suggest how art engraves meaning."--Eleanor Wilner, Judge "Intaglio is a remarkable new book by a haunting new voice. Freighted with music and beauty, even the simplest lines are memorable: 'There is this heron in a hush of lift / and my eyes are filled with it.' In the lift, there is also a lyric pressure, an inner intensity which evokes the best kind of madness: 'Let Nothing be that / which bitch-slaps the heart, / for the heart, like a hospital, / is a many-winged thing.' Kartsonis has offered up a vision both playful and painful, all of it lit with the eerie glow of her brilliance. What a lovely and terrifying offering. What an extraordinary introduction to this new poet."--Laura Kasischke "With Intaglio, Kartsonis carefully incises the sensuality of history onto the fleet attentions of the day. And onto loss, onto bereavement, she incises the incredible, now credible, luxuries of everlastingness. This is a formidable debut, lavish in its mind and loves." --Donald Revell

Comprehensive handbook covers materials and equipment, tools, printing papers, presses, and other essentials. Detailed instructions for etching, engraving, drypoint, collagraphs, tuilegraphs, and the Blake transfer method.