Printmaking Vocabulary

A term used by artists that describes the action used to create a copy of the originally designed print.

• pull
• ink brayers
• bench hook
• matrix

A generic term for printmaking where raised surfaces are inked and printed; non-image areas have been cut away so that they will not print.

• proofs
• woodcut
• monoprint
• relief

Safety accessory used to provide a stop for the matrix and a safe place for fingers; carving is accomplished by pushing away from the body.

• spoon
• bench hook
• carving tools
• ink tray

A kitchen utensil that is used to rub paper against an inked matrix to lift the image from the matrix.

• monoprint
• bench hook
• spoon
• intaglio

The first pulls of a print to see if the product meets the artist's standards.

• brayers
• ink trays
• proofs
• intaglio

Special substances in tubes or jars of the type that will roll onto a surface forming static, tacky sounds.

• printing ink
• acrylic paint
• oil paint
• watercolor

A printmaking method in which you add water soluble materials to a prepared plate in a way that creates an image to print.

• additive
• subtractive
• baren
• printmaking

An assortment of cutters that make different shaped grooves in all matrixes of relief printing.

• ink tray
• intaglio
• carving tools
• spoon

Words referring to the condition of ink when it is ready to be rolled onto a plate.

• beady, crackling, staticky, tacky
• slippery, thick
• slimy, smooth
• moist, glossy

A French artist famous for his paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings; his prints are widely studied because they are in the subtractive style.

• Edgar Degas
• Henri Matisse
• Pablo Picasso
• Leonardo da Vinci