Relief - Press Gang Printmakers

RELIEF PRINTING

Relief: If at school you ever made a potato print you have made a relief print. The image is drawn on a block and sharp tools are used to cut away areas of the block where no ink is required.  The remaining raised areas are inked up with a roller and then paper placed over the inked block. The image is transferred by rubbing the paper with a barren or the back of a spoon, or by using a printing press.  Complex images can be achieved by printing from multiple blocks inked up in different colours.
Relief techniques include linocut, woodcut and wood engraving.