Commerce

Original Prints – Hand printed from plates created by the Artist. Colors are then printed one at a time by or under the direction of the artist. The prints are signed by the artist and numbered. The plates are then destroyed or defaced. Signed and Numbered – Authenticated with the artist’s signature, the total number of impressions in the edition, and the order in which the impressions are signed; “5/75” indicates that the print is the fifth signed of an edition of 75 impressions. – At one time when the printing process was not as developed as it is today. The artist would need to review the first print that came out of the printing press for quality and likeness to the original. Any differences would be hand touched by the artist. The printer would adjust the printing of plate to match the artist changes. A print outside of the numbered series, usually 1/10 of the edition. Publishers Proof – This series was sometimes given to the printer or the patron of the orignal art for services provided. A print outside of the numbered series, usually 1/10 of the edition. Hor De Commerce (H.C.) – (pron. OR de com-AIRCE) – A designation for prints not in the numbered series pulled for the use of the publisher, normally limited to five or six. Reproduction Print – Printed from plates produced by the process of offset lithography. Photomechanical Offset Printing – A process in which an image is transferred to a printing plate photographically and then onto a roller which prints on paper. An offset print is not a graphic. Relief – A technique in which the portions of a plate intended to print are raised above the surface, as woodcut, linocut, etc. Intaglio (pron. in-TAHL-yo) – Any technique in which an image is incised below the surface of the plate, including dry point, etching, aquatint, engraving, and mezzotint. Serigraph (screenprinting, silkscreen) – A stenciling method in which the image is transferred to paper by forcing ink or paint through a fine mesh in which the background has been blocked. Planography – Any process of printing from a surface level with the plate, as lithography. Aquatint – An intaglio method in which areas of color are made by dusting powdered resin on a metal plate and then letting acid eat the plate surface away from around it. Bon-a-tirer – (pron. bone-ah-ti-RAY) – The first impression of a print run acceptable to the artist and used as the standard with which each subsequent impression is compared. Dry Point – An intaglio technique like engraving in which the image is drawn on a metal plate with a needle, raising a ridge which prints a soft line. Engraving – An intaglio process in which lines are cut into a metal plate and then filled with ink to transfer the image onto paper. Embossed Print – Uninked relief print in which dampened paper is pressed into recessed areas of a plate, producing a three-dimensional impression. Etching – An intaglio process in which an image is scratched through an acid-resistant coating on a metal plate. The plate is then dipped in acid which eats into the exposed surface. Linocut – A process in which an image is cut in relief on a linoleum block. Lithograph – A planographic process in which images are drawn with crayon or a greasy ink on stone or metal and then transferred to paper. Mezzotint – An intaglio process in which the plate surface is roughened and then an image is created by smoothing the areas to be printed. Monotype – A unique print made from an inked, painted glass or metal plate. General Art Terms: Acrylic – A plastic used as a medium for pigments in painting or as a casting material in sculpture. Applique (pron. ap-li-KAY) – A cut-out attached to a background. Aquarelle (pron. ak-we-RELL) – Transparent watercolor. Assemblage – Sculpture formed by joining individual pieces, sometimes “found objects.” Bas-Relief (pron. BAH relief) – Sculpture in which the figure projects only slightly from the background. Diptych (pron. DIP-tick) – A two-part painting, often of attached panels. A triptych is composed of three parts, a tetraptych four, etc. Gouache – Watercolor to which an opaque white has been added. Graphic – Any work printed directly on paper from a plate or block. Haute Relief – High sculptural relief in which figures project from a background at least half their real depth. Impasto – Thick application of paint creating a textured surface. Mixed Media – The use of different materials in the same work. Pastel – A soft chalk made of pigments, water and a binder, blended into a stiff paste and dried.