Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2. Anna Ursyn, “Birds,” etching (© 1982,
A. Ursyn. Used with permission)
first letter of the topic's chapter. Fine penmanship
was valued before the advent of typewriters and
then computers, and so calligraphy was a required
subject in schools. At present calligraphy is used
for embellishing event invitations, announcements,
memorial documents, and as a part of logo and
other documents design on paper and on the web.
In the past people developed calligraphic characters
and fonts looking at nature; visual context had been
gradually changing. Characters transpired emo-
tions, which caused visual impact; characters be-
came later more complicated and more abstract.
For over thousand years emperors were establish-
ing criteria and setting standards. People now make
the best of their talents in calligraphy art working
in several styles coming from ancient times and
sharing online their experiences.
Printmaking techniques,
described below,
include relief (which produces inverted images),
intaglio (involving metal-related techniques of
engraving, etching, or stippling, as well as ap-
plying acid on glass), planographic printing such
as lithography or photolithography, and stencil
(silkscreen and serigraphy):
Drawing by scratching with an etching needle
means not only creating an illustration but
also selectively dissolving the surface of a
printed circuit or a semiconductor, using
a solvent, laser, or a stream of electrons.
For example, precise etching of electronic
materials, such as high electron mobility
transistors, can be achieved with a two-step
digital etch technique (consisting of an argon
exposure followed by a surface treatment
with boiling potassium hydroxide) (Keogh
et al., 2006).
Figure 2, “Birds” was created before the
emergence of fascination with the collec-
tive behavior of natural and artificial self-
organized systems such as flock of birds, ant
or bee colonies, or schools of fish:
•
Woodcut:
A relief printmaking technique;
the non-printing parts of an image are
carved into the surface and then removed
with a knife, chisel, and gouge (a chisel with
concave blade), while the original, raised
surface level is covered with ink by using a
brayer, an ink-covered roller. A sheet of pa-
per placed on the block and pressed to print
the image. When separate blocks of wood
are used for different colors, a woodcut can
be printed as multicolored. Illustrators cre-
•
Engravings:
Attained by cutting grooves
into a hard surface (such as silver, gold,
steel, or glass and plexiglass) to incise a
design. An engraved metal plate may re-
sult in intaglio prints as illustrations. In
the intaglio technique, the incised image,
called a matrix or a plate, holds the ink that
is transferred on paper. Image may be also
obtained by the etching, dry point, aqua-
tint, mezzotint, or collography techniques;
•
Etching:
One of the intaglio techniques,
along with engraving, drypoint, mezzotint,
and aquatint, can be achieved with the use
of chemicals (in older times it was strong
acid or mordant - an adhesive compound
for fixing a dye or stain) applied on a cov-
ered with a waxy, acid-resistant 'ground'
material, eating away the uncovered sur-
face of a metal plate.
