Question

In relief painting, the artist outlines the image on the surface, and then cuts away the material around it. What area on the block is inked and printed?

Answer 1

In relief printing, the artist carves away material around a sketched image on a block, leaving the image area at the original level to be inked and pressed onto paper, creating prints with strong contrasts and graphic images.

Step-by-step explanation:

In relief printing, an artist sketches an image onto a block and then carves away the material surrounding the image. The area that is not carved away remains at the original surface level of the block, which is the area that gets inked. As pressure is applied through a press, this inked surface area is subsequently transferred to paper to create the print. Relief techniques, such as woodcut or linocut, are emblematic for their strong contrasts and graphic images.

Carving tools are pivotal in this process, aiding in the creation of a relief from the non-image areas that have been removed. The use of contour lines can be observed in historical woodblock prints, such as those by Albrecht Dürer, to define the shapes within the print. Relief printing creates bold and simplistic designs, making this technique distinct from other printmaking processes like dry point or planar printing.