Research Guides: Art and Design: Printmaking

Encyclopedias

The following links will take you to encyclopedias and reference manuals to help you get started on your research. Here you can find general background information, definitions, and history on many printmaking terms and concepts. Searching in an encyclopedia can also help you find a topic for a paper or project.

Online

100 Ideas That Changed Art
From the earliest cave paintings through to the internet and street art, this inspiring book chronicles the 100 most influential ideas that have shaped the world of art. Includes information on the history and impact of printmaking as one of the topics.

Visit General Art Encyclopedia for Further Art Disciplines Information

Print

Printmaking for Beginners by Jane Stobart
Call Number: CFL Floor 3 Book Stacks NE850.S625 2005

This book is a basic guide to a wide range of printmaking techniques. It covers the processes of monotype, relief, intaglio, collograph, screen and lithography, explaining basic methods and recommending tools, types of paper, equipment and materials necessary for each, as well as highlighting safe and sensible working practices." "The author includes the work of beginners and accomplished artists-printmakers to illustrate the exciting and diverse effects which are possible with the various printmaking techniques. This is a practical book, but it is also an inspirational one which should encourage a whole new group of budding printmakers.
Printmaking: A Complete Guide to Materials and Processes by Bill Fick; Beth Grabowski
Call Number: CFL Floor 3 Book Stacks NE850.G638 2015

Printmaking; a Complete Guide to Materials and Process covers fundamental techniques updating traditional approaches to incorporate new materials and current practices in the contemporary print studio, with special attention to safety. In addition to technical information, this book explores the processes and functions of print media that inform the very strategy of art-making. It considers the “how” and the “why” of printmaking as an artistic practice. Works illustrated in this book offer innovative examples from across the globe that position print at the cutting edge of contemporary art.
Printmaking Bible by Chronicle Books Staff; Ann D'Arcy Hughes; Hebe Vernon-Morris; Ann d'Arcy Hughes
Call Number: CFL Floor 3 Book Stacks NE850.H84 2008

Perennially popular, printmaking is enjoying a contemporary resurgencebut no comprehensive up-to-date manual on the subject exists. At over 400 pages and packed with 1,000 full-color photos and illustrations, The Printmaking Bible is the definitive resource to the ins-and-outs of every variety of serious printmaking technique practiced today.In-depth instructions are accompanied by profiles that show how working artists create their prints. Historical information, troubleshooting tips, and an extensive resource section provide more invaluable tools. Perfect for students, artists, print aficionados, and collectors, this is truly the ultimate volume for anyone involved in this creative and influential art form.

In-Library Locations

Materials on fine art topics are found under the "N" subclass on the 3rd floor of the library.

NE1-3002	Print media
NE1-978	Printmaking and engraving
NE400-773	History of printmaking
NE830-898	General works

Finding Articles

Use databases to find academic articles to continue your research. Below are the most helpful databases for finding relevant articles on printmaking.

Note: If you are looking for collections or databases of images, take a look at the Finding Images guide (follow hyperlink or find the green tab to the left). This will take you to the Images guide. Once on the guide, click the "Image Databases" tab. The first box you will see, "Art Images Databases" contains links to collections of various high-quality/high-definition images from museums and galleries around the world.

Art and Architecture Source
Covers a broad range of subjects in: fine, decorative and commercial art, design, as well as architecture. Access over 600 full-text journals and 220 full-text books; includes over 63,000 images.
JSTOR
An archive of important scholarly journals, eBooks and primary sources in 75 disciplines. Offers high-resolution, scanned images of journal issues and pages as originally published.
Project MUSE
Includes 400 scholarly journals in humanities, social sciences, and mathematics and over 50,000 ebooks primarily from university presses.

Good Starting Journals for Art

The following are links to specific academic journals which are published and peer-reviewed by experts in the field. If you want to narrow your search to a specific time period or genre, finding a journal that publishes in that area can help.

Print
Print portfolios, profiles, regional design, thematic issues, computer advances, historical perspective and provocative articles in all areas of the field of graphic design for designers, illustrators and photographers worldwide. Also available in print, Floor 1 Journals Z119 .P8985.
Mid America Print Council Journal
The Mid America Print Council is an educational and community-based organization that focuses on all print related arts. Online issues from 2004 to present.
The Journal of Artists' Books
A forum for critical dialogue & review of contemporary & historical artists' books. Also available in print, Floor 1 Journals N7433.3 .J68.

Featured Books

Looking for an interesting research topic or project? The featured books section holds some of the library's collection of printmaking texts, collections and research.

Three Centuries of American Prints by National Gallery of Art (U.S.) Staff (Contribution by); Judith Brodie; Národní galerie v Praze Staff (Contribution by); Judith Fagg; Amy Johnston
Call Number: CFL Floor 1 East - Oversized NE505.N38 2016

Nearly 200 American prints, representing more than 100 artists, and dating from the colonial era to the present day, are brought together in this unprecedented volume from the National Gallery of Art to commemorate its collection and recent acquisitions. The artists featured range from Paul Revere through James McNeil Whistler, Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, Louise Nevelson, Romare Bearden, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Chuck Close, and Kara Walker. The works date from essentially every period in American history, so major art and historical themes running through the collection are readily visible.
Impressive: Printmaking, Letterpress, and Graphic Design by R. Klanten; H. Hellige
Call Number: CFL Floor 3 Book Stacks NC997.I46 2010

Today's graphic designers, illustrators, and typographers are rediscovering old printing techniques and handcrafts. The work collected in this book shows the many facets of the graphic design business, from business cards to posters.
Printmaking in Paris: The Rage for Prints at the Fin de Siècle by Fleur Roos Rosa de Carvalho; Marije Vellekoop
Call Number: CFL Floor 3 Book Stacks NE649.P3 R67 2013

Vincent van Gogh (1853 1890) is often considered to be a genius in a class of his own, an exceptional self-taught painter who paid little attention to the art world around him. In reality, Van Gogh learned extensively from others, exchanged ideas with his contemporaries, and often made use of prevailing methods and techniques to hone his skills.The culmination of an extensive research project undertaken by the Van Gogh Museum, this extraordinary book explores the workmanship behind his artistry. Essays address how he practiced his skills and adopted various sketching and painting techniques; acquired information about materials; learned about the physical characteristics of canvasses, paint, paper, chalk, and other materials; and how he approached working on paper and canvas. Showing his work alongside that of other artists demonstrates the degree to which he followed examples set by his contemporaries. Alongside the examination of Van Gogh s working methods, contributors look at the work and research of modern conservators.
Radical Art: Printmaking and the Left in 1930s New York by Helen Langa
Call Number: CFL Floor 3 Book Stacks NE538.N5 L36 2004

During the 1930s, the era of the Depression and the New Deal, American artists transformed printmaking into one of the decade's most exciting forms of art. As a cheap, vital, and egalitarian means of artistic expression, prints came close to realizing the ideal of creating "art for the millions." In this dynamic book, Helen Langa shows how innovative printmakers developed "social viewpoint" works that focused on contemporary issues of labor justice, antiracism, and antifascist activism.
Printmaking off the Beaten Track by Richard Noyce
Call Number: CFL Floor 3 Book Stacks NE495.N69 2013

Following on from his previous books Printmaking at the Edge and Critical Mass, Richard Noyce ventures once more beyond familiar centres of art production to explore printmaking off the beaten track. His journey covers the art of a breathtakingly diverse set of regions, from the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Nepal, to the Eastern Mediterranean, south-eastern Europe and the Balkans and more besides. Some of the countries featured have long traditions of using print techniques in their historic and contemporary art but are rarely, if ever, included in international competitions or art journals. This rich and compelling resource reveals the innovative and exciting approaches of printmakers around the world and gives readers the opportunity to compare art from different places, challenging our understanding of the means and forms of expression in printmaking, and its place in the contemporary visual arts. This book will satisfy curiosity amongst artists, printmakers, students and art lovers about printmaking being done in countries unfamiliar to them.