Printmaking is one of the oldest forms of art and can easily be learned at home with the right equipment. There are a variety of printmaking methods to learn, however, for this article we will be looking at lino printing and screen printing which are the easiest to learn at home. You may be starting to learn printmaking and unsure what equipment you need? In this article, we explore the essential pieces of printmaking equipment for novices and pros!.
Screen Printing Kits
Screen printing is one of the most popular forms of printmaking, still used around the world for t-shirt printing. It dates back hundreds of years to ancient China which used a simpler method of creating stencils on a silk mesh. Nowadays we use a variety of chemicals and other materials in commercial t-shirt printing, vinyl printing, and much more.
Many artists such as Andy Warhol started using screen printing to create multiple editions of the same design, but with variations in color with some of his most famous pieces being the Queen of Britain and Mao Zedong of China.
Many independent artists and designers buy screen printing kits to use at home to print their designs onto t-shirts or onto paper for poster printing.
Lino Printing Kits
Lino printing is another form of printmaking that falls under relief printing. Relief printing involves the artist cutting a design into a block such as wood or lino, with the leftover/raised area being the printed design. Lino is a preferred material over wood due to its ease of use when cutting the design, wood can be quite tough to carve and has less control than lino.
To get started with lino printing you will need a variety of tools such as lino cutters or rollers etc. To make it easy you can buy lino printing kits that come with all of the essentials to get you started. Many artists and designers use lino printing to create posters, greetings cards, and fine art which they sell to collectors.
Art Storage Drawers
Storage is essential for any artist, especially when printmaking due to the number of editions you print and also the size of artworks. It’s good to look at buying art storage drawers that are large enough for your tools and prints to help protect them from getting damaged.
Overall printmaking is a rewarding and fun skill to learn, which can also help you earn some extra cash on the side! We hope this short guide to printmaking equipment helps you with your adventure as an independent artist.
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