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Please feel free to
enjoy a larger view of each image below, by clicking on it...
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The
lithographic images created on
Blue Berry Press are made from
individual drawings for each of the colors used in the
print. Primarily graphite pencil and airbrush are used
by most artists, although ink washes and a number of
other methods are equally effective on the drafting
Mylar -- a translucent material with a textured
surface -- from which the press plates are made.
Each drawing is contacted directly to a
light-sensitive, continuous tone aluminum plate.
Ultraviolet light is passed through the Mylar,
transferring the drawn image to the plate.
After developing, the plate is next mounted on the
press. Inks, which have been pre-mixed much the same
as paints on a palette, are applied to the press, and
when the image and color have created the desired
effect, the edition is printed. The process is
repeated with each subsequent color until the artist
is satisfied with the completed image.
The term "offset" in printing parlance
refers to the transfer of the image from an inked
plate to a rubber blanket, and then to paper. (In
direct lithography, by comparison, the image is
transferred directly from the plate or stone to
paper.) The advantage of the offset process exists in
its ability to hold delicate tonal qualities not
possible in direct lithography. The registration is
also superior to that of direct presses, allowing
multiple runs with a single plate. This is useful in
modifying or adding density to color by printing it more than once,
either over the entire image, or in specific areas.
As the separate drawings are brought together in the
development print, the colors and their relationships
constantly change, making the printing itself very
much an exciting and creative part of the finished
work.
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