How to make a bookplate
Woodcuts and wood-engraving
ROSALIND ATKINS 1957-
Ex Libris c.1998
Wood engraving
Australian Library of Art
State Library of Queensland
Acc. 7223
(c) Rosalind Atkins,
used with permission
To create a woodcut or wood-engraving, artists chisel into a block of wood using sharp metal tools. Areas which the artist wishes to appear as white on the print are chiselled away from the surface of the wood block. The ink is applied to the block, usually with a roller, and coats only the uncut surface because it is now higher than the hollowed out sections. This is why woodcuts are sometimes called relief prints. When the block is printed, the chiselled out areas remain white while the uncut areas, having received ink, print as black (or whatever colour ink is used).
Wood-engraving is a finer, more detailed form of wood-cutting, usually using the end pieces of small cross sections of wood. Australian artist Lionel Lindsay (1874-1961) specialised in wood-engraving while his younger brother Norman (1879-1969) hewed wood-cuts.
GEORGE DAVID PERROTTET
1890-1971
Bookplate for E.G. Boreham
1932, Linocut
Australian Library of Art
State Library of Queensland
Acc. 7230
(c) the Estate of George Davide
Perrottet, used with permission
Linocuts
Linocutting uses the same technique as woodcut printing. Linoleum has long been popular for printmaking because it is cheaper, softer and more readily available than the good-quality wood used for printmaking, and it can be obtained in larger sizes than woodblocks. Australian artist George David Perrottet (1890-1971) specialised in linocut bookplates, particularly layering multiple linocuts to create coloured designs. Some of Perottet’s own linocutting tools are on display.
Scraperboard
This process uses a particular type of black cardboard in which white lines are created when the black surface is scraped away. Unlike lino or wood-cutting, if the artist makes a mistake, the white marks can be filled in with a black pen. This process was mainly used with commercial printing processes before computers were common.
DAVID ASHE 1966-
Bookplate for Eber Bunker
Maritime Collection c. 1988
Original artwork on
scraperboard
and process printed bookplate
Australian Library of Art
State Library of Queensland
Acc. 7239
Etching
A metal (usually copper, zinc or steel) plate is covered with a waxy substance which is resistant to acid. The artist then scratches the drawing into the wax with an etching tool to expose the metal plate underneath. The plate is then dipped in a bath of acid, technically called the mordant (from the French word for ’bite’), or has acid washed over it. The acid ’bites’ into the exposed metal, etching the artist’s drawn lines into the plate. The remaining wax is cleaned off the plate. Ink is then rubbed over the surface and then wiped off so that it remains only in the etched lines. The inked plate is then placed face down on a sheet of paper (often moistened to soften it), and put through a high-pressure printing press. The paper picks up the ink from the etched lines, creating a print. This process can be repeated many times - several hundred impressions (copies) can be printed before the plate shows signs of wear. Sometimes a remarque is added to the etching. This is a small motif that is etched at the base of the main design and is scraped or burnished off the plate after a few impressions have been printed. Most armorial bookplates were created as etchings.
RON McBURNIE 1957-
I love this book! c. 1998
Relief Etching
Australian Library of Art
State Library of Queensland
Acc. 7223
Process
This term covers a number of modern printing techniques. It can refer to a photographic means of transferring a design to a printing plate, as opposed to direct hand printing methods.
CHRISTOPHER HODGES 1954-
Library Book c. 1998
Colour Digital Print
Australian Library of Art
State Library of Queensland
Acc. 7223
(c) Christopher Hodges,
used with permission
Digital printing
Many artists and designers use computer technology and software to create or manipulate their artwork. The colour, size and perspective of artworks can be changed. The design can be printed on a digital printer as a finished artwork, or further re-worked and re-printed using the other traditional printing techniques outlined above.
Last updated: 17th June 2009
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