Reductive printmaking stages demonstrated through styrofoam.

1. eductive
R
PrintMaking
a basic introduction

2. With reductive
printmaking, the
artist creates a
composition with
layered colours
from the same
block.

3. For each colour pass, the artist removes
material from the block.
Each colour is printed on top of the
previous and therefore, the block gets
reduced.
To understand this better, it will be
demonstrated on a piece of foam using a
ball point pen.
stage 1
stage 2
stage 3

4. First, you need to
consider what you
want to be white on
your print.
In this example, it will
be the blue pen lines
as it will become the
negative space.
You should also
remember that your
image will come out
mirrored!

5. The styrofoam is
inked and printed.
With each new
layer, the block will
need to be washed.

6. Now, additional
areas will be
carved away. This
area will now
remain yellow.

7. The styrofoam is
inked and printed
again.
You also need to
register (align) your
print correctly on top
of the previous print.
Again, the block will need to be washed.

8. Additional areas
will be carved
away again to
create a third
layer of colour.

9. Again register
(align) your print
correctly on top
of the previous
print.
Here is the final
composition.

10. Here you can review the stages again,
with their individual prints.

11. CREATED BY FRANK CURKOVIC - 2014
(FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES)
http://flavors.me/frankcurkovic
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
License.