Art Fundamentals: Relief Printmaking and Botanical Illustrations

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, principles, tools, and troubleshooting techniques for relief printmaking and botanical illustration.

Relief printmaking

The world's first form of mass production that transfers an image to a different surface through pressure to create multiples.

Botanical illustrations

Artworks of plants originally used to identify plants for medicinal and culinary use, which emphasize diagnostic details such as veins, pubescence, flowers, fruit, and seeds.

Balance

The way elements are arranged to create a feeling of stability in an artwork.

Asymmetrical balance

A form of balance where elements are not weighted equally on either side of the center of the image.

Symmetrical balance

A form of balance where elements are weighted equally on either side of the center of the image.

Radial balance

A form of balance where the elements radiate outward from a center point.

Carving tool

A tool used to cut away material and create negative space in your image.

Carving gouges

Blades of different shapes and sizes designed for carving specific areas of a block.

Block

The rubber material into which an image is carved.

Bench hook

A specialized tool used to secure the block safely while carving.

Brayer

A roller tool used to spread an even layer of ink onto the raised surface of the block.

Ink

A specialized thick paint-like formula designed to transfer from the block to the paper.

Palette

A flat surface on which ink is rolled out to recharge the brayer with ink.

Burnishing spoon

A tool used to transfer ink from the block to the paper by rubbing in a circular motion over the entire back of the paper.

Impression

A single, individual image transferred from an inked surface through pressure.

Registration

The process of aligning paper, block, or plate so that multiple layers, colors, or passes line up correctly.

Mirror image

The inverted orientation of a print resulting from the transferred image being flipped from what was carved into the block.

Salty print

A printing defect caused by insufficient ink or inadequate pressure during transfer.

Bleeding

A print defect resulting from applying too much ink or applying uneven pressure.