Customer Reviews

Printmaking in the Sun

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Welden created the solar plate technique, and it's clearly today's smart way to make fine art prints. No acid, no fumes, no health issues. Solar plates are developed in plain water, and produce top quality images. The authors' (Weldon's co-author is Aussie artist Pauline Muir) instructions are clear, direct, and succinct. A practical guide for both novices and seasoned printmakers. Welden is a top-notch artist and printmaker, and his is the only book yet available on this advanced printmaking methodology.

My over-riding impression after having just put this book down is "Why can't all How-to art books be of this quality?". Along with printing I also dabble with oils, watercolours, acrylics, pen and ink, and charcoal. As a self taught artist i find books to be a major source of my knowledge. With 250 art related books littering my shelves Welden's book is top of the pile. It is superbly written, passing on valuable knowledge of use to both the beginner and the more experienced printmaker. His co-author Pauline Muir is a trained scientist and maybe she's the reason for the straight-to-the-point approach as opposed to the fluff that litters so many other art books. Welden opens with an overview of the chemical mechanisms involved in the solarprint process. And then moves on to the details of what type of plate to buy, cutting, storing, exposure, materials etc. The relief and intaglio processes are covered next, in depth from creating the intial image through to printing the plates. Digital imaging, photogravure and various approaches for colour printing follow. Numerous tips are presented. An extensive list of eqpt suppliers is also provided. The book is well illustrated throughout and printed on good quality paper. Another excellent book from Watson & Guptill. Absolutely 100% recommended for anyone interested in the solarplate method.

Great book. He covers all the material in depth but manages to keep it easy to follow for the novice printmaker with clear, well illustrated, step by step instructions. The process of printmaking is much more enjoyable without having to deal with acids, fumes and the related health issues.