Simple Printmaking: A Beginner's Guide to Making Relief Prints with Rubber Stamps, Linoleum Blocks, Wood Blocks, Found Objects [Paperback]

Gwen Diehn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2002

“A remarkably creative and inspiring book for beginning printmakers and crafters....Beyond the usual sections on materials, tools, and techniques, it offers one and two page vignettes on Gauguin, Munch, 19th-century Japanese woodcuts, etc....explores eraser prints, carving linoleum blocks, woodcuts, and making printing blocks out of polymer clay.”—Library Journal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (March 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579903126
• ISBN-13: 978-1579903121
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,071,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gwen Diehn was born and raised in New Orleans, LA, and studied art at Indiana University at South Bend, The University of Notre Dame (MA), and Vermont College (MFA). She has exhibited her artwork internationally and has work in many private and public collections, including the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. She has taught college art as well as workshops for many years. She has also written several books about art and also journal keeping and making. One of them, The Decorated Page, is being re-issued in a revised edition/bind-up with another one, The Decorated Journal, in spring, 2012. Her most recent book, Real Life Journals, was listed as one of the top 10 gardening and crafts books of 2010 by Booklist.


You can visit her blog at http://real-life-journals.blogspot.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple prints, excellent results, May 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Simple Printmaking: A Beginner's Guide to Making Relief Prints with Rubber Stamps, Linoleum Blocks, Wood Blocks, Found objects (Hardcover)

This book is aimed at relief printmaking without a press using a range of techniques from linocuts through to using found objects. The techniques are clearly described and are applied to a number of simple but attractive projects such as single pamphlet books. pillows or cards. The photographs are clear and helpful. I particularly liked the fact that Gwen Diehn went through the clean up process, which is often not covered in much detail, and that she used vegetable oil rather than the more noxious kerosene. Throughout the book are a number of inspiring examples by past and present printmakers which help to extend the processes described. Whilst this book is aimed primarily at beginners, it offers stimulus and information of use to the more experienced printmakers too.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get your feet wet!, October 8, 2003

By 

Nagagirl (Southeast Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Simple Printmaking: A Beginner's Guide to Making Relief Prints with Rubber Stamps, Linoleum Blocks, Wood Blocks, Found Objects (Paperback)

Never took a printmaking class in college...I've been carving erasers and wondering about this new world of relief printing. This book is wonderful.

Not too much information on complicated techniques. Enough info to have me working on new ideas. If you're beyond the commercial rubber stamps and/or are an artist hoping to incorporate printed images into
multimedia work...buy this book! Great reference! It'll fill in the blanks for those who have an art education but no basic printmaking.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Starter Book on Printmaking, October 11, 2007

By 

CLG "Carrie Greenwald" (South Dakota) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Simple Printmaking: A Beginner's Guide to Making Relief Prints with Rubber Stamps, Linoleum Blocks, Wood Blocks, Found Objects (Paperback)

Although the book indicates developing prints from other media than wood blocks, those are very few. Yet the guide to using wood to produce amazing print blocks, with imagery from those made in the past, encourages an artist to use this media. The beautiful projects, tools needed, step-by-step instructions gave the book a 5-star ranking. There is even a project that shows the steps in simple book-making. You won't be disappointed in this book on printmaking/stamping, particularly in the modern frenzy in multi-media artwork.