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

by Gwen Diehn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The simplest form of relief printing is rubber stamping, and that's familiar to all crafters. But, the technique is far more versatile than that. And, bestselling author Gwen Diehn is just the person to lead us from the familiar to the adventurous. For those of us with printer's block, there's a terrific section on developing a design-getting visual ideas from casual doodles, nature tracings, photographs, and found objects. Then come the materials, tools, and techniques--making eraser prints, carving a linoleum block, making a woodcut, even building block out of polymer clay. And, because designs are even more fun on objects than framed on the wall, all of the prints appear on functional things: wrapping paper and note cards, book covers, a calendar, a poster, a T-shirt, even a lampshade. Relief prints have a classic, almost folk art look that is universally appealing. With this informative introduction, crafters and beginning artists alike can create handsome designs and well-decorated objects.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579901581
• ISBN-13: 978-1579901585
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #490,482 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.

12 of 12 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

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.

2 of 2 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.