Ink is applied to this upper surface and the block can then be printed. Areas below the surface are cut away so that only the upper surface of the block forms the design. With a relief print the design is formed by the raised surface of the printing block or plate.
Etchings and wood engravings are examples of this process. When placed under pressure using a press, the inked lines are transferred to the printing paper. Ink is applied by various means which forces it into the incised lines. The surface of the plate is inscribed with lines, marks and cuts, leaving the design below the surface of the plate.
In this process, a printing plate is made from various materials metals, plastic, or even card. The marks produced from printmaking are like no other rich, unexpected and textural, and the anticipation of the 'reveal', as a print is pulled from a plate, is something which never tires. Whichever process is followed, the results are always, unfailingly fascinating. The steps and stages involved with each technique differ, some time consuming and complex, some swift and immediate. There are many different ways of making an original print, but all involve the transference of an image from one surface to another.