Understanding Lithography
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Of all the processes of printmaking, lithography is probably the most difficult to understand and it is regarded by many to be the hardest to learn, to control and master. The literal meaning of lithography is stone writing deriving from the Greek lithos for stone and graphos for drawing and the term refers naturally to the original process of printing from stone discovered in 1798 in Bavaria by Alois Senefelder (1771–1834).
Lithography is a form of planographic printing, which means that unlike relief printing or intaglio, a totally flat surface is used for drawing and for printing. For stone lithography, a very special type of finely grained limestone from the Solnhofen quarry in Bavaria, quarried into uniform blocks, grained until the surface is totally level and polished smooth is commonly used. Lithography stones are prepared in various sizes, thickness and are available in a range of colour and hardness from relatively soft yellow to relatively hard grey. Other materials have also been used successfully as printing elements including marble and for plate lithography, grained zinc and aluminium plates, paper plates, wood and most recently, polyester.
Lithography is also sometimes described as a form of chemical printing as the principle upon which lithography is based, is dependent upon the mutual repulsion of grease and water and the formation of diametrically opposed surfaces on the stone that enable the image drawn to be subsequently inked and printed. Drawings are normally made using a variety of greasy drawing materials. Composed of tallow or petroleum grease, beeswax, shellac, soap and lamp black; these include crayons or chalks, rubbing crayon and a liquid drawing ink known as tusche. Once complete the drawing is then processed such that during printing, providing that the stone or plate is kept damp with water, greasy ink will adhere only to the greasy drawing whilst water present in negative areas will repel grease and will remain ink free.
Stone Graining using a Levigator
Lithographic Drawing Materials
Etching Materials