Collagraphs: Intaglio printing

A collagraph print is made by glueing different materials to cardboard and creating a kind of collage. During the inking process the ink will rub off surfaces that are smooth or higher and stay on surfaces that hold more ink, at edges and at lower points thus creating the image. To protect the 'plate' through the printing process it's sealed with one or more layers of shellac or PVA glue. Paint or ink is applied to this surface and a print is taken by pressing a damp piece of paper on to the textures.

Polyblock printing: relief printing

Relief printing is when you carve into a printing block that you then use to press onto paper and make a print. Ink is rolled onto the surface of the polystyrene and then paper is pressed on top to create a print. The lines or shapes you carve into the printing block will not have ink on them, so will not show up on your paper. Instead, the print will reveal the parts you don’t draw, because they come into contact with the ink. The print will be a mirror image of what you see on your printing block!

Below: Skylines were designed on paper and transferred to polystyrene for printing onto a watercolour-stained background.