Art mediums take many forms and utilize many different techniques. One may choose to use several different mediums over the totality of any one artist’s work. Lithograph is a technique of printing utilized by artists that combine the tactile nature of drawing and painting and the ability to propagate their message. So how exactly does an artist take original drawings and paintings and create their vision in Lithograph?
Lithography begins with the choice of ‘canvas’, for lithography is traditionally done with a block of limestone, called lithographic limestone, that is ground smooth. More modern renditions of the lithograph sometimes will use Zinc plates. These stones and plates have a penchant for absorbing oil based mediums, which is important for the lithograph.
Oil-based tusche, grease pencils, and rubbing blocks full of oil medium, are some of the tools used by artists to create artwork on these lithographic stones. For some pieces, particularly pieces utilizing several colors, the artist will use several stones for each color of their print. Usually, the artist will work together with a printer to collaborate on aligning the image, choosing the best colors of ink, and working out the proofs.
After proofs of the print are made, the artist will print several pieces of the work. After which, the stone is cleansed utilizing a laborious chemical process or ground down, so the limestone can be used once more. After the stone is cleansed, there is no way to recreate the work in the same process.