About Handmade Prints
Relief Printing
Most of my art prints are produced using a technique of relief printing, which can also be called block printing, but that term is often specific to printing characters (letters or numbers) that are carved onto blocks. The basics of relief printmaking is pretty simple. A pattern carved out of a flat surface leaving areas that are recessed and areas that are raised. The raised area is the 'relief'. Ink is applied to the relief and then pressed onto a surface, such as paper or fabric. The most common types of relief printmaking that I use are linocut and woodcut.
Limited Edition Prints
All of the relief prints for sale on this website are offered as signed limited edition prints. Each print is handmade, so there are going to be differences between them that add some individual character to each piece. An edition may be as few as a half dozen prints, but I typically make 12-24 prints. A small portion of those prints will not pass my inspection and will not be included in the edition, so the actual number of prints will vary from design to design.
Each limited edition will be annotated at the bottom with edition number, title, signature, and year. For example, the piece in the image to the right is the last of fourteen prints in the edition and is annotated, " 14/14 - 'Perching Post' - T. Judy - 2024"
Prints Outside of the Edition
I will usually offer a few proof prints outside of an edition for a lower price. These prints will be annotated as either a Trial Proof (T/P) or a Color Proof (C/P) and will have my chop symbol somewhere on the print instead of a signature. I will probably have some notes on the back of the print and may add a signature there as well.
Proofs are prints that are as good as (possibly better than, depending upon your opinion) the edition. The Trial Proofs will be prints that are made on a different type of paper than I use for the edition. The paper may affect the appearance of the print in some way, but not to the point where I would not hang it on my wall. That is my test... If I would not buy it for display in my home, then I will not sell it.
A Color Proof is a print made in a different color, sometimes to choose the final color of the edition, and sometimes because I have some extra ink and want to see the result.
Many collectors really like my trial and color proofs because they are uniquely different than the edition proofs, and there are very few of them.
Monoprint/Monotype Prints
Monoprints and monotypes are exactly what the names describe, single prints that are original pieces of art with no other exact copies. A monotype is a unique design of which there are no others like it.
A monoprint typically has a base design or pattern, but the artist adds or changes something significant for each printing that makes each print a little different, such as color. For example, if I make ten prints from a relief block with black ink, and then hand paint color onto each print with water colors, the resulting prints are monoprint because they are the same design but will have unique coloring to them.
Montoprints will be produced in an edition, but a monotype will not.
Paper & Ink
I use a variety of papers for printing ranging from thin Asian mulberry paper up to thick cotton rag, whichever paper performs the best with each specific print. All of the papers are high-quality acid-free formulations that will last forever with good care.
I prefer oil-based inks for color intensity and clean marks, as well as their longevity. I will occasionally use water based inks if they are a better option than the oils. I use multiple brands of ink, but all are high-quality.