Printmaking for Beginners (Printmaking Handbooks)

Rating:
Summary: ...but NOT for collagraphy beginners
Review: Was looking for updated info re collagraphy techniques for newbies and water-based and acrylic inks for same. Gleaned enough from older books to know that collagraphy is relatively easy for beginners because no expensive printmaking press was required to apply pressure, only simple household utensils were quite adequate (and often preferable).

This book devotes seven pages to collagraphy and only mentions an oil-based ink/mechanical press method of producing collagraphic prints. Very disappointing, especially since many professional quality collagraphs today are printed using the manual, "pressless" technique.

If you'd like to begin a more simple printmaking experience by making monoprints, or either wood or linoleum block prints, or perhaps screenprints, then you're in luck. The book is full of clear illustrations, instructions and color repros of finished prints. The other "press-dependent" printmaking methods are well covered here as well. Not heavy on details, but rock-solid on the basics that a beginner needs.

Thus, my rating is: 1 star for collagraphy beginners, and 5 stars for everyone else. 3 stars splits the difference.