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Discover how to make your studio more sustainable with this hands-on guide to safer printmaking. Many artists love the art of print but are concerned about the hazardous materials traditionally used in intaglio techniques, including inking and plate preparation. Contemporary Printmaking offers practical advice on lower risk, lower impact alternatives that maintain creativity without compromising health or the environment. Focusing on acrylic resist etching and metal salt mordants, this book covers techniques for working with copper, aluminium, zinc and steel. You''ll find detailed, illustrated instructions for hard and soft grounds, aquatints, lift resists, wash resists and experimental approaches using accessible, non-toxic materials. Also explored are drypoint, collagraphy, photopolymer, laser engraving and digital hybrid methods - showing how traditional and new techniques can be combined in innovative ways. Award-winning artist Mark Graver uniquely blends technical depth with sustainability concerns, offering guidance on setting up a home studio, choosing eco-friendly inks and cleaners, and adapting workflows for affordability and accessibility. Fully illustrated with process photography and finished artwork, and with contributions from international artists and educators, Contemporary Printmaking proves that intaglio can remain bold, experimental and environmentally conscious.
List of contents
Part One: Safer Etching Techniques 1 - Traditional, Safer, Non-Toxic?
2 - Purpose of This Book
3 - Introduction to Techniques and Materials
4 - Safer Etching
5 - Etching Copper & Brass
6 - Etching Aluminium, Zinc & Steel
7 - Complete Etching Systems
8 - Creative Processes
9 - Papers, Etching Presses & Studio Equipment
Part Two: Non-Chemical Processes 10 - Direct to Plate Techniques
11 - Collagraphy
Part Three: Photopolymer Printmaking 12 - Photopolymer Techniques
Part Four: Digital & Photographic Processes 13 - Digital Printmaking
Part Five: The Domestic Studio 14 - Setting Up at Home
15 - Conclusion
Appendices
About the author
Mark Graver is an award-winning British artist, printmaker, writer and curator based in New Zealand. He holds an MA in Printmaking from Camberwell College of Arts, London, and is internationally recognised for his expertise in non-toxic and sustainable approaches to print. Founder of the Wharepuke Print Studio in 2005, his work is held in public collections across the UK, Europe, the USA, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. A frequent contributor to printmaking journals and international exhibitions, he won the Lessedra World Mini Print Prize in 2010.
