
Relief prints use the raised relief of a printing matrix, such as a block of wood, to carry the ink to make prints. A rubber stamp is essentially a relief print. If you made prints as a kindergartener by carving a potato with a plastic knife, you have made a relief print. Woodcut is the oldest printmaking technique and was popular in both Asia and in Europe. It predates the year 1,000 AD.
In Western art, as early as the 16th century printmakers like Albrecht Dürer saw the short comings of the technique, compared to the slightly newer technique of engraving and intaglio printing.… Read More