How Does Pressure + Ink: Introduction to Printmaking Work?

Pressure and ink come together like squishing a toy to make it leave a mark, that's how printmaking works!

Imagine you have a rubber stamp, like the ones you press onto clay in art class. When you push it hard against paper, it leaves a shape. That’s kind of what happens in printmaking, but with more ink and more fun.

In printmaking, there's usually ink on a plate, think of it like a stamp that has been painted. When you press the plate hard onto paper, the pressure pushes the ink from the plate to the paper. It’s like when you use a crayon and press really hard, the color comes out strong!

The more pressure you use, the more ink gets on the paper. It's like pressing your hand into wet paint, the harder you push, the bigger the mark you leave.

So in printmaking, ink and pressure work together to make pictures, just like squishing a toy leaves a fun shape!