Lithography
Drawing with grease on stone.
Invented by Alois Senefelder, lithography exploits the mutual repulsion of oil and water to print from a flat limestone surface.
You draw on a flat stone with greasy crayon, wet the stone, and the ink only sticks to your drawing because oil and water don't mix.
- ▸Grease loves grease, water pushes grease away — that's the whole trick.
- ▸The drawing stays flat (no carving), so it looks just like a pencil sketch.
- ▸Press paper onto the stone to lift the inked drawing.
History
Senefelder discovered the process in Munich in 1796 while looking for a cheap way to publish theatrical works. The 19th century saw chromolithography flourish for posters (Toulouse-Lautrec, Mucha). Offset lithography later became the workhorse of commercial printing.
Process
- 01
Draw the image on Bavarian limestone with greasy tusche or crayon.
- 02
Etch with gum arabic and nitric acid to fix the image.
- 03
Sponge the stone with water; ink only adheres to the greasy areas.
- 04
Roll oil-based ink across the surface.
- 05
Press paper to the stone in a scraper press.
Strengths
- +Fluid drawn quality
- +Wide tonal range
- +Suits painterly artists
Limitations
- −Heavy stones
- −Chemistry-sensitive
- −Tricky multi-colour registration
Sources & citations
References for the history and process described above.
- 01Lithography — The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Heilbrunn Timeline
- 02Aloys Senefelder and the Invention of Lithography — Library of Congress