Visual Arts Brampton
Lithography

Part of The Printmaking Process

A special section, in partnership with the Art Gallery of Peel, part of Brampton's Peel Heritage Complex.

Lithography was invented in Munich in 1798 by Aloys Senefelder and has since become a widely used artistic medium. Lithography is classified as planographic or a flat-surface process, as distinguished from other graphic arts processes, which are either intaglio or relief.

The process consists of drawing or painting with greasy crayons and inks on a particular species of limestone which has been ground down to the desired texture.

After many chemical processes, the stone is moistened with water, whereupon the parts not covered by the crayon become wet, while the areas where the greasy drawing was made repel the water and remain dry. An oily ink is then applied with a roller; it adheres only to the drawing and is repelled by the wet parts of the stone.

Paper is then placed upon the stone and placed under a press producing an exact reversed copy of the image on the stone. The direct manner in which the drawing is made and the range of tones that can be obtained, make the process popular.