Limited Edition Stone Lithography:
An
Original Art Form by Edna Hibel, 1992
Introduction
My lithographs are original works of art created in multiple. Since 1966, when I started out as just a lark to satisfy an admirer who insisted that I “pull” only one stone, I have created 580 lithographs( as of 2001). Over the years, I have been enthusiastically caught up in the infinite possibilities and effects of the lithograph medium.
There seems to be much confusion as to the difference between an original graphic and a reproduction. An original lithograph is called “original” because every image is taken, or pulled, from the artist’s own drawings. On the other hand, a reproduction is usually printed from a photographic image made on a metal plate. This is an attempt to faithfully reproduce an original work of art.
An important difference between the two methods is that an artist has the graphic as the artistic goal when working on a original graphic. An artist is not thinking about reproductions, however, when working on an original work of art in some other medium. For this reason, an original graphic of an artist has greater artistic merit than the reproductions of an original work rendered by the same artist. In addition, each original lithograph is numbered, and the artist examines and signs each one, signifying that his or her aesthetic desires are satisfied.
In the following discussion, I show as concisely as possible the steps I generally take in creating an original limited edition stone lithograph.
Edna Hibel 1992
Edna Hibel
Edna Hibel, born in Boston
in 1917, is one of America’s most loved and versatile artists. Many critics and
thousands of her devoted followers world-wide have compared her favorably to
such renowned Renaissance and Impressionist artists as Leonardo da Vinci,
Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Mary Cassat.
Over the past seventy years, Hibel’s sensitive, yet powerful portrayals
of humanity and nature in the mediums of oil painting, drawing, lithography,
serigraphy, etching, and sculpture in bronze, crystal, and porcelain, have been
exhibited in major museums on four continents. Hibel’s numerous fine art and
humanitarian awards include medals of honor and citations from many heads of
state, academic institutions, and religions, resulting in her being widely known as an ambassador for world
peace.
Edna’s inquisitive and
experimental nature, combined with her impeccable draftsmanship and love for beauty,
have brought a poetic lyricism and delicacy to this original art form. Her experimenting inevitably leads to the
creation of a large percentage of unique proofs, many of which Edna enhances
further with many other mediums.
The Stone
Lithograph stones are blocks
of Bavarian limestone varying in thickness from about three to six inches. One method of polishing and graining the
stones to the desired texture is by rubbing two stones together with sand and
water in between.
The Drawing
Using wax pencils, crayons,
and grease-based inks called tusche, I draw directly onto the polished and
grained surface. Due to the stone’s
grain, I can render my subjects in a wide range of tonal values. The size of a lithograph is limited by the
size of the stone. Large stones are not
commonly available.
Etching the Stone
When the drawing is
completed, the surface of the stone is washed over with an etching solution
composed of gum Arabic and a weak acid, usually nitric acid. The acid etches those areas covered by the
grease and wax so they will accept the
ink that will be applied, while the gum Arabic seals the rest of the surface so
that when it is wet,it repels the ink.
Here the master printer is spot etching to eliminate technical
blemishes.
Mixing the Ink
The ink is mixed to just the
right color and transparency under my supervision.
Moistening the Stone
Using a sponge, the stone is
kept damp to make use of the incompatibility of grease and water.
Rolling the Ink
Ink is carefully rolled onto
the stone, depositing ink only to those areas of the stone covered by the
drawing. The skilled printer carefully judges the right amount of ink for
each impression pulled from the stone.
Registration for Multi-color
For multi-color lithographs,
a different drawing on another stone is used for each color. Here, the paper with a one-color drawing
already on it, is begin carefully registered onto a stone that has another drawing inked with a second color. In areas where the colors overlap, delicate
variations of tone can be achieved.
Pulling the Impression
The printing is usually done
on a hand press with a sliding bed that moves under a wood and leather
scraper. The scraper applies the
extreme pressure necessary to achieve high quality impressions. Sometimes the stone breaks under the intense
pressure. The impression pulled on the
paper is the mirror image of the one drawn on the stone.
Perfecting the Drawing
As the first prints some off
the stone, I “proof” them and make changes in the drawing, color of ink, and
type of paper until I am enthralled with the results. The printer tries to make each print as much like the approved
proof as he can, but the stones are sensitive, especially to humidity and temperature,
so that sometimes it is most difficult to make uniform prints.
The texture of the stones very
from point to point requiring great skill and experience in applying the ink.
Signing
Each lithograph is hand
numbered in pencil. Here I am signing in pencil signifying my artistic approval.
After the edition is pulled, the image on each stone is ground off,
ensuring that no other impressions can be make.
Artist’s Edition: A
particular combination of paper and ink colors that strikes Hibel’s fancy. A
few impressions are printed for her own interest.
Artist’s Proof: (sometimes
referred as trial proofs-One of the trial impressions pulled to see how the
stone is printing and to experiment with inks and paper combinations to be used
for the edition. For technical reasons, a leather proofing roller
is used to apply the ink instead of the rubber roller used for printing the
edition.
Artist’s Proof and
Pastels, Pencil Crayon, Etc.: In producing a lithograph, before making any
changes on the stone (or before doing the next stone for multi-color
lithographs), Hibel works on the proof with pastels, pencil, paint, ink or
crayon to see what the effects will be.
This helps her to determine what changes to makes and how to proceed with
the stone.
Bavarian Limestone- These are the stones first used to
create musical scores by Senefelder, the inventor of lithography, in Bavarian
in 1796. Dating back millions of years to the age of the dinosaurs, their
compact, fine grain has not been duplicated by any other surface.
Bon a Tirer- The proof chosen by the artist to serve as the
sample for an edition.
Collaye- In order to achieve certain high fidelity effects,
Hibel occasionally chooses a very fine, thin paper. “Collaye” is an old process revived for her, whereby this fine paper
is superimposed on another, firmer paper at the time the impression is pulled.
Edition-(sometimes referred to as Regular Edition)- A set of
impressions consisting of one or more uniform sections that may differ in
color, ink, paper, etc, from each other, but that have the basic drawing or
keystone in common. The total of all
the impressions in all the sections constitutes the number in the edition.
Etching- The process in lithography by which the artist’s drawing on the stone
is prepared for printing. The stone is treated with a weak acid solution that
contains gum arabic.
First State, Second
State, Etc- After impressions are
pulled from a stone, that artist can make changes or add to the drawing, and
then pull further impressions. Each group of impressions made after the stone
has been changed is considered another ‘state’.
Keystone- The stone that has the basic drawing in a
multi-color lithograph.
Multi-color lithograph= Each
color requires a separate stone or state of a stone, and the number of stones
and/or states determines the number of colors in the finished lithograph. Each stone must “register” perfectly so that impressions will not be blurred.
Section (sometimes
referred to as Series) A,B,C, or I, II, III- Because of the variety of effects she is able to achieve with the lithographic process by
varying the papers, inks and transparency of color, Hibel often finds more than
one combination that pleases her for a particular lithograph. Rather than eliminate all, but one section
or series, the edition is developed into more than one section. For example: II 1/14 ed. 250 means that this is number one of only 14
impressions in Section II, and there are a total of 250 prints in all the
sections of this subject.
Unique- A single print with a unique combination of colors
and /or paper deliberately pulled to create an unusual impression. This is not
a trial proof, or artist proof.
Unique and Oil, Pencil, Gold Leaf, Etc- A “unique” print that Hibel has then worked on or enhanced by her own hand with oil paint, pencil, crayon or ink. Those unique proofs that have been pulled on silk are frequently referred to as “silks”.
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