Prints
There are numerous ways to create prints and endless ways to enjoy them. For example, prints created by woodcut offer the viewer a textured image that showcases the artist's skill against the grain of the wood; this is one of the oldest techniques of this art form. Linocut prints are developed from scratching designs into linoleum, which produce clean images on the page. Etching involves using acid to burn an image into a metal plate, resulting in a beautiful, fluid imprint.
Vintage prints may be the inspiration for starting a collection or spark the artist's own creative fires. Masters such as Rembrandt applied their skill to produce crisp, clean works of art. Collections of individual artists, such as found in Elise Lawrence's Vintage Prints that reproduces the work of Adolphe Millot, can provide insights into the artist's unique skill. Original prints by contemporary artists make welcome additions to collections. They can highlight the marriage and evolution of modern and ancient techniques. For example, artist Ruth Issett uses both printing and sewing in her work, combining 2D and 3D techniques.
Popular images often incorporate nature motifs. Floral prints, for example, combine the beauty of nature with the eye of the artist. Contemporary botanical pictures can be created using historical techniques, but often, photographic or digitally enhanced approaches are used. However, modern artists, such as Bobbi Angell, who was awarded the 2006 Jill Smythies Award from the Linnean Society of London and ASBA Award for Excellence in the Service of Science, still incorporate older styles (like copper etching) into their repertoires.
Enthusiasts in the market to buy prints find an almost endless supply of the unique and appealing. Collectors can shop prints from AbeBooks sellers and also find books devoted to the work of specific artists, which often provide background notes about each image.