Picasso produced a large body of linocuts. The surface used in lithography is either German limestone or a prepared metal lithographic plate. During the printing process the matrix is kept damp as ink is rolled over its surface. The mixture of drawn and painterly processes in lithography allows for a great deal of freedom in creating the image. There is also an increasing use of computer technology and laser printing in printmaking, which can be used in conjunction with any of the above processes.
Artists often incorporate more than one of the printmaking processes to create an image.
It is thanks to the process of editioning in printmaking that works of art by both the historically renowned and the contemporary artist are available to the print collector. Plenty - galleries specializing in printmaking are plentiful, particularly in the Dupont Circle area. For work by contemporary artists in the Washington area, Washington Printmakers Gallery at 1732 Connecticut Avenue is a must. Forty artists show their work here, all focus on printmaking, and the gallery represents the best in contemporary printmaking in the area. And in Alexandria a visit to the Torpedo Factor y should not be missed, and look out especially for Printmakers Inc and Studio 225 .