Behind the Press: Madelize van der Merwe on Printmaking Techniques and Tools

For Ink & Print Month, we’re shining a spotlight on Madelize van der Merwe, the Senior Printmaking Technician at a renowned Cape Town University in their fine art department and a proud member of The Printing Girls collective. Madelize brings a wealth of experience and passion to the world of printmaking, blending technical precision with creative freedom. In this post, she shares her journey, top tips for those just getting started, and her favourite materials (currently on sale!) to help printmakers at all levels explore and succeed in this exciting medium. (If you are a complete newbie to printmaking check out our blog post Introduction to Printmaking first)

Printmaking and Education

Madelize van der Merwe holds a B-Tech Fine Art Degree from Nelson Mandela University, where she specialised in Printmaking, Painting, Sculpture, and Art History. Her passion for teaching led her to further her education at Rhodes University, where she earned a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) for FET (Further Education and Training) in Fine Art and Design. This strong educational foundation has equipped her with both artistic and teaching expertise, allowing her to inspire and guide future generations of artists.

Deckle Edge: What first sparked your love for printmaking, and do you remember the moment when you thought, “This is what I want to do”?

Madelize: Printmaking is process driven, with certain steps to follow in order to make a successful artwork. It is focused on precision, detail, but can also be very expressive and freeing. I fell in love with printmaking when I did my first monotype. The idea of having a matrix (plate) where you produce your image on and then sending it through a press felt very meditative to me. The resulting image can also be surprising. The methodology behind print captured my attention and imagination immediately and I pursued it ever since.

Deckle Edge: With Ink & Print Month in full swing and up to 40% off select products, what essential tools or materials should every printmaking student (printmaker) grab while they’re on sale?

Madelize: Printmaking students and printmakers alike should take full advantage of the Ink & Print Month sale. For beginners in printmaking, the Relief process is highly rewarding. I recommend starting with Essdee lino sheets or Prime Art Black Lino, which is softer and easier to carve. A great option for beginners is the Prime Art starter lino carving tool set (5 blades). For more advanced printmakers, the Essdee lino cutter and baren kit (10 blades) is ideal, and you can pair it with rubber brayer rollers by Dala or opt for higher-quality rollers from Adigraf. For inks, Cranfield Caligo Relief Printing Ink or Speedball Water Soluble Block Printing Ink are excellent choices—both are of good quality and easy to clean.

The Deckle Edge also offers beginner kits for Relief: the DALA Lino Carving and Printing Kit contains everything you need, and it’s a locally made product.

For those interested in the Intaglio printing process, such as Etching or Drypoint, there are essential materials on sale:

• Charbonnel products: Hard Ground and Soft Ground balls, which are used to coat the etching plate before drawing the image and immersing it in acid.
• Powdered Resin for aquatint.
• Etching inks: Charbonnel’s oil-based or water-soluble (Aqua Wash) inks available in 200ml or 60ml sizes.

Additionally, Gamblin Etching Ink is a fantastic option and comes in 300ml.

For Planographic printmaking, such as Stone Lithography, the following materials are available on sale:

• Charbonnel Litho Crayons for drawing.
• Tusche Sticks to create ink impressions on stone.

Gelli Plates are great for beginners and no need for a press.

When it comes to paper, Fabriano Unica, Tiepolo, and Rosapina are excellent entry-level options. For superior quality, Arches Velin BFK Rives and Hahnemuhle Etching Paper are top choices.

Deckle Edge: What advice would you give to a first-year art student (artist) who’s just getting into printmaking? Any beginner tips on how to make the most of the experience.

Madelize: Print is a multi-layered procedure. I always say ‘do with intention’ and see what comes from the process. It is important to understand the relation between the created image on the matrix, and the print production. Each Print technique is pursued differently and has its own characteristics, it is with this in mind that the artist/student should approach their work. My beginner tip would be to PLAY& REFLECT in order to make the most of the experience.

Etching Prints

Stone Litho Print

Stone Litho Print

Deckle Edge: Have you noticed any surprising shifts in how young artists approach printmaking these days? Do you see any trends that really excite you? in student work?

Madelize: I’ve noticed a more experimental approach to printmaking, where boundaries of the ‘traditional’ print is broken. Print, especially because there are so many styles, allows for diversity. Many artists/students create artwork making use of more than one technique in their final work. I get excited when I see printmaking students combining sculptural, painterly or even photographic and video work with their prints.

Deckle Edge: What’s your favourite part about watching students fall in love with printmaking? Is there a particular “aha” moment that most students seem to have?

Madelize: I love the reaction students get once they have pulled their print through the press for the first time, seeing the final artwork. There is definitely a moment when students grasp the technique and process, it’s this moment that sparks “AHA”. Many students love printing because there is so much to learn with every technique and each offers a different result.

The Printing Girls Collaboration

Deckle Edge: What drew you to join The Printing Girls collective, and how has this community of printmakers influenced your own creative journey?

Madelize: I first heard of the Printing Girls when they started as a group of Rhodes University female print students. I joined because I wanted to be part of something bigger, a collective of like-minded printmakers. Since being part of TPG I’ve had many opportunities to exhibit with them. This has made me produce work, whether theme based or personal. I enjoy the encouragement from other printmakers, sharing of ideas and feedback. The advice and guidance regarding print material, what works, where to find it, and how to print has also helped me extend my knowledge.

Deckle Edge: #PRINTLIKEAGIRL is such a bold statement! What does it mean to you personally, and how do you think it empowers other women in the printmaking scene?

Yes, it’s a mantra we go by. It’s very empowering (especially since print was such a male dominant artform) We support each other, allow growth, give confidence and opportunity.

The Deckle Edge: How has being part of The Printing Girls allowed you to experiment with new techniques or push the boundaries of your printmaking practice?

Madelize: The Printmaking Girls hosts mentorship classes, workshops and “how – to’’ guidelines on various print matters. This has enabled me to get more experimental and combine new skills with old ones.

For(Sea)Change: A Group Exhibition by The Printing Girls

The Printing Girls present For(Sea)Change, a group exhibition running from 10 October to 21 November 2024 in the Main AVA Gallery in Cape Town. Featuring works from over 50 talented female printmakers, the exhibition explores the urgent need for environmental and social change through the lens of art activism. With the fragility of paper as their medium, these artists reflect on humanity’s impact on nature, particularly our oceans, and offer reimagined visions of a rewilded, regenerated world. This powerful showcase invites viewers to reflect on our interconnectedness with the natural world and the need for change.

Deckle Edge: Have you ever had a “happy accident” in the printmaking process that turned into a piece you ended up loving? What did that teach you about the art form?

Madelize: Ooh, I have had many happy accidents which I contribute to “the-printing-gods’. Something occurs between the making and printing that I refer to as serendipitous. This has permitted me to work with much more freedom.

The Deckle Edge: As a group dedicated to sharing skills and knowledge, can you share a technique or hack you’ve picked up from another TPG member that you now can’t live without?

*Tetra pak printing (using a milk/juice carton) to produce a print has opened up so many possibilities.

Using *register pins and stripping tags has revolutionised my printmaking, making it easy to align colour reduction relief prints. Folding corner tabs and having the right backing board have become vitally important too .

Practical Tips and Printmaking Techniques

Deckle Edge: During Ink & Print Month, we’ve got some amazing deals at The Deckle Edge. What would you say are your “must-have” materials for creating quality prints?

Madelize: The right paper plays a large role in producing quality prints, choose the right paper for the technique (Relief/Intaglio/*Planographic)

Deckle edge: For students looking to create more depth and texture in their prints, what techniques or tools do you recommend? Any insider tips?

Madelize: Collagraphs (collage of materials of various textures glued on to a printing plate) always create lovely texture and depth. You can choose to press ink into the grooves (like an intaglio print) or roll ink over the texture (like a relief print) Monotype Printing also creates a painterly feel where you can get depth with paint strokes or use the taking-away method.

Gelli-plates are great for this particular reason, you can combine printing texture using objects and apply painterly strokes.

Deckle Edge: When it comes to printmaking, do you have a personal favourite technique? How do you know when a certain method—like etching or screen printing—is the right choice for a piece?

Madelize: I love the intricacies of etching, the precision work, strong lines and beautiful tones achieved through aquatint. The ‘science’ behind it all, working with grounds, resin,  *ferric chloride bath etc.

The creative idea always guides me to the technique that will best portray the resultant artwork. Choices like the use of colour, linework, carving marks, texture, free expression etc, each has its own result.

Deckle Edge: The beauty of printmaking is that it’s a blend of art and precision. Do you have any tricks for staying consistent across multiple prints in an edition?

Madelize: Each print technique requires a different skill in order to pull an edition. I have been doing printmaking for such a long time that I have built up ‘body-memory”, which guides me in how I should wipe an etching or apply ink onto a woodcut/lino. With stone litho I apply  the same amount of rolls on the inking slab to the printing stone to keep it even throughout printing an edition.

Deckle Edge: Many artists find the business side of art challenging. What practical steps can printmakers take to build a sustainable career while still staying true to their creative vision?

Madelize: I am one of those artists, I’ve been lucky enough to have a job that pays the bills, so I can stay true to my creative vision.

I don’t think artists should change their vision, they should make art that speaks to them, and the right person will be interested in the art. One must never lose oneself to the commercial “monster”. Printmakers have the freedom to try various techniques and can create editions to sell. They have a big playing ground to voice their creativity.

Insights for Art Students

Deckle Edge: You’ve taught everywhere from Carinus Art Centre to the National Arts Festival—what are the most important lessons you’ve learned from teaching printmaking?

Madelize: Patience, Practice, Play.

I’ve had to simplify print techniques to make it more accessible to high school learners and workshop practitioners: Printmaking 101, as I refer to it.

I’m always surprised by how different people incorporate printmaking and their response to it. Biggest lesson I’ve learned is to be flexible and never stop learning.

Deckle Edge: How do you see printmaking as a bridge between different art forms? Could it add something special to a painter or sculptor’s practice?

Madelize: I’ve had many photography, sculpture and painting students come to the printmaking department. Some want to create large scale screen prints on material to combine with their sculptures, others want to print photographically on the offset press and monotypes are very popular with painters.

As a professional artist printmaking offers a new way of introducing your art to the market. Many artists will produce original prints (even if they aren’t printmakers) at a print studio. These prints could sell easily as it’s an edition and not priced as high as a singular sculptural work or painting.

Prints are also taking a leap in the art-market as its popularity grows.

Deckle Edge: How do you encourage students to experiment with materials and techniques? Is there a moment where you’ve seen someone break the rules in just the right way?

Madelize: We offer nine different print techniques for students to explore from first year through to third year in our Printmedia Department. Our third years’ work on their self -motivated project in semester two, and that’s when they tend to break all the rules. I’ve seen students print with sand, demolish an etching plate, use masking tape as a matrix, do transfers on a variety of materials, use their bodies and so much more. We encourage the students to break the rules, and the result is always phenomenal.

Deckle Edge: If you could go back to your own student days, is there anything you would do differently when it comes to exploring printmaking?

I think I would explore mixed media printing, where I incorporate the various techniques in one large image. I’ve always wanted to fill a room and present a story across the walls making use of all the techniques.

Learn more about Madelize van der Merwe’s inspiring work in printmaking, follow her on Instagram at @madelize_art. For more on The Printing Girls collective, visit their website at www.theprintinggirls.co.za and follow them on Instagram at @theprintinggirls. These platforms are a great resource for inspiration and insights into the vibrant world of South African printmaking.

*Tetra Pak printing involves using recycled cartons with a silver interior coating for intaglio or collagraph prints. Designs are transferred onto the surface, etched with various tools, and inked using soy-based intaglio inks. The prints are then pressed onto dampened paper, dried, and flattened under books before signing and trimming.

Step 1: Prepare the Tetra Pak: Clean and flatten a recycled juice or milk carton, then use etching tools to carve your design into the silver interior surface.

Step 2: Ink the Plate: Apply ink to the etched areas, wiping off any excess from the uncarved surfaces.

Step 3: Print the Design: Place the inked Tetra Pak onto damp paper and run it through a press to transfer the image onto the paper. Let it dry and enjoy your unique print!

*Register pins are small pins used in printmaking to help align multiple layers of a print accurately. They ensure that each layer or colour is placed in the exact same position on the paper, preventing any misalignment during the printing process.

*Lithography is a type of planographic printing, where the image and non-image areas are on the same flat surface. In this process, an oily design is drawn on a flat stone or metal plate, then treated so the oily areas attract ink while the rest repels it with water. The inked design is then pressed onto paper to create the print. Both methods rely on the fact that oil and water don’t mix.

Lithography comes from the Greek words “lithos” meaning “stone” and “graphia” meaning “writing.” This refers to the original method of drawing on a flat stone surface to create prints.

Planographic derives from the Greek word “plano,” meaning “flat,” and “graphia,” meaning “writing.” This describes the printing process where the image is on a flat surface, unlike relief or intaglio methods that use raised or engraved surfaces.

In both, the design stays on a level surface, with lithography being a specific example of a planographic process using oil and water to separate image and non-image areas.

A ferric chloride bath is a solution used in etching to corrode metal plates, creating grooves for ink in printmaking. The ferric chloride reacts with the exposed metal, allowing the artist to create detailed designs. It’s often used as a safer alternative to harsher acids in the etching process.

The term comes from:

• “ferric,” meaning “iron,” and
• “chloride,” from the Greek “chloros,” meaning “greenish-yellow,” referring to the colour of chlorine.

This bath helps create precise lines for printing without the dangers of stronger acids.