Austin just graduated this past December from Colorado State University with a Fine Arts degree and wants to work as a print maker. We met at one of the coffee shops I frequent where he worked as a barista during college. I was privilege to take a few images of him as he made prints at the lab on campus. Of course this one was taken after the print was made and therefore the happy grin on his face. I think he likes it.

If you’re not familiar with print making here is some info on it from Wikipedia. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints that have an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Each print produced is not considered a “copy” but rather is considered an “original”. This is because typically each print varies to an extent due to variables intrinsic to the printmaking process, and also because the imagery of a print is typically not simply a reproduction of another work but rather is often a unique image designed from the start to be expressed in a particular printmaking technique. 

Prints are created by transferring ink from a matrix or through a prepared screen to a sheet of paper or other material. Common types of matrices include: metal plates, usually copper or zinc, or polymer plates for engraving or etching; stone, aluminum, or polymer for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts and wood engravings; and linoleum for linocuts.