The Relationship between Drawing and Printing making in the Renaissance; Italian Renaissance Drawing: Design, Form and Function

The extent to which print-making influenced drawing and vice-a-versa, and the transition between drawing and print-making is evident. The late 15th C saw the establishment of printing firms in trading cities such as Rome and Antwerp. Drawings were regularly commissioned from well-known masters expressly to be etched or engraved for sale. We will look at this relationship and their influence on each other and how changes in printmaking changed the way drawings were executed. Beginning with the early development of the woodcut, niello and intaglio processes, alighting on key draughtsmen and their contributions. We will also look at types of drawing which became suited to printing, why certain methods of drawing were not suited to print production, and those types of drawing that directly affected print production.