Copyright 2022 Sylvie Covey
My Books
learning about printmaking
After working as a printmaker for many years in the U.S., I felt the need to write a book on the current techniques of Modern Printmaking, particularly with an American contribution in history, processes, and materials.
I have always viewed Photoshop as a great tool to add and further techniques in all visual arts. Learning the Photoshop program has become indispensible to all graphic artists.
Available for Purchase
Modern Printmaking:
A Guide to Traditional
and Digital Techniques
This book is a fully illustrated instructional printmaking book presenting step-by-step examples alongside representative works from thirty top contemporary printmaking artists.
Printmaking is flourishing in the digital age, appealing to both “traditional” artists as well as those interested in graphic design and digital technique. This all-in-one guide to printmaking technique is a complete technical and inspirational book on the history and contemporary processes for relief, intaglio, lithography, serigraphy, mixed media/transfers, and post digital graphics, with extended profiles of a wide range of contemporary printmakers. Featuring instruction, interviews, example images, and philosophy, this beautiful book provides a truly modern look at printmaking today, in all its forms.
Hardcover, 320 pages. Published by Watson & Guptill, a division of Penguin/Random House. Release date 2016.
After etching a copper plate, inking and wiping it, several shapes of color paper are cut and placed on the inked plate, with glue face up. Another thin brown paper is placed, glue face up, on the whole plate; the final dampened printing paper covers it all. The final print sandwiches all the papers together.”
The design is drawn by a CNC router, one color at a time. The final print is cut from the larger sheet of 16 repeated designs.
The artist cuts and prints multiple woodblocks to achieve a sophisticated portrait.
The author at the MOMA bookstore.
The artist paints with ferric chloride on a copper plate coated with melted rosin, to achieve various tones.
View the slideshow below.
Available for Purchase
Available for Purchase
Photoshop For Artists:
Enrich, Enhance, and Transform Your Art with the Magic of Photoshop
“Photoshop For Artists” 2012, (Watson & Guptill, a division of Random House) is a book Sylvie Covey wrote specifically for artists painters, photographers and printmakers, to address all the techniques and special effects to all wanting to learn Photoshop tools and techniques relevant for their artwork.
After the technical introduction to Photoshop, it allows an artist to take ideas from the tutorials and apply them to their own work and imagery. It is important to know that Photoshop, a computer program, is a great tool for many artists , and that you can use it as you please, as much and only when it serves you well. I have learned it is extremely useful for a visual artist today.
Photoshop is useful for color separations needed to expose photo lithographic plates.
A combination of real painting with Photoshop is used in a montage to create special effects.”
This tutorial demonstrates the use of several layers and masks to transform a monochrome image into a full color creation.
Adobe Photoshop offers an exciting entry into a new world of limitless color, textures, and effects that can be applied with just the touch of a keyboard or click of a mouse. Still you have to use your sensitivity and wisdom as an artist to work with Photoshop, as it is only a tool. I have written my book so that it is relevant no matter what version of Photoshop you have. My book is to be forever, it will work with any version you have or will have later. My book is intended for serious artists—painters, photographers and printmakers—and shows a comprehensive series of tutorials, cataloguing the various tools, techniques, and methods for producing an infinite variety of creative imagery with Photoshop.With thirty one tutorials divided in sections for fine artists painters, photographers and printmakers, this book contains easy to follow step-by-step examples that include all the information serious professional artists need to master the digital art techniques of Photoshop. Each tutorial features screenshots and detailed directions so artists can see exactly how the specific effects are achieved and applied to artwork. Featuring stunning and dramatic imagery produced by the author and other accomplished artists, Photoshop For Artists is essential reading for artists looking to take their work to the next digital level.”
Available for Purchase
Photoshop for Artists book signing event, ASL 2012, Susan Cirigliano, the author, Michael Pellettieri, Francisco Feliciano.