Drawn on transfer paper and transferred to stone direct.
The technical difficulties to be overcome in Lithography are very great; to the unpractised they seem insuperable: the magic of handling acquired by long-continued practice in the use of the materials, as seen in good examples, exhibits a degree of technical skill which the amateur may not hope to rival. To draw with the pen or small sable pencil with the requisite degree of fineness of line of the expert, and with the precision and apparent freedom of the accomplished artist, is a thing of difficult attainment. This is a disadvantage to artists generally, who are obliged to entrust the translation of their drawings to the professional lithographer—not always with a satisfactory result(!)
Grained or Textured Paper, of which there are many varieties specially made with a chalky surface for photo-lithography, are now much used, on which the artist makes his drawing in litho-chalk or suitable black lead pencil. As the knife point may be used to scrape out lights on the chalky surface, it admits of very effective work for pictorial illustrations. A photo-litho transfer is then put to stone, or a process block made from it, as may be required. Drawings made on this prepared textured paper with lithographic chalk may also be transferred to stone direct, and printed from. Extreme beauty and fineness are, however, gained by the photo-reduction.
Very beautiful Pictorial and Heraldic Ex Libris have been executed by the lithographic process, hardly to be distinguished from plate engraving.
Engraved Plates may have transfers taken from them and printed from stone. A number of examples, with explanatory titles, are given of the various modes of lithographic and photo-lithographic reproduction.
Drawn on transfer paper and transferred to stone direct.