Professor Stephen Hoskins has been awarded University Impact Acceleration funds for a project to recreate a long forgotten recipe for non-drying black (press black) ink used in stone lithography.

Stone lithography is still widely practiced around the world in fine art printmaking. There are over 1,600 undergraduate programmes teaching printmaking in the USA alone. Almost all of these have stone lithographic facilities. Art Lithographic studios can be found in countries as diverse as China, Mexico, Australia and Japan. In fact, it is almost impossible to name a country that does not host a number of lithographic studios for professional practitioners. Since around 2014 the premier ink product, known as ‘Noir a Monter’ has no longer been manufactured to the same recipe. The impact of creating a replacement ink would not only be international but secure the future of stone lithography for artists.

Early in 2024 Professor Stephen Hoskins will work with Cranfield Colours (the largest global manufacturer of specialist inks for artists) to recreate an ink with all the properties of the traditional product and will run a seminar, both in person and online, for fine art printmakers to gain a broader overview of user’s requirements for a new non-drying black ink – if you are interested in taking part please email us.