![]() Neither of the above is correct, even though even Roy Lichtenstein also committed this same rookie error. In the early days, Ben-Day dots were often used interchangeably, or it was assumed that Ben-Day dots were a type of halftone dots. For example, the dots found on the comics are not actually Ben-Day dots – at least not if you want to be completely correct about it. On the other hand, Roy Lichtenstein, as well as seen later, is probably the best-known pop artist to incorporate Ben-Day dots.īut the most intriguing thing about the Ben-Day dots is that a lot of what most of us know about them is wrong. ![]() The only well-known artist to use halftone dots was Sigmar Polke, who exaggerated their size to the extent that they are easily visible. During the chemical-etching phase of photoengraving, the metal printing plate would only keep the darker sections of a photo as a solid printing surface. Before the halftones technique was invented, there was no way for a photo to be transferred to a printing plate. Letterpress can print words set in metal type, a line drawing, or a solid block of colors (black or grey). Halftone screening became a necessity because it was impossible to print continuous grey tones by simple, inexpensive letterpress printing, which was majorly used throughout the 20th century to produce magazines, newspapers, comics, and packaging. They successfully create continuous grey tones. It offers a way to break up a continuously toned image made of shades of grey into thousands of small black and white dots.Įssentially, every photographic print is made up of numerous tiny dots that are irregular in form and greyness but are too little to be used in printing the photograph. The halftone dots were perfected in the late 1800s after a series of failed attempts at something closely related. In both techniques, the dots are arranged on a square grid, though Ben-Day dots are of the same sizes while halftone dots are of different sizes. However, Ben-Day dots were essentially inspired by halftone dots, which were mainly used in black and white in photographic and lithographic printing. The main difference between Ben-Day dots and Halftone Dots is that Ben-Day dots are usually of the same size and distribution in a particular area. Particularly, these overlay sheets were cut into different shapes and tonal regions, delivering shading once the image was reproduced photographically. But as cheaper and faster printing methods adapted toward mass consumption were invented, the dots became an alternative production technique in the world of art.īefore applying the Ben-Day dots, the artist would first get transparent overlay sheets, which came in various sizes and distribution, allowing for a broader range of shades, depth, and dimensionality when an image is rendered. Before the technique was applied to fine art, it was applied predominantly in comic books, comic strips, and newspapers. For instance, when yellow and cyan are overlapped, they create the color green, while when magenta dots are widely spaced, they create the color pink.īen-Day was first used in newspaper images, prompting the ensuing collaborative relationship between comics/newspapers and dots. Four primary colors are typically used in printing Ben-Day dots – yellow, black, cyan, and magenta.įrom these four, the artist can create the illusion of more shades and colors by printing either of the colors in small, spaced together dots, overlapping, or far apart. ![]() However, other shapes may also be used, including irregular effects, parallel lines, textures, or waved lines. In most publications, Ben-Day is often defined in relation to dots. To use this technique, small colored dots are widely spaced, closely spaced, or overlapping depending on the effect, color, and optical illusion you want to achieve.Īlthough they are widely known for playing an essential role in comic printing during the 20th century, Ben-Day dots were also significant in the work of American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. It was primarily used in color comic books between the 1950s and 1960s to produce the effects of shading and a secondary color without spending a lot of money. The technique was invented by illustrator and printer Benjamin Henry Day, whom it was named after, in 1879. The Ben-Day dots are tiny dots in different colors used in a commercial printing technique.
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