Begin your printmaking journey by starting with a scratchboard. These help beginners learn some of the basic printmaking tooling techniques and help veterans polish the techniques they already know. A scratchboard consists of a piece of white material covered in an ink-like black substance. Use small, pointed, pen-like objects to scratch away the ink revealing an image below. It’s a pretty versatile medium, so you can make most pictures look decent with time and patience. Some classic ideas include jungles scenes and animals.
Woodcuts are one of the oldest forms of printmaking. Like scratchboards, you remove the unwanted areas from the image you want to create; only in this case you chisel them out of a wood block. Learning how to make detailed woodcuts can take years of practice. Start with black ink on white paper; this will give you an understanding of the different tones and how they work. Common ideas used in black-and-white woodcuts include portraits and basic still-life pictures. For example, a picture of a flower or a bowl of fruit makes a nice beginner's still-life. Most beginner wood cuts look angular and pointy, but you can use this to your advantage and create an abstract-looking picture.
Monotype printmaking is fast and simple. Spread patterns of ink onto a piece of Plexiglas or metal plate. Remove select areas of ink with cotton swabs to create designs or images. Many printmakers compare monotypes with the process of painting. You have a lot of freedom with this medium as it is loose and easy to work with. Starting out, you can do abstract designs and patterns in black-and-white ink. As you progress, try creating a portrait or dark landscape with black-and-white ink; this will give you a feel for the pros and cons of monotype and help you determine how to create a range of tonal values.
You can do many interesting black-and-white prints using the intaglio etching method. This method of printmaking involves using a sharp metal scribe to scratch images into a sheet of metal and then etching the scratches into the metal with acid. The process involves more preparation than woodcuts, scratchboard or monotype, but it allows the artist a greater range of detail. Most intaglio artists take advantage of this property and do very detailed pieces. Common themes that show up in black and white etchings include machinery, buildings and portraits.