studio activity - collagraph print

Summer evening

Recently I made a return to collagraph plate printing. I am in admiration of the works of a many print-makers that I view online. Through social media I have been able to converse with a few of them. Our exchange of info has renewed an enthusiasm for again experimenting with the medium in my studio.

                                The image shown at the top of this blog post (Summer Evening) is the result of the combination of two mediums, those being monoprint and collagraph. The past couple of days I have printed a range of images off plates (anywhere from one up to three plates). The first few have been mostly printed to test the image produced by alterations to the plate surfaces.

Let's start at the beginning. The print began by making a free hand sketch referring to a photo I had taken in the late summer of 2013 during an evening on the shores of a lake where I was staying. I had the photo displayed on my tablet and reversed it using mirror image in my photo editing app. The plate would require imagery to be in reverse so that during printing it would reverse to the original direction.

I drew the landscape and foliage in graphite onto a piece of smooth mat board that was trimmed to 11.5 x 11.5 cm (4.5 x 4.5 inches). I went over the graphite with permanent black fine line marker. Using a scalpel blade I scored into the outline of the distant hills and the silhouette of a rock outcrop that would protrude into the water just in front of this. I carefully removed the first surface layer of paper from the board by lifting and pulling it slowly back. The core layer of the mat was exposed and left a slightly rough surface (that I wanted). 
Then I sealed both the surface and the back of the plate with a thin even coating of clear shellac using a 3/4 inch wide soft taklon paint brush and also by wiping the wet shellac across the plate surface with a soft lint free cloth.

the plate with the landscape and foliage would print as the key or main definition image.

here the plate shows the area that was cut with scalpel and surface paper removed for the distant hills and the outcrop of rock into the water.

When the shellac was dry I worked into the surface of the coated plate where the foliage areas were drawn using an xacto knife tip and a diamond tip drypoint tool. I then wiped black oil based etching ink on the plate surface and into all the areas below the surface. I polished the plate surface with newsprint and set a soaked + blotted scrap piece of cotton rag over top. I ran this on the press bed under the tightly set roller of etching press to see how it would print and pick up the fine line detail in the foliage areas.

I then made a second plate (using same size scrap of mat board as the first). This would be to produce an interesting cloud formation in the upper area over the hills area. To achieve this I first placed a piece of thin tracing paper over the print I had made from the first plate. Using HB graphite I sketched shapes that would hopefully read as cloud formations when the plate was worked. I flipped the sketch over with 4B graphite traced the lines showing through. I reversed the paper once again and set this over the second plate surface. I retraced the lines with regular graphite pencil so the heavier graphite underneath transferred to the plate surface. I cut into the plate surface using scalpel again and created recessed areas to contain ink and print darker. Then using a surface application of pva glue and acrylic gel medium dabbed on using a finger tip or small brush tip I randomly worked the viscous mediums around and into the cut recessed areas. These were allowed to dry and then I lightly sanded them back using a fine grit sanding block. Two layers of shellac were applied to the front and back of the plate. Once dry I wiped a bit of thinned prussian blue oil based etching ink into the plate surface and printed it on a small scrap of cotton rag that had been soaked and blotted. 

2nd plate with cloud formation created using combination additive and subtractive processes to the plate surface

detail showing removed surface and addition of gel and pva medium to create low relief shapes

thinned prussian blue oil based etching ink was wiped on the plate. The resulting print on paper.

I then re-inked both plates and printed them one after another onto another scrap of cotton rag to produce a 2 colour print. 

two colour plate print - testing proof


Combining Monoprint and Collagraph plates

I thought that instead of introducing colour in the usual manner I had been using (hand colouring with watercolour or liquid acrylic inks) it might instead be worth trying the addition of a third plate. It took a bit of pre-planning plus the use of small brayers but I was able to succeed in blending etching inks on an acrylic plate as a monoprint element. Due to the small size of the plate it proved to be a challenge to roll colour into small sections.  It requires a great deal of patience and practice I very quickly learned.

The above print was created using Akua Intaglio inks on soaked and blotted Canson Edition cotton rag. The inked was rolled out to a very thin transparent state on a plate cut from 2 mm acrylic sheet (a non-glare type used as an alternative to glass as protective cover over artwork in framed work). In addition to roll blending areas of ink were also removed from the plate surface carefully with gentle dabbing of the tips of cotton swabs.

a slightly thicker layer of blended ink for the monoprint background influenced the way ink from the 2nd plate printed over it.  The result created whispy blue tinted cloud formations

The real challenge with combining plates is accurate registration of each plate. If it is off ever so much the result can be disastrous in success of the print image on paper. I chose to set each of my plates down over the monoprint on paper using careful & steady hand/eye co-ordination. Each plate would set into the slight embossed lower area of the first plate print then would have to be flipped over and set on the press bed with the rag paper over top. I found using a thin piece of bristol card (same size as the print paper) helped provide a firm support to set the inked plates and paper on and made the turning over process a little less stressful. I did have one image off register though, but it was part of the learning process.

Anyhow my plans are to keep going with the edition and see how many prints the plates might yield.

Adult Workshop in Relief block print and Collagraph Thunder Bay Art Gallery

Last week I delivered a two part workshop in two printmaking techniques to ten participants. Relief block and collagraph were the focus. This was also a non-toxic workshop since all the materials we used didn't pose any health or enviromental concerns. This took place in the community activities room at our local art Gallery.
For the relief block component participants carved their designs into pieces of Eco-Karve made by Inovart.
The prints had Caligo Safe wash relief printing inks rolled onto their surfaces with soft rubber brayers. Each person had a simple registration system of a three hole punch press attached with duct tape to a base sheet of recycled core-plast sign material. Blocks were held in place with wood popsicle sticks taped onto the board using masking tape. Prints were made onto thin but strong Masa paper. The punch also acted as a pin system to hold the paper in place for additional blocks that could printed first and then the key block printed over top in alignment.

participants removing eco-karve material

with linocut tools to create relief surfaces

participant using rubbing tool burnishing the backside of Masa paper

that is set over top of an inked block . The boards I provided used

a makeshift 3 hole punch registration system to hold the paper in place.

The artists if they wanted had the opportunity to create multi-coloured

prints from registering several blocks and paper on the board .

single colour proof print made on newsprint

a Matisse inspired design

 a colour design on paper translated to block surface then to a two colour print

 prints set aside to dry along the wall

recycled cardboard trays for taking home wet prints

one participant was clever and masked off the central blossom area
in one of her prints with foil to print. She rolled on the first colour (green),
washed off her block and then carefully spot inked the blossom in red
and black. This gave her a three colour print off the one block surface.

The second technique explored was Collagraph. Participants were given a smorgasbord of materials to use to construct plates that included paper scraps, string, dried plant material, stuff from recycle bins, glues, acrylic gel mediums, modeling paste, water filter particulate, etc...
There wasn't enough time to seal the plates properly with shellac or acrylic medium so I sprayed them with an adhesive and put plastic food wrap over top. These were run through the press (with blankets over top) to both level the plate and mold the wrap over the collage elements.
Akua Intaglio inks were wiped, painted or rolled onto the plates and then after a bit of selective wiping dampened heavier rag paper was put over top. This was again passed under the top roller of the press and some very colourful collagraphs were made.

the instructor (yours truly) performing the task of leveling plates
seal with plastic food wrap while participants carve their relief blocks

 press printing station setup with small press, table in foreground
 was used as an area to adhere prints to boards with butcher tape

 example of a two colour collagraph created by participant using collage technique
and marks made into the mat board based plate

another student work from a plate that used a variety of materials

Participant with her colourful collagraph print on paper

prints were secured onto thin pieces of hardboard
with adhesive butchers tape to dry
this particular print had a dried maple leaf glued
in the center of the plate which picked up in print

Elementary School printmaking instruction

I have been active the past month in the role as an arts educator visiting grade five classes in a couple of elementary school classrooms here in the city of Thunder Bay.

This is through the Community Arts and Heritage Education Project or CAHEP. I have been actively getting placements in schools through this program since 2006.

This year the learners have been given the opportunity to learn relief block printmaking. Not only do they get to try a brand new visual arts technique but learn about the principles of design and explore colour theory in the process. This years theme for the program is Thinking Outside the Box.
Here is the Project Overview for the second and most recent venture:

Project Title: Construction

This project uses relief block printmaking as the basis for the creation of hand printed imagery that utilizes several stages of process from start to finish.
Learners were given the opportunity to use two surfaces to create a two colour print on paper.
One surface was left solid and the second surface was carved into using special cutting blades to produce a relief design. Prints were produced by using careful registration of paper and application of ink to both sides of a block in two separate printing sessions.
To begin, the learners were encouraged to think about and share dialogue revolving around the concept of the word structure. Using photo reference they focused on a particular section of either a manmade or nature made structure. They enlarged the chosen area and proceeded to develop it and construct a colour print that would allow it to be viewed in an entirely different way.
This is where adhering to the theme of “thinking outside of the box” came into play.
Learners were also challenged by utilizing the principles of design in their respective works of art. During the project they learned about such important areas such as line, shape, positive and negative space, rhythm, repetition, texture, composition, contrast to name but a few.
Using linoleum cutting tools they were able to carve their images into a soft composite material (softoleum).  Ink was applied to the relief surfaces using brayers and prints were made in two colour combinations on paper using traditional hand printing methods.
An emphasis was made on using complementary and split complementary colour combinations in the prints that would allow for real contrasts and impact in the images.
The students printed a solid colour square first and then the cut side of the block with their design was printed over top in a contrasting colour.

Materials used:
Softoleum blocks, linocutting tools, water based printing inks, soft rubber brayers, registration
boards, subi printmaking paper, rubbing sticks, spray adhesive, white foamcore board panels, spray adhesive

Individual panels contain 6 prints are stacked vertically with an overall measurement 25.4 cm (10 inches) in width by 101.6 cm (40 inches in height).
Each image explores the concept of structure in two colours.

The finished results have been very good. I have put together a display module where an equal number of prints (6) are affixed to a foamboard panel in a vertical format. Four of the panels will be hinged together into a four sided column and set on a table to allow for 360 degree viewing.

The results of these sessions will be presented to the public in a day in Feb. at a Community based Arts Fiesta held annually in our local auditorium. Then the works will continue as a display in a public space such as an art gallery or other public accesible space for a longer duration through the month of March.

Below are some photos that were taken during different stages of the projects.

cutting the softoleum using linocutters

 reference for the drawing on the block is from a colour rough sketch

water based Speedball inks applied to the block using a rubber brayer

that was rolled out onto brayer from plate glass surface

registration of block on simple cardboard with foamboard strip taped on top.

The paper is held in place with push pins and the paper is set over the inked block

and burnished using a plastic rubbing stick using constant pressure in a circular motion.

back to back prints hung to dry on a clothes line.

One of several stations set up for application of different colours of inks to the blocks.

zig zag design - orange printed over top of a solid violet square

detail from square print panel - spiral shell design printed in green over red (complementary colours)

another detail from a print panel

spider web study - yellow over top of a solid red square

four panels each with six prints that will be hinged together to create a four sided column display 

Each  print is 14 x 14.6 cm (5.5 x 5.75 inches) and there are a total of 24 prints in total. 

.