Collagraph - collage plate print

I am currently working a small series of collagraph prints which are a combination of intaglio and relief printing surfaces.

The untitled work pictured above represents streams of water, one passing through a channel in rock and the other flowing over a ledge.

I may apply a bit of hand tinting to one of the proofs to see how the image might be affected. Another option is to dab small areas of colour ink to the plate using an a la poupée technique where ink is dabbed on with tiny bundles of cloth and selectively wiped. Poupée comes from the french word for dollies or dauber.

The base plate is a piece of tagboard to which I have applied glue and affixed elements such as thin pieces of scratchfoam (styrofoam product), living organic materials such as grasses and conifer needles, more cardboard and the odd scrap of fabric. Then acrylic based modeling paste was added using a brush and worked with the brush tip to create interesting textures. The rule of thumb is that anything with a low relief (and will not damage your roller) can be attached to the plate which is then sealed with varnish.

Here I have worked into the styrofoam with a needle and also by pressing coarse grit sandpaper and burnishing it to leave impression marks in the styrofoam surface to replicate the pocky texture found in igneous rock that is commonly found in the region where I reside.

Ink is applied and wiped into the lower recessed areas and also applied using a roller to the surface relief areas.

In this particular image I have applied one colour of oil based ink that coated the entire plate and then I carefully wiped away off surfaces using tarlatan (starched cheesecloth), tissue and old phone book pages.

I soaked a piece of 250 gsm rag printmaking paper for about 20 min. in lukewarm water then blotted it between pieces of newsprint and tissue until it was ever so slighty damp to the touch. The plate was set onto my etching press bed, the paper placed over top and then two layers of wool felts over that. It was passed under the rollers using a fairly tight squeeze (as the plate is a bit higher it doesn't require the same amount of pressure as that of metal plate etching).

Liking how the ink deposits into the recesses and with selective wiping creates a look similar to an etching with aquatint.

Water pool - along Superior (Solar plate print)

Water Pool - along Superior

solar plate print with hand colouring

Image size 5 x 7 in. (12 x 18 cm)

paper size 8 x 10 in. (20 x 25 cm)

variable edition of 24

I used one of my photos as reference to draw a rough which led to the creation of the print.


Pictured above is the second stage on frosted drafting film from original sketch done in pen and ink and fine point marker with washes applied using thinned down india ink. The first rough sketch in pencil on paper was placed underneath the drafting film and was used as a guide to apply the washes first. Once these were dry I then added in the linework and dots with pen and ink. This was then scanned at 600 d.p.i. on my scanner and printed in grayscale onto an inkjet transparency.
Exposed the transparency onto a 5 x 7 inch solar plate using the double exposure method, first stage being the aquatint screen exposure followed by the grayscale positive. The aquatint screen acts like a halftone to pick up the lighter elements in gray from the image so as not to get a high contrast effect.

Printed on Canson Edition 250 gsm off white with Graphic Chemical Bone black ink. Colour was added using washes of watercolour.

Elementary School Art - Collagraph prints from Nature

untitled

collagraph print

water based ink on rag paper

plate size 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 inches)

I recently was contacted by a Gr. 5 elementary school teacher in Thunder Bay expressing interest in having me come and undertake a printmaking based project with his class.

This is for a program called Artists in the Fifth. This program has been up and running for the past few years where grade five students and their teachers in regional schools choose to bring in actual working artists (visual, musicians, dance and movement, writers,etc..) to the classroom and the children work directly with us on unique and exciting projects designed around particular themes. The results of these projects are then presented to the local community in a one day showcase called An Arts Fiesta which takes place every Feb. at our local community auditorium. The participating schools with the students and teachers are in attendance as are the artists who have come into their classes. In addition the public and local media are invited to come and participate.

The visual art creations are displayed on panels or hung on the walls while music, spoken word and movement pieces are performed on stage.
The theme this year for the program is Design by Nature.

The class I will be working with decided they would like to explore collagraph printmaking and so I decided to create an example print that illustrates what can be achieved.

For this particular study I incorporated natural materials found in nature such as leaves, blades of grass, conifer needles. These were adhered to a thin paper plate with PVC glue. I also added in some background texture to the plate by working a thin layer of acrylic gel medium in with a paint brush. When everything was dry and the gel had hardened I coated both sides of the plate with acrylic latex house paint. This helps to seal and waterproof and keep the tension equal on both sides of the plate.








I then applied waterbase printing ink to the plate surface by painting it on with a brush, dabbing it into recesses with sponge foam brush or small bundles of material. The ink was then wiped with rags or worked with my fingers until I felt it had reached a point where it was ready to print onto paper.
As the waterbase ink was starting to dry I applied a fine mist of water spray to the plate surface and also to the one side of the paper which was then set over top of the plate. Both plate and paper were set on the bed of an etching press and a rubber blanket was placed over top of the plate/paper. I passed the works under the roller of the press (it was set for a bit of a squeeze) but not as much pressure as one would require to print a etched thin metal plate.

Notice how the combination of pressure and ink picks up the fine structures found in each object especially the leaves and the cedar needles. This is a direct example of designs created by Nature as they are observed in the actual materials used. I have taken the natural components and arranged them in such a way to teach the students about composition, colour, texture and
the like.

Applying colour into a solar plate print

Lichen Formation

solar plate print with hand colour

edition size of 40

2009

I finally got around to applying a bit of colour to this work which was originally featured back in my Feb. postings (without any colour application). This was derived from a photo I took and that was converted to a positive transparency and exposed onto a solar plate. Using my homemade UV exposure unit I used a two step process where the plate was first pre-exposed for about 3 minutes to a fine dot aquatint screen followed by an equal length exposure of the grayscale positive. Both the screen and the transparency positive were sandwiched tightly under a 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick piece of clear glass on top of the plate which was set on a dense piece of foam and wooden baseboard using plastic shop spring clamps.
The plate was developed using tepid water in a photo developing tray and using gentle scrubbing of the polymer surface with a soft bristle tooth brush.

It was then blotted quickly with newsprint and dried with warm air from a portable hand held hair dryer. The polymer was then set under the unit for about 10 min for a post exposure to cure (or harden) the surface coating.

I then inked the plate as you would a traditional etching and using Graphic Chemical Intense black oil base ink printed it into a slightly damp piece of Somerset Velvet 250 gsm off white rag paper.

The print was adhered onto a piece of board using gum backed butchers tape. I had set some aside into a storage bin in the studio and a few days back rediscovered those so decided to apply hand tint into the piece by first wetting the areas to receive colour and then allowing watercolour wash to bleed into the white areas of the paper to apply the colour tint effect.

late summer journey along Lake Superior

I had a couple of good friends visiting from out of town so my partner and I decided to take some time off and treat them to a few excursions to wilderness places around the region. Needless to say with the entertaining did not accomplish too much in the studio the past few weeks however the time has come to return to my work.

Here are a few photo highlights taken during these journeys.

small hand coloured etchings - regional studies

This is another recent work which was printed from a solar plate. The image features sailboats in Thunder Bay harbour with the famous Sleeping Giant geographical outcrop visible in the distance. I created the clouds by first blocking out the paper with masking frisket and applying washes of watercolour. Each individual print has a unique sky and cloud formation.

Title: Summer

Medium: solar plate with hand colour (variable edition)

Plate size: 8 x 8 cm (3 x 3 inches)

Paper size: 15 x 15 cm ( 6 x 6 in)

Edition size: 50

2nd relief engraving - The Wild Rose (a botanical print)

This botanical study of a wild rose blossom is a working proof printed from a small 1.5 x 2.75 inch resingrave block. I was using it as an exercise to practice cutting with a variety of engraving tools. I also received a small sample tube of Gamblin oil relief printing ink from McClain's and so had the opportunity to try it out with the block.

The first image is simple black ink proof printed on white paper. Below that is a hand tinted version that incorporates watercolour.

The image began as a drawing made onto an black india ink coated resingrave block surface with a fine point silver gel marker. Then using a variety of engraving tools I cut away the silver lines (but some non-drawn line cuts were made spur of the moment on the block).

A tip I learned from wood engraver/author George Walker's book The Woodcut Artist's handbook is to brush some chalk or white talcum powder into the cut lines as this will help the relief to become more visible while working on the dark block.

I have printed several proofs so far on a variety of different papers that include Gampi, Kozo, Somerset velvet rag and Arches cover buff.

The block was printed onto the papers using a cardboard tympan set over top and passed under the top roller of my small table top etching press that was adjusted to print using a slight pressure.

final version of an earlier work

Shore

relief block with hand colour

edition size: 40

image size: 2.75 x 3.5 in.

I printed the original key block (cut from the Easy to Cut material) using black ink onto a piece of waterproof drafting film. While the ink was still wet I then carefully by eye aligned it onto an equal size piece of battleship linoleum. Then the image was transferred to the lino surface using hand burnishing with the back of a wooden spoon (rubbing the backside of the drafting film in a firm yet gentle circular motion.)

Once the ink had dried on the surface of the lino the black line image was used as a cutting guide (the transfer from the drafting film allowed the design to be positioned on the new block in the same directional layout as the original easy to cut block). I decided to incorporate a thin line border around the design for this version.

Another difference this time is that the print is derived from a single block. Colour has been added into the print with watercolour painted in by hand.

19 of the edition are slated as exchange prints with fellow printmakers through the WetCanvas printmaking forum.

Wilderness - new series of works on paper

Late Afternoon - Algoma woods
drypoint intaglio from an acrylic plate
edition of 10
2009

A study from a new series of 24 prints I have titled Wilderness. Each image in this series is a depiction of some aspect of the untouched beauty found in the region of Canada I call home and have explored at different stages during my life to date. Some of the work focuses on landscapes, others portray flora and fauna in their natural habitats. I also explore different seasons and times of day.
Late Afternoon - Algoma woods is a single colour (monochromatic) drypoint that was created by drawing into an acrylic plate using a sharp steel needle. Ink was wiped into the recessed lines and the plate was printed into dampened rag paper under extreme high pressure forcing the paper fibers into the recessed lines to pick up ink while it was passed through the rollers of my hand turned etching press.
I will be posting more studies from the series as they are photographed.

Elementary School Art - Teaching Relief Printmaking in the schools

I recently completed a 25 hour placement in a regional school where the students learned to make multiple colour relief landscape and other prints. This was my first solo venture as an arts educator into the educational system through the Artist in Education program which is offered to schools by the Ontario Arts Council. I have been active through another program here in Thunder Bay called Community Arts and Heritage Education Project (CAHEP) for the past three years running where projects I've offered have been selected by teachers/schools. Usually the time committment is much shorter for these in comparison to the OAC projects.

http://www.arts.on.ca/index.aspx

http://www.cahep.ca/

For this project the students learned relief printmaking from scratch and were given the opportunity to create a series of square format landscape colour prints.

Below are a couple of photos showing a few of the finished prints displayed in a horizontal panoramic type format.

To view a PDF file that gives the project overview and also includes a photo montage of particular stages of this project click on the following link:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7910101&postcount=8

the pdf file can be opened by clicking on the blue underlined text link which is located underneath the photos on the page.