Collagraphs:
These are a lot of fun to make, and the results are always surprising.
All you need is PVA, lacquer, and anything you can flatten out and stick down. Those shown below have been made with post-it notes, glue, denim, and a cut up cardboard box.
Lithograph:
Shown below is the print (or lithograph) from an aluminium lithograph plate. The image is made by drawing it with a waxy crayon and then going through a series of processes that allow the image to be printed numerous times, using the principles of water and oil separation. With computer trickery I have erased the greasy thumbprint that I accidentally made during the process.
Apple in Plastic
Etchings:
The below etchings were made using the rather unhealthy method of using bitumen paint grounds. The 3 iterations shown below are the initial etching, the same stage of the plate printed in relief, and the final one is after having created a tone with spray paint aquatint.
The below print is a larger scale print (55x34 cm copper plate) using the same method as the above print. The aquatinting was repeated 4 times to attain the different shades, and the barrier tape is hand coloured with watercolour.
The beginnings of an artist's book
I am now looking at which print methods to marry with my idea for an artist's book. It will be a series of portraits of prisoners, taken from mug shots. I am looking at methods which allow for quick expressive drawing.
1st experiment: lino
These two prints were made using and unusual lino technique. The images were first painted with bitumen paint, and then bitten with caustic soda. The paint resists the acid, so when the paint is removed, the surface which was painted remains intact.
2nd experiments: monotypes
After spending half a day etching and coming to a dead end, as often happens, I tried my hand at a more immediate technique. I simply scraped etching ink on the back of a copper plate I'd been using, and created a drawing with the edge of the scraper and screwed up paper. Expecting the ink to "smush" and spread when put through the press, I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case, and that detail had been retained. Also, the dark and moody effect produced suited the subject matter very well. I produced a couple more the following week.
