The last day of the course came around far too soon for my liking. Now we had practiced a few different processes we could choose what we wanted to do for the final session. I choose to concentrate on collagraphs as I hadn't had much time the previous session and I wanted more practice at inking up the plates whilst there was people around to ask for advice.
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| Blind embossment of plate 2 ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec |
I started with a blind embossing (printing without ink) of plate 2 (from the previous post) on dampened NOT watercolour paper. The plate was given a fine coating of French Chalk to stop it from laminating the paper to the plate before going through the press.
This plate was made using a mixture of plastic lace and cotton lace. I like the details that are picked up and think it would have worked even better if I had used a smooth paper. It just goes to show the amount of pressure the press is using as the lace on the right really was a very fine cotton piece and yet every detail has come out.
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| A/P I of plate 2 ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec |
For the first inking of the plate I used a relief technique trying to only apply the colour to the raised surfaces and keeping the indentations free to show the white of the paper. Strictly speaking there is too much ink left on the plate when I put it through the press so the image is quite dark but it does have a nice contrast with the light. I just like images a bit more subtle in tone...
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| A/P II of plate 2 ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec |
Next I applied the ink with a toothbrush working it in to all the nooks and crannies using a more intaglio method of inking . A piece of scrim was used to wipe off the excess ink and finally a piece of tissue paper and a cotton bud to polish up a couple of highlights. But still......too much ink left on the plate! I hadn't taken off enough ink on the right hand cotton lace. The plastic lace is much easier to wipe ink off than the cotton, something I have made a mental note off for future reference.
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| A/P III of plate 2 ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec |
For experiments sake I ran it through the press a second time without adding any more ink. In some ways I prefer the more smokey faded images of a second run through the press.
Comparing the two methods of inking a collagraph plate is interesting and I think an experiment later using the two methods with different colours combined will make for interesting passages in an image.
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| Collagraph plate 2 ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec |
This was the plate after all that inking and printing a little cleaned up.
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| A/P I beach study collagraph ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec |
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| beach study collagraph plate ©2015Lisa Le Quelenec |
This was my attempt at playing with an image using sand, glue and packing tape for textures. Whilst the print isn't really anything to speak of I really like the plate. Maybe I will work into it as a mixed media piece. Alas I ran out of time to do more. I need much more practice at this and have already signed up for the autumn term - something to look forward to.
Thank you Jan for a great course I have thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so that I have signed up for the Autumn term!
3 comments:
I've enjoyed watching your experiments with the different printing techniques and always like the plates, too. I know you'll do more of these, with or without a press.
The lace prints are lovely. I especially like the blind embossing and I too, like the subdued feel of the last lace print with little ink on the plate.
The collograph of the beach is lovely. You inspire me to do more work with collographs as they can be so interesting and with so many different textures to use.
Hi Rhonda, thank you. I've invested in a small press and we are getting to know each other at the moment. It is very different to the one that I used at the college but results so far have been ok. More to come.
Hi Jeanette, thank you. I will look forward to seeing yours. I think they would make a nice addition to your palette knife paintings in an exhibition together.
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