Project 11: Making a test collage block

To start this project I raided by 'texture box' which I have been keeping since I started the course and used various textures for making monotypes. I also wandered around the house looking for things which might create an interesting texture when fixed to a collagraph plate. 

For the base plates I used the thick cardboard from the back of some art paper pads. These were A3 in size. Although I created A3 sized plates, I would later realise that I was running short of large sheets of printmaking paper. I would not be able to order any more until payday at the end of the month so it was necessary to cut my plates in half, forming A4 sized plates. I sealed my plates with spray-on acrylic varnish. 

In the course notes, there were instructions for relief printing the plates by hand. However, in the research I had done, most of the prints which I like were printed by an intaglio method (inking and wiping, printing only the ink which remains trapped in the textures). I think that the course has  been specifically designed to allow people to complete it without having access to a press. Given that I now have my own press and am keen to use it I decided to intaglio print my plate as well as intaglio with relief rolling over the top. 

I used the small (low quality) felt I had from the FOME school press to protect the felt blankets on my new press from being damaged by the collagraph plates. 

Print 1: Intaglio. Clockwise from top left. Foil,
cork tile, nylon mesh, handmade paper,
sewing thread, various fabrics, plastic potato net,
plastic tarpaulin, printer paper, 'wundaweb'

Plate 1: Anti-clockwise from top right. Foil,
cork tile, nylon mesh, handmade paper, 
sewing thread, various fabrics, plastic potato net,
plastic tarpaulin, printer paper, 'wundaweb'

The same plate as above printed with  a ghost of the intaglio
inking in blue with a relief rollover in black

The relief and intaglio modes of printing give different qualities to the prints and pick up different features of the textured materials. The subtle textures on the crumpled foil and the cork tile showed up well on the intaglio inking whereas the mesh fabrics and netting held too much ink (maybe I didn't wipe it enough as I was scared of loosening the collaged items). These textures showed up much better with the ghost of the intaglio ink and the relief rollover. I also like the halo effect around the cotton thread on this one. 

Print 2: Clockwise from top left - paper ring reinforcers and metal washers,
onion skin, various papers, wallpaper, dried camomile, rolled oats,
masking tape, hessian and threads from hessian

Plate 2: Anti-clockwise from top right - paper ring reinforcers and metal washers, 
onion skin, various papers, wallpaper, dried camomile, rolled oats, 
masking tape, hessian and threads from hessian

The same plate as above printed with  a ghost of the intaglio
inking in blue with a relief rollover in black

The wallpaper worked very well with the intaglio inking as did the paper ring reinforcers. The metal washers were a bit too proud and made me worry about damaging the press - they created a marked emboss on the paper and they were left with a halo of white around them. I could potentially eliminate that by cutting a recess into the plate before placing them in order to make them less proud of the surface. 

The highly textured items on the bottom row (hessian, rolled oats and camomile plant material) all held too much ink and I found them disappointing on the first intaglio print. However, when most of the intaglio ink had been removed on the first pass through the press, a relief rollover in black revealed their textures quite nicely. The opposite was true for the ring reinforcers and the wallpaper which were almost obliterated by the relief inking. 

Print 3: Clockwise from top left - circles of paper from a hole punch, wallpaper,
mesh tape, rough masking tape and crumpled tissue, corrugated cardboard,
scraps of lino carved out of a block, polo-shirt fabric, rough string

Plate 3: Anti-clockwise from top right - circles of paper from a hole punch, wallpaper,
mesh tape, rough masking tape and crumpled tissue, corrugated cardboard,
scraps of lino carved out of a block, polo-shirt fabric, rough string

Print from the same plate as above with the ghost of the green intaglio
inking and a relief rollover in indigo

For the third print, I used a bright green which I mixed with some extender to make it a bit more translucent as well as a small amount of linseed oil jelly to make it easier to wipe. Once again, the more highly textured items such as the mesh took up too much ink but less marked textures such as the wallpaper and corrugated card printed well in intaglio. I did a rollover of indigo after the first pass through the press. I really like this colour combination of the pale green with the indigo. The textures really popped out with this rollover. The most disappointing element was the string. I had hoped to see the texture of it more clearly but it really just gathered a lot of ink in a halo around it because it stands proud of the plate and has a circular cross section. 

Print 4: Clockwise from top left - crushed eggshells, bulgur wheat, woven placemat,
kitchen roll, feathers, wallpaper, stiff lace, lentils

Plate 4: Anti-clockwise from top right- crushed eggshells, bulgur wheat, woven placemat,
kitchen roll, feathers, wallpaper, stiff lace, lentils

Print from the same plate as above with the ghost of the green intaglio
inking and a relief rollover in indigo

I had hoped that the crushed eggshells would give a 'crackle glazed' or cracked, parched earth type of effect but they didn't really although the texture was reasonably interesting. The lentils were not cooperative - they were difficult to stick to the plate and even after a few layers of lacquer they were still coming off as I wiped the plate. The bulgur wheat was interesting but I'm not sure how I would use the halo effect it creates in practice. The wallpaper works well on both prints as do the textures of the woven placemat and the kitchen roll. I was disappointed with the feathers and the lace. It was very difficult to wipe around the lace so too much ink collected there. The feathers got clogged up with the PVA I used to put them on the plate - maybe spray mount and spray lacquer would work better for their delicate texture. However, only small feathers would be worth trying because the large quills would cause problems in larger feathers. 

What I learnt:

• Textural materials don't always print as you expect them to so it is best to try them before committing yourself 
• Textured wallpaper works well with intaglio printing
• Intaglio inking is best for picking up subtle textures on thin materials
• Highly textured items are difficult to wipe when printing intaglio, they tend to accumulate too much ink
• Highly textured materials show up better when relief inked. 
• Intaglio and relief inking can produce interesting results when combined on a single plate
• Selective inking in different ways on different parts of the plate could be an option
• objects that sit markedly proud of the plate cause deep embossing and a halo of white around them
• I could try to get round this by recessing the plate before applying thicker materials

I am enjoying this process of discovery and it has prompted me to read more about collagraph techniques and to try some more experimental plates before moving on.