Introducing collograph printing through abstraction.
Collography – a process that uses materials to build a design on a plate which is then inked either in relief, intaglio or both, before printing. Different tones and depths of colour can be created by using different materials and levels and layers of ink within the process.
This is the part of the course that I have been waiting for, not only for the chance to make my own printing plates but also an opportunity to explore abstraction as part of the course. I have always liked the work of such artists as Klee, Kadinsky, Picasso & Solar; as a bit of a doodler with penchant for geometric shape, especially circles, and someone who likes ‘pops’ of bright colour, their styles and colour use have always appealed to me along with the exploration and jouneys that these works take me on. Myself, despite wanting to I’ve never have I been able to look at something and abstract, or, move on with my monochrome doodles that are made during work meetings and always end up in the bin. Now it’s my chance to explore and hopefully learn how to apply myself to this art form.
Making a test collograph block
I brainstormed a list of materials that I could use for this test block and chose 16 that I thought I would find interesting, give good marks or even be a challenge to work with: A selection that included natural and synthetic items, fabrics and industrial tools or aids.
Fabric with stitches; Sandpaper; Torn / Frayed Fabric; Washers; Feather; Pasta; Tile File; Woodchips; Plastic Beads; Sponge; Hessian Sack; Pine Needles; Lace; Velcro pads (hooks); Cherry Tree Bark; Bubble Wrap.
Considering my composition I laid the materials out in blocks of mixed and contrasting textures on an A3 plate.
With damp paper I began by handprinting in relief. I still have use of the etching press, but couldn’t work out how to remove the parts to make it print with an A3 plate.
This is print 2. Some of the marks are interesting others not so. Unfortunately, there is some movement of the paper and the 2 bottom left blocks are blurred.
Solid objects such as the washers and pasta are much as I expected, a replica of what they are, clean and solid.
The sandpaper has a variety of marks dependent on whether the ink was lifted from a used or un-used area.
The feathers have left some lovely delicate wispy marks, think seaweeds, forest backdrops, grasses.
The stitched fabric has not worked as expected, maybe the stitches are to uniform. However, in contrast, the frayed fabric shows textures of the fabric weave and torn wispy threads. The pattern of the lace is beginning to come to a fore and will hopefully become stronger as more ink is added to the plate.
Print 5 – The plate is beginning to disintegrate and I rolled red ink on top of the already orange inked plate rather than try and clean it.
Bubble Wrap – the pressure from applying the ink and lifting the prints bursts the bubbles, consequently the roller tears at the loose plastic and pulls it away from the plate.
The Sponge – is falling off, I knew this would be a difficult if not impossible material to work with but an inquiring mind has at least tried.
The Beads – come off when inked with the roller or cleaned with cloth.
I am still getting movement of the paper when lifting a print and I have also noticed that the plate is becoming warped and bending at the corners.
Despite my woes, and after all this is an experiment, I like the effects that my 2 chosen colours are producing. In this example the textures of the sandpaper are quite striking and the feathers and fabrics continue to give delicate wispy marks.
Print 6 – I have tried to use the press, but have realised that although it says A3 this refers to paper size not plate size.
I struggled to get the roller height correct and the paper / plate has moved, possibly the roller height is not correct, or, there is to much height difference in the materials that I have used.
As well as ink, the materials have been pushed into and indented the paper, adding another texture dimension, and with the beads has left some deep almost 3D marks.
Print 9 – I am suprised at how well the remains of the plate are holding up, I gave it a good clean, removed more loose items and then inked it intaglio and again tried the press.
Where I have cleaned too much ink off some of the harder materials (pasta and washers) the print is soft and faded. I have lost texture detail on the sandpaper, but the fabrics reveal the organic nature of unravelled thread and the feathers with their changing textures are exciting to look at, well for me!
I have noticed on this print, and a couple of others, that although the plate has been left to dry for over a week there are some gooey blobs of varnish transfering to the prints.
I took the decision to cut my plate in half and carefully clean what I could. A lot of red ink was left on the lace and feather sample despite the varnish coating and further cleaning. Little remained of the bubble wrap but the PVA I had used was leaving marks in its place. (Right hand-prints are all ‘ghosts’ of the left print)
Relief – The left print (1) is to wet, to much ink, or the paper is to wet, and its all a bit of a blobby mess. However there are some wonderful textured marks from the feather, almost fingerprint like. The pasta has a less uniform, jagged appearance. The right print (2) is a ghost print of 1, less ink has meant more detail. The red intaglio that has remained on the plate adds another unintentional dimension / focal point, a sense of looking through a top layer to the one below.
Intaglio – I much prefer intaglio to relief, there is a softer yet more detailed presence to my prints. I can see though that the two do work together, as in background and foreground layers, but with a need for contrast, whether this be different colours or tones of the same.
The velcro dots were difficult to wipe of ink, and printed they appear blotchy, however, I like the difference between the ones that I have managed to clean and the one that I didn’t. The thick deep colour draws the eye in and makes you want to look more intensley at the different textures and marks on the lighter dots.
Interestingly the Cherry Tree bark has made a better appearance in these prints. Is this the colour used or the application of ink?
Notes of each material block on the plate.
I had a few other ideas that I wanted to experiment with so made another test block using; a strip of Hooking Rug; a PVA Carborundum mix; Textured Papers – Glass & Corrugated; Gesso; Polyfilla drawn into with a stick.
Relief – The left hand print has some quite heavy but interesting marks, the PVA (2nd from top) reminds me of mountains, the crease and folds of the rocks and valleys, while the Gesso 2nd from bottom appears as lumps of jumbled ice on a glacial field. The Polyfilla hasn’t worked well at all, it did cause me issues through the press, the application is to thick. The right-hand print is a ghost of the left-hand.
I had made an Intaglio plate with blue and green ink. On the left plate a relief of red has been added as a contrast and appears to float above the blue / green. The Polyfilla area now has more prominent marks and I love the way that the torn edges of the sandpaper have become apparent.
The plate was then wiped with a rag before lifting the right-hand print, both mixing and removing ink. The ‘mountains’, 2nd from top have gone from a sketchy outline to an image with shape, shadow and body. I wonder that if I had wanted to achieve this result I’d have failed miserably. A happy accident! I noticed that a difference in texture can be obtained by wiping the ink in differing direction.
Notes on materials used on the second plate.
Finally, I took a print of the cloths that I had been using while working on the above plate. I love this, an imprint of cloth weave, frayed edges, creases and loose threads and the tones and hues of the ink used.
This exercise has made me realise that there is no right or wrong to any collagraph print, it can all a bit hit and miss, some results can be very interesting and exciting, while others are ‘why did I bother’! However, I have learnt that materials can be manipulated to produce some resemblance of an expected result, and that in turn this is all dependant on the application of ink and the dampness of the paper.
By experimenting I have discovered, rich textures, tones, shades and depths of colour, all of which can be achieved with different materials, different use of ink (mixes, applying, removing) and applying differing pressures However, in my excitement of discovery I have let slip the disciplines of patience with hand printing and registration of paper to plate.
Pointers for moving forward:
- Patience and more attention to registration and placement
- Use materials that are similar in thickness
- Try looser ink for more opaque layers.
- Prepare the plate by applying a layer of PVA to both sides of the board, this may help with warping.
- Stay away from the plant world, sticks, chips, pine needles, sponge, bark, didn’t really work.
- Take care with the application of the varnish
- Think about palte to paper size if using press
BILLYDOOPRINT1 