Further tests
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 29/05/2012
I have separated out my pen and ink drawing into two plates. The first plate to hold the base colour, the second plate is for the main image. I did the artwork in Photoshop and created crop marks etc. My original idea was to print intaglio (on an etching press) so that I could get a richer colour, but as my tests went along I decided to switch back to the offset litho press – which I have now decided to stick with. It is a lovely machine to use once you have mastered all of its quirks!
This is the plate design for the colour background. It took me a while to figure out that it actually needs to be a solid black when you expose the artwork to the photo litho plate.
The main design. I knew that once I exposed this to the plate the subtle colour wash at the top would disappear, hence the need for the previous solid colour plate.
Mixing the colour – lots of white with a touch of Ultramarine Blue
A touch of Ultramarine goes a long way…
The inked up plate
My initial proofs. I printed on different types of paper – the ones in the foreground are printed on Arches 88, the ones in the background are printed on heavy weight cartridge. I also did some tests on hahnemuhle etching. These prints were left for 2 days to dry before printing the final colour.
I will post the final results soon…..
Open Studios
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 14/05/2012
The Studio where I print is having an open studios event this week end, should be fun – there will be a bbq too, weather permitting. You can check out the details here.
Some more tests
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 13/05/2012
I was in the studio yesterday doing some more tests with Photo Lithography, the whole process is quite involved, especially the inking, putting the right amount of water on the plate before rolling up, being mindful of not over inking otherwise you have to clean the plate and start again. I wanted to see what the results would be like drawing on to True Grain film instead of scanning my artwork and printing onto acetate. I was quite impressed with how you can reproduce quite subtle marks.
This is the plate after it has been exposed to the True Grain film in the light box. It has also been inked up
Before and after – the top row is the original strip of True Grain Film with my marks, Lascaux wash resist, Willow charcoal, Indian Ink, Graphite stick, Indian ink with turps, Compressed charcoal, Oil pastel (scratched into)
The left side is the print, the right side is actually a scanned drawing printed onto inkjet compatible acetate. I increased the contrast in photoshop before printing out so the print actually resembles my drawing quite closely.
Thames Barrier Print Studio Tour
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 06/05/2012
- In: Etching | Letterpress | Lithography
- Leave a Comment
I have now become a key holder at the Thames Barrier Print Studio which means for a small monthly fee I can access the studio space any time I like, which is great. I will have plenty of opportunity to develop my printmaking practice.
Here are my pictures of the studio
Two of the Adana Presses
The Lovely Etching Presses
The Offset Litho Press – where I have spent many hours practicing lithography
View from the windows, it is nice to watch the boats sail by….
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 29/04/2012
I went to Yorkshire Sculpture Park with a couple of friends of mine from the Princes Drawing School. We went to draw and look at the new Miro exhibition – it rained, and it was quite cold too but we had a thoroughly good time, well worth the visit, I will definitely go again!
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First Lithograph
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 20/04/2012
I am working on my first Lithograph, I am attempting to base it on this pen and ink drawing that I did. I had a bit of a refresher with the tutor from the Thames Barrier Print Studio course because I had forgotten everything I learnt! The key for me is to do lots of tests and see what works because I won’t be able to reproduce my artwork exactly – I need to find a way of creating something I really like within the constraints of the medium. I always tend to set myself tough challenges so here goes!
This is my original artwork. Veta, the tutor who ran the course said that it is quite tricky to replicate the subtle tones contained in my work. I may have to create several plates in order to capture all the detail.
Photo lithograph test plates with different exposure settings. This process is very similar to photo etching, after development you can print - unlike photo etch where you need to bite the plate with acid.
Test plate inked up. Tricky process because you need to wipe the plate with a damp sponge then roll on ink. Too much water and you may mess up the image, which means cleaning the plate and starting again.
Test print. This was printed intaglio. The good thing about this process is that you can print intaglio (on an etching press) or you can print on an offset litho press.
Will post more images of my progress……
Photo Lithography Course
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 08/04/2012
I recently did a photo lithography course at the Thames Barrier Print Studio. I have always wanted to try lithography, this method is quite flexible because you can use either photographic imagery or hand drawn or painted images. With photographic images the quality is superb, much better than a photo etched image because it is able to pick out very fine detail. You can draw your images on film such as TrueGrain and expose directly in the uv unit or you can scan your drawings and then print out onto transparency film. I decided to experiment with mark making just to see how sensitive this medium actually is.
My original drawing on tracing paper. The marks made (from top to bottom), graphite pencil, wax pencil, felt tip pen, dry brush acrylic paint.
The lithograph plate after it has been exposed and processed.
The offset Litho press.
Detail of the inked up roller
I was even able to print on delicate Japanese tissue. I was really pleased with the fact that this process can print very fine marks.
Life Drawing
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 15/03/2012
I find life drawing challenging but enjoyable at the same time. I prefer quick poses because there is not much time to think, the work has more energy and it forces you to edit and think about what is important.
This was a 20 minute pose using willow charcoal
10 minute poses
This is a much longer 40 minute pose. Lying down poses are really tricky, I always tend to draw the torso too long, I had to re position the legs to compensate. Mixture of charcoal and Rembrandt carbon pencil
Letterpress Course
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 12/03/2012
- In: Letterpress | Lino Cuts | Patterns | Workshops
- 6 Comments
This week end I attended an introduction to Letterpress at the London Print Studio. Excellent course. I had very little time to design my artwork so I based my visuals on a linocut I had created a few weeks ago. Here are the results.
This was my original lino design, printed on japanese paper - this was a proof print. I scanned this then opened in Adobe Illustrator to create my artwork.
This is my photopolymer plate after it has been exposed and washed.
This is the lovely Vandercook press. Takes some getting used to!
My print in red. I am really pleased with the result. It was printed on Sommerset textured 300gsm cream paper.
The text turned out really well too - I was worried that perhaps the type might have been a bit thin for a good result.
This is the red ink mixed with a bit of black.
It has been a while….
Posted by: Charmaine.Watkiss on: 04/03/2012
Since my last post! I have been super busy with freelance work, I am now working on new ideas for prints so I will be posting something very soon. You can find me on Twitter though in the meantime…
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- Charmaine.Watkiss: Thank you! The whole process has been quite a learning curve!
- Drew Kail: Your test print looks great. I've done photo lithography, and I loved the variety of value and marks I could achieve with it.
- Charmaine.Watkiss: Thank you!
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