A big part of printmaking is problem solving and experimenting with materials until you get a desired result.

Whilst at uni we had a fully equipped studio with access to all sorts of equipment, materials and knowledge from lecturers. I enjoyed working with woodcut, Linocut and collographs.

Then looked at screenprinting and etching (on aluminium plates, dry point, aquatints and more.) Using lots of chemicals and things I would not dare to do at home.

We also studied stone lithography, something you just couldn’t set up yourself.

Now after many years I find myself wanting to return to some of these techniques but get frustrated in not having materials or access to equipment. It’s a struggle working from home with limited access to these things.

Previously I tried screenprinting and Lino cuts at home. which was fairly easy to work into your home but other styles are more of a battle.

However, I’m not giving up and I’ve found a wealth of knowledge on the internet. One technique which I was excited about is the silicone waterless lithography.

Having an old etching plate I thought I would give it a trial. I drew an image on the plate with a variety of crayons, pens and some gouache.

Then I borrowed a little silicone from my husband and some thinner from my neighbour. Thankfully I have some wonderful people around me who support me on these mad experiments.

Anyway I made my concoction and put a layer on my plate.

So this is what my plate looked like, forget the image design it’s just a play with different mediums to see if I could get a result from home.

Now to let it cure overnight before I wash out the drawing and then get to ink it up. It’s fun playing again but hopefully it will end up with some good results. So I am able to produce some images with this technique.
I will keep you posted of my progress…