“Never give up and keep trying” was my motto this morning. And its paid off as finally I got a result, maybe not the best print I’ve done but are great start. So what is Kitchen Litho? A very brief … Continue reading
As I spoke about on the last post, I had such a wonderful time at Bunginderry but the most inspiration came from the time we spent on the red sand dunes. The contour lines in the sand had such direction … Continue reading
Following on from my last post, I’m experimenting with waterless lithography in theory it’s sounds relatively easy and the possibilities if I get it too work are wonderful.
My first hurdle is to source the correct materials, then to actually get it working. As I’m limited to supply’s I will have to compromise and get creative.
Anyway after putting my image on a plate, I covered it in silicone. Then it cured overnight before I attempted to wash out my drawing. This was the first learning curve seeing what mediums worked. The plate looked like this
To really see if this process was a success the truth will be when I ink up the plate. I tried with both inks I had and I can say it was a big failure. However not all is lost as I do believe there is a etched mark in the plate. See image below where you can make out the line of a bird.
So now I need to sort out the correct ink, I have some etching ink and some relief ink. After using both I really think I can modify them and I will need to buy some litho ink. So when I can I will put in a order which will be a week or so away. In the mean time I might do a little research and see if I can play with the inks I have. It would be so wonderful to get a successful print at home. So many variables to consider, the right mix of silicone, the correct draw medium, the curing time and lots more. But what a wonderful exploration and it’s not over yet!!! I’m not going to give up đŸ™‚
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…
With my creative energies building I couldn’t help but try my hand at a woodcut again.
I had purchased a couple of little Japanese wood blocks many moons ago and they have be floating around. So after sanding them back I drew up a image and got cutting.
My tools weren’t the best and not the sharpest but I enjoyed the process.
I love working with wood and will experiment with other pieces.
Anyway, with ten mins spare before the school run I did a trial proof. Just printed by hand without the press and in some paper out of my sketch book.
Here are a couple if progress shots:
I will sit down later and play with the image a little more. And hopefully later in the week will do a better proof.
It’s great to be carving blocks and look forward to getting some interesting results.
Teena Severn Art 