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 🙂