Sunday 25 July 2010

Lascaux Wash Resist on Zinc (Acrylic Resist Etching)

Please note I have made a mistake with the notes written under the photo in this post

ONE APPLIES THE LASCAUX WASH RESIST ONTO THE PREPARED *  PLATE


* To Prepare your plate for Acrylic resist etching

 Graining

Apply some pumice powder and water (already made up into a mix to a paste consistency - in a container) .  Dip your rolled up felt in this and  rub your plate surface on a supporting  flat work surface.
I like to use this method as it is gentle yet effective.
Carol and Robert showed us this method. 

Degrease

Make a solution of 1 litre water to 30 grams of washing soda crystals (soda ash).  Dilute the crystals in a small amount of boiling water and then make up to the 1 litre mark.  You could make a few litres up and then its ready, in storage for when you need it.

You will need another "dedicated roll" of blanket felt for this.  I put a few elastic bands around mine to keep it together.  You could also use string.  Maybe make it a different coloured string  than the one you use for the 'graining' as mentioned above.


Dip your felt roll in this solution and then rub it onto a slab of magnesium carbonate ( if you can get hold of it in this form) .  If not then just dunk it into the  container with the magnesium carbonate powder.  Rub that in circular motions on the the surface of your plate.

Paul Musgrove showed us this method

See also Colin Beaumonts blog which shows his explorations using Lascaux products to make collagraphs. I have put a link to the point at which he starts off -  you will have to work backwards from there.


If Only I could magically shrink stuff ??!!!

I made a little batch of trace monotypes recently on all of the lightweight papers I had in my possession - some from years ago.  Mainly I did not know the names of the papers which was annoying.
So anyway I sent  samples of them to John Purcell papers in London and true to form,  they very kindly have sent me some mostly A4 pieces in return with their names on. 
These were what I did the trace monotypes on.  I love working with this technique.  Now , using these papers I am thinking to use them as chine colle elements in future works. In addition I know which ones I like best  AND will be able to order som eof them soon (as in relation to which of these I can afford).
This is one I was trying out having scanned the background print which was made using water colour media.  The only trouble was that the twin image (trace monotype)  is too big for the blue background.  Never mind I could output it as an inkjet chine colle and then combine it onto the blue background with another non intrusive intaglio plate or a monotype plate with a few sparse marks on it - maybe made using oil sticks..

Don't you Forget about Me !!

Lascaux Wash Resist on Aluminium TESTS




I am posting these scans onto which I have written notes so as to share my experience with those of you, who may be moving towards using  acrylic resist etch for the first time.  
I began trying out these during the course I did at FDPW recently, with    Robert Adam and Carol Robertson.  (authors of "Intaglio" (the most up to date book on the subject, which I have had, for quite a while now AND which I highly recommend.
Anyways we had a great time worked hard .......... and if only............. we had,  had more time to try out more things !!
Having said that Carol and Robert were ever so generous to us - giving us far more of their time than they were paid for.

It was lovely to see them again and they even  had their sweet little dog with them called "Hugo".


I shall includes a photo of him ( at the foot of this post)  with my dear friend Tatiana !!  





Click on these jpegs  be able to read the notes etc



Wednesday 21 July 2010

Trace Monotype with Microcrystalline Wax

It must be about two years ago now that I first posted on here about doing trace monotypes using a wee bit of microcrystaline wax mixed in with the oil based etching ink.  Here are some scans of section from the prints which were done about 15 years ago - I did not even have a press then.
Here is a link to the post where I first mentioned the technique  * followed by a  link to the other post 

* (The text written in purple is the relevant info. )