G is for Gel (as in "Carborundum Gel")

Yes I know I might have written about Gelatin printmaking (as in hectograph) BUT in this instance I am talking about Carborundum Gel.

I wanted to keep the posts straightforward and focussed..although this is NEVER easy for me .  Because I have a tendency of doing things thoroughly.  I mean , just as an example -  when I write Christmas cards - I can never just write to someone "to Mary and Bill"..........."wishing you a Happy Christmas and New Year". I just cant do that.  I suppose because if I received a card like that myself - I'd be disappointed.  I'd be thinking huh  um oh I wish they - could have written just a little note about how they are getting on...just some few words.  It's too impersonal.

BY THE WAY - SEE HOW EASILY I GO OFF ON A TANGENT

Carborundum Gel
Of course most printmakers will be aware of carborundum powder and the ways in which it can be used in the context of printmaking.  In the past before I got as disabled as I am nowadays.  I would have thought to myself  "Oh well I can't afford to splash out that amount of money etc etc"........"I will just make some myself".  
And indeed I might have tried.  As a matter of fact, now that I think about it...... I think I did try one time after seeing a video on You Tube by a couple of American printmakers

Left: solar plate with 'pastel ground' added to the middle

horizontal area of the plate, inked and proofed.

Alison Dell and Rob Swainston, who were on a residency at Frans Masereel, Belgium. They were applying self-made carborundum paste, through a photo exposed silkscreen. It's on the Frans Masereel Centre in Belgium. 's website.

I went up to DCA print Studio to try it out and because I had never undertaken making a screen print at their print workshop I had to get some extra 1-1 help.  The thing was that after going through the steps image made using watercolour -then scanned to Photoshop.  Converted to black +white.  Manipulated image to pleasingly contrast tonally. Converted to a bitmap file.  Printed dithered pixelated  'positive' transparency.

This inkjet acetate was then exposed onto a photo emulsion silkscreen.  Once I had that done.  I then squeegeed the carborundum paste I had made through the 'openings' in the mesh.  I printed it onto a piece of perspex that I had sanded and degreased. as well as onto a prepped piece of mount board.
Anyway after all that I didn't think that my image looked very promising.  For some reason ??  I never got around to actually proofing it. I will do that sometime soon and will add it to this post.

Above:  same solar collagraph proof with mulberry paper and inkjet chine colle of trace monotype scans.

OK Getting back to Carborundum Gel

The image above I titled "Lost in Space" I made only 3 of these prints.  A couple of years later I needed to make some more of these prints.  So I went ahead one afternoon and printed some proofs from the solar collagraph plate.  Then a couple of days later went to the next stage and then began to realise that something wasn't quite right....then OMG...BOY was I horrified when I realised that I had inadvertently vertically chopped off about a quarter of the plate. Obviously this had been for a particular project ( I will eventually remember what it was ?!)

Oh Lord what  to do now? So I decided to make three 'replacements'. Two of which would be collagraph and the other a watercolour monotype.
Left:  The same original "Lost in Space" print made using the original solar collagraph plate.  It is actually inked in a more pleasing way and of course the mulberry paper is pale blue.

Isn't this lovely /  I think so - it's a photo from Linda Germains blog the original Gelatin Printmaking Queen!.  It was taken during Linda's time spent on a printmaking course with Akua inks inventor/ printmaker Susan Rostow exploring the possibilities of Carborundum Gel.  This looks like a screen-print-carborundum-gel pull.

Above: Linda Germain carborundum matrix

It occurs to me that one might place a long 'dollop' of Carborundum gel along the top of a stencil (handmade being my preference) and attempt to 'drag' (squeegee) the Carborundum gel down the stencil or across the stencil.  It might 'transfer' successfully, negating the need for a screen print.  Obviously the thinner the stencil material(eg acetate)  the better, as it would be more likely to be successful. And then it would most likely be OK for smaller prints.

One might also consider using a stencil dabber brush.   That might even be preferable where there were areas of the image that one wanted to be darker than others.  After all the AKUA Carborundum gels 'function' is to hold ink on the plate or matrix.

Getting back to the "Lost in Space" saga, as I said I thought that I would try out making a watercolour background.  So I prepped the white plastic plate by degreasing it and then lightly rubbing it in circular motions with fine metal wire wool.

Left: Watercolour Monotype

Then after this was wiped I got down to rubbing in a small amount of liquid Gum Arabic.  Enough to feel like one has rubbed all over the surface of the plate.
I used to apply the Gum Arabic with a brush and then let it dry overnight - that is until someone pointed out that one only needed to 'buff' the plate in preparation for making watercolour monotypes.  "Eggcellent Mister Byrnes" said I.  

Left: here you can see a better view of the watercolour monotype.

As mentioned above I did make two other plates.  I only have a photo of one of them though - probably because this one was far superior to the other.
The other thing I noticed was making this collagraph on metal (aluminium in this case) seemed to somehow make it better.  Although of course it could be that I am merely taking a flight of fancy or merely deluding myself.

Left:  Photo screen print carborundum   Trish Meyer  like myself also originates from Ireland and is  now resident in the USA.Trish is truly adventurous with a curious nature and much knowledge of materials and techniques. Even though this is a studio WIP - it intrigues + makes me want to see how it was used in subsequent images.

Here you can see the various materials I have applied to the metal plate. I applied Lascaux pastel ground, Lascaux acrylic hard ground,  Akua Carborundum gel, dry pointed areas. I have also allowed areas to dry and then again added more layers.
Left:  metal plate with various materials applied including carborundum gel

I think this was probably the first collagraph plate where I got it perfect from the first proof.  As printmakers I am sure plenty of you will only be too well aware of what I am talking about.

Left : the proof from the metal plate above

Now you can see the 'background' before I go about applying the mulberry paper and the trace monotype images of the children, that have been scanned and output onto Japanese paper as pigment  inkjet print.

INTERLUDE

Ah here is an original print by the talented and generous Norwegian artist printmaker Elly Prestegård

Actually if you visit Elly's website she has some great information writing  photos etc on doing collagraphs.

Oh and another thing she has done which I have not yet had to chance to do is "MokuLitho" in other words lithography on wood - which makes me very much want to have a go at it myself.  I think I should drop a line to Annis Fitzhugh who is the boss of the Printmaking Studio at DCA to suggest that we would love for them to engage someone to teach a course in Mokulitho.

AT LAST....finally the finished print in its second version improved very much I think.
It is on a 30 x 35 cm sheet of Fabriano or Somerset etching paper.
I cant remember when it was that I started doing that 'coming out of the image frame' thing.  But it certainly felt 'right' on this occasion.

Left is an image from Taleen Hacikyan's website

It's a very good overview of her experience of trying out the carborundum gel - it certainly is inspiring and I love how she has played around with it.

Much of it in black on white which helps with getting a sense of the tonal possibilities.

Left Collagraph by Emily Harvey who has a great blog called The Curious Printmaker

Further References
Handprinted UK (art and printmaking supplies)

Good beginner tutorial using a screen print process orientated approach

AKUA

Gives description of the 2 methods that S.R. demonstrates in the YouTube videos.

Excellent Video of Susan Rostow demo  Mezzotint Effect