Collagraph

COLLAGRAPH: (Wikipedia- is a printmaking process in which materials are applied to a rigid substrate (such as paperboard or wood).  Ink or pigment is applied to the resulting collage, and the board is used to print onto paper or another material using either a printing press or various hand tools. The resulting print is termed a collagraph. Substances such as, acrylic texture mediums, sandpapers, textiles, bubble wrap, string or other fibres, cut card, leaves and grass can all be used in creating the collagraph plate. Collagraphy is a very open printmaking method. Ink may be applied to the upper surfaces of the plate with a brayer for a relief print, or ink may be applied to the entire board and then removed from the upper surfaces but remain in the spaces between objects, resulting in an intaglio print. A combination of both intaglio and relief methods may also be employed.

Does that make any sense?

In a nutshell, you collage all sorts of materials thinking about what type of textures they will produce and how much ink they will absorb.  Want white areas? use something glossy and slick.  Want dark areas?  Use fabrics which absorb ink.  Want grey areas?  experiment, experiment, experiment!

I’m taking a collagraph class with an amazing teacher named Casey Weibust.  Click on her name and see her amazingly funky prints! I took an etching class with her and I’d come out from the studio dizzy from all the toxic chemicals, so when Casey told me there was a way to incorporate all different printmaking techniques and do it chemically-free, I had to check it out! Here’s Casey Weibust in action:

So first I had to create some plates…

They look like little collages, but in actuality each piece was considered for what it would do when black ink was applied.

Instantly, I learned what not to do!!!

Many of my darks were too dark.  Many areas I thought would be light, were pitch black.  This is where the artistry comes in.  You have to try everything and then carefully catalog all of it into your head in order to apply each element exactly how you intend to. Lots to think about.

This plate was my favorite:

Do you see how different the same plate can be just by how you ink your plate?  That’s another entire form of study.

So much to learn!!!  So much to learn!