The process of printmaking

There are a number of different printmaking techniques illustrated in the exhibition The Road not Taken. The print in these photographs is produced through a technique known as carborundum collagraphy.

In this instance three separate plates are printed sequentially, one on top of the next. The plates have previously been painted with carborundum grit suspended in acrylic medium, which then sets hard. Paper is wetted to make it more pliable before being laid down on the first inked plate.

To ensure continuity and consistency through a particular print edition previous notes are consulted about the colour mixes for the particular print. The colours are then mixed with ‘extender’ which increases the transparency of the ink.

Yellow ink is rolled out on glass before being rolled onto the first plate which provides the yellow background to the image.

Red ink is applied to the hardened carborundum relief on the second plate. Tissue paper then lifts much of the excess ink before this is further reduced using an open weave cotton cloth (scrim).

The dampened paper is laid onto the first plate which is lying on the bed of the press. The bed moves under the roller which forces the paper down onto the plate under great pressure. In the third photograph above, steel registration blocks are laid alongside the first plate before the plate is removed. This ensures the next plate is positioned in exactly the same place.

The completed image is reviewed below.