Photo Transfer Collagraph ... and a new magic ingredient !
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- In this video, I will show you how you can really step up your collagraphs using photo transfer!
I discovered a new magic ingredient which I also reveal.
Join me on this new collagraph adventure.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:16 Intro
00:41 Collagraph magic ingredient
01:50 What works best?
02:24 Applying CitraSolv
03:03 Photo Transfer
04:27 Cutting up an old collagraph plate
05:27 Inking up
06:00 First print reveal
06:51 Inking up monoprint
07:44 Applying monoprint to first print
08:54 Applying cling film detail to first print
09:51 Applying inked up collagraph to the second print
11:00 Inking up monoprint for second print
12:11 Applying monoprint to second print
End Applying cling film detail to second print
🎨 MATERIALS
Carbon Black, Magenta, Orange Intaglio Inks by Akua
Old collagraph plates cut up
Cling film
Extra Heavy Body Matt Medium
Enviromount
Ink Roller
Perspex Sheet
Scissors
Pallet knife
Watercolour Paper 300 gsm
Scrim
Baby wipes
Newsprint Paper
Old newspaper for wiping etc
Polymetaal Press HS-35 Tabletop Etching Press
👉 Please subscribe here - / @collagraphprinting
#collagraph
#monoprint
#printmaking
![Have I finally found my style? [Art school vlog + NEW painting]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mpcNqFPcahM/mqdefault.jpg)
Another idea i've recently tried is printing a background and putting a stick on tattoo on the top !
Wonderful tutorial. Thankyou so much
You are welcome 🤗
I just finished writing the transfer method in reaction to your great film. I've called it "The Glossy Primer Transfer Method". It's turned into an extremely long description. But seeing that I wrote it in reaction to your film, I've decided to post it anyway. I've saved it somewhere else so I completely understand if you need to unclog your responses. Sorry for the length but I hadn't quite realized how many steps that I'd taken while developing this transfer method.
The Glossy Primer Transfer Method
At the moment my favourite way of transferring is using everyday surface primer you paint metal or plastic with; it's not the type you use to prime your walls - it's a bit more expensive than that. Still, it's an acrylic primer that you can buy anywhere and it costs me about 7 euros for a large tin which I can make a whole lot of transfers with.
Note that I am using it specifically to transfer images that I have printed onto photo paper you buy in batches for the laser printer. They have a special coating at the top which absorbs the ink and gives the paper a glazed/glossy appearance that makes images you print on it look like a photo. You can get up to a hundred sheets of it for under ten euros.
I first thought of it because I noticed that transferring from normal paper which leaves a slightly uneven surface. The laser printer fuses black dust into a layer that sits above normal printer paper. However, the special photo paper actually has an upper layer which absorbs the tinted surface so it appears entirely flat. What I transfer, then, is the whole upper layer of the paper which consists of an extremely thin and translucent film. You’ve probably noticed the sensitive nature of photo paper which you have to avoid touching with your grubby fingers so you don't leave fingerprints behind. It’s that layer that is going to be transferred.
I worked this method out recently when I tried to transfer an image using the gel medium transfer method. I noticed that this upper layer fused completely and was basically impossible to detach without ripping off the cardboard. Then after observing this property I got to wondering if it was only the enamel upper layer that was sticking so hard to the gel medium. Discovering that this is exactly what was happening was quite a revelation.
At the moment I’m mixing the white primer with a little gel medium to make it a little thinner, but I’ve used different forms of acrylic varnish as well and I imagine it would work without any dilution.
Note that I'm transferring to a surface that I have pre-treated by gently sanding the surface with sandpaper and by covering it with a thick layer of the same primer I'm going to use for the transfer. I apply up to six or seven layers of primer, but that's only so I can carve a 3-D effect that I can later cast into an embossing folder, but I also use it with a single coat to make intaglio engravings or 4 or 5 coats to make a relief plate. I print the image I want to transfer onto the photo paper which has the thickness of card stock, up to 260mg. There are so many different types of photo paper which respond slightly differently: it's a got a lot to do with the way the glazed upper layer is stuck to the cardboard underneath it. But actually they've all worked; just some better than others. The rule has been: the cheaper the paper, the easier it is to remove the cardboard.
I have to add here that I’m gently separating this upper enamel layer at one or two of the corners of the paper so that it will be easier to rip this layer off after the primer has been applied and the whole thing has been allowed to dry. As I have to rip the upper layer off anyway, t’s better to separate one of the corners before applying the transfer.
Okay, so I have a pot of slightly diluted primer, a pre-prepared surface and a printed image on photo paper. All I do after this is paint both surfaces generously with prepared primer, then attach them together. I've had best results by pressing them together first and then pushing out the excess primer with a Polyfilla scraper [!], or alternatively a bank card. You could probably get away with just doing this and letting it dry, but I’ve had best results by putting the recently stuck-together sheets between two pieces of baking paper, and then passing this sandwich through a rolling press. I use an antique printing press; but you could use a laundry wringer or a die-cut embosser. You just have to press it evenly to remove excess primer.
But the success of this method appears to be dependent on the amount of time I wait for it to dry. I’m very impatient to see if my experiment worked which has often led to the edges of the image fraying or if I’m really impatient, to completely not stick where the primer has turned out to still be wet. The less hard you press it, the thicker the layer of primer and the longer you’ll have to wait. It also won't stick if I've been careless and allowed air bubbles to form underneath the paper. The photo paper is very thick and so it doesn't warp out of shape after you fix the surfaces together. This is great because it won't warp out of shape as easily as other paper surfaces. But the thickness of the cardboard could hide an air bubble if you don't press it hard enough.
When it dries, the primer may shrink a little causing your surface to upturn slightly at the edges. I generally prepare glossy surfaces like place-mats, oil cloths or floor lino which are quite flexible. This isn’t a problem because the glossy acrylic primer doesn’t harden and fragment like dried paint does. I just place the curved surfaces into the book press for an hour and it stretches back to being completely flat.
The last step is removing the cardboard from the prepared surface. I do this in two steps. First I gently pull off the upper layer off the printing paper. If I wait long enough, the two surfaces become completely fused. Pre-preparing the corner makes this part much easier. Sometimes it will come off in a single tear, and I have to pull it quite hard to get it to detach. This only causes a problem if I was too impatient to wait for it to dry. I worked out that this made it easier for water to soak into the surfacce Some forms of photo paper actually consist of two or more layers in addition to the glossy one at the front. But even the reverse side could have a matt protective film on it which is water resistant. In this case, you'd have to remove it first before taking the final step to wash away the cardboard. Once this surface is removed, I'm left with asoft velvety white surface that can easily absorb water. I just soak it in water and then gently tear off the carboard. It doesn’t matter how long I soak it for. The two surfaces have become so fused that it doesn’t seem to make a difference; they’re well and truly stuck. I’ve sometimes left it to soak for days. I'm kind of forgetful, alright!
Best results are with warm water; recently I discovered this and the velvety layer of mushy paper just melted away. You have to be very thorough and remove all the paper. Leaving any paper will dry really hard and make the surface irregular, so I just keep massaging the surface until all I have is the translucent film stuck so hard to my canvas. I'm actually sometimes surprised how hard I can rub it without damaging it.
So that’s it. I dry it off and then let it dry. If it’s been completely successful, I’m left with a flat, shiny surface. Sometimes I spray it with varnish before carving it but I really only do this to give it an extra layer of protection. Then I cut away part of the image with a lino cutter or a hand rotary grinder. I carve away the white or the black part of the image; it doesn’t matter which as the surface is completely flat.
It actually works! This is the first plate I finally brought to fruition a couple of days ago and successfully made a relief print from:
www.deviantart.com/zizbilit/art/EMBRACE-LUNACY-an-Oil-Cloth-Engraving-Print-946697506
*Note that I've actually wondered if you'd call this a type of collagraph. After all, it is part of what was once a piece of (photo) paper you've essentially stuck to a surface which you later cut away like collagraphs I've seen you make films about. What do you think? Note that I've made intaglio plates, relief plates and embossing folders using this method and the plates still haven't fallen apart. Yet.
Interesting thank you 😊
Para mi el poder traducirlo al español es fantástico Gracias
Great technique and results! The red/orange really contrasts perfectly with the gray tones. I really like your eye for arrangement of pieces. That's not so easy for me.
Thank you, yes the composition is a tough one! Sometimes it can go a bit wrong..it often goes for me too 🙃
Citrasolv is a little too expensive for my budget, 30 bucks for 236 mls on Amazon. Will try the affordable 100% acetone purchased from local drugstore in Canada. No labels saying "highly toxic" on it. And I remember as a child having it around the house to remove nail polish, and it was no big deal.
Sounds like a plan 🙌
Can you do a collagraph print with acrylic paint from the gelliprint?
Hi there, yes you can!
Check out my video which is all about that:
th-cam.com/video/BWHRHm_9_hA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=tbxcB_GSGqJUt3ny
Love your videos!
Thank you 🤗
Beautiful results! Thanks for the inspiration :)
Thank you and you are welcome 🤗
amazing work
Thank you 😊
Wow! I love it !! I'm so trying that !!! Apparently you can use Acetone as well by just wiping it onto the photocopy/laser printer while pressing hard. But it's highly toxic and I didn't have any success with it (yet) anyway. But I am using a lot of curious other means to transfer images. I know and love watching your films to see you experimenting with different methods which includes transferring from imags printed specifically onto special type of glossy laser-printer paper which you can print phtos onto. I started describing this method but it go so long I decided to write it in another application and paste it later. Thanks again for sharing your fascinating films which are certainly inspiring me to experiment in new ways with collagraphs.
That’s great thank you for your suggestion and glad you are enjoying the videos 🤟
I found out what CitraSolve is; I've never actually heard of it. It's a 'natural degreaser' consisting mainly of the natural cides from citrus fruits and it contains the following ingredients : Limonene (the clear liquid from the peel of the orange, food grade), Laureth-3 (a surfactant), Laureth-4 (a thickener/emulsifier) PEG-10 Dioleate (an emulsifying agent), Citrus aurantium dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil (plant-based fragrance), Potassium Acetate (the potassium salt of acetic acid, which can function as a preservative). See? Just so easy to make it yourself! ... Only it's obviously not easy at all. I wonder which ingredients it is in the product which are producing the results?
...I've tried throwing oranges and lemons at my photos but I've still had no good results! Damnation!!
Hi hi hi but seriously I wonder if it would work if you just used lemon juice and a degreaser. Anything is better than acetone which stinks and is extremely dangerous if you breathe it in or set it alight.
Maybe orange essential oil? 🤔
@@CollagraphPrinting ...I also managed to make my own ink that I can use for relief printing in that it will stick to my hard roller and transfer evenly to a flat surface... - add an extract or charcoal to ... wouldn't you know it... bog standard metal primer!
@@CollagraphPrinting You don't know how right you are. Here are the ingredients for a homemade degreaser: 1 cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons baking soda, Orange or lemon essential oil (optional), Castile soap (for kitchen utensils and aluminum surfaces). Like... really!
Is this an ink or laser printer copy of the images that uses this transfer process?
Its a laser
what brand table top press do you use and how big is it?
I love your videos
Hi Laura, thank you for loving my videos! I use Polymetaal Press HS-35 Tabletop Etching Press which fits A3 size