I made an A3 collatype board with a collection of 16 different objects. I used ply wood to save it buckling with glue and moisture and once I had stuck all the items in place with PVA I gave it two coats of watered down PVA to seal the block.
For my first print I used Somerset paper which I had soaked for 20 minutes and then squeezed between two bits of blotting paper. I rollered the block and used a wooden spoon to burnish the back of the paper but also my fingers very carefully as the paper was so soft that bits of it came off with rubbing. The print was ok but not enough printed texture appeared on the paper. I think this was partly due to the objects I had chosen which were all quite 'sticky up' things. The piece of bubble wrap was excellent although it had deteriorated by the end of my printing session. Also the filler I had swirled around with a palette knife was too deep in relief. I hung the paper up to dry.
For my next print I used a piece of cartridge paper which was more insubstantial than the Somerset so I only soaked it for 2 minutes. This time I didn't use the spoon but used my fingers alone and as I was able to feel into the gaps between the objects the print quality was much better.
For the third print I went back to Somerset which I soaked for 10 minutes and then put between blotting paper. I applied the ink to the block with a roller but also between objects and ridges with a palette knife. I rubbed the back of the paper with my figers, feeling into the gaps to pick up some of the ink I had placed there with the palette knife. I think if I had whiped the ridges clear of ink and printed from the inked up gaps in between this would be called 'Intagllio'.
To stop the paper disintegrating with all the rubbing I placed a piece of waxy paper like that found in a cornflakes box on the back of the paper and rubbed through it. This print was ok but it was a mixture of normal printing and intagllio so in was poorly defined. I hung it up to dry with the others.
I realise that the paper needs wetting so that it will cope with printing from a highly textured block because it will stretch when wet but what I didn't realise is that I should have placed the finished prints between blotting paper again and probably with a board and a weight on top to get them to dry as flat bits of paper. By hanging mine up they didn't fully stretch back again and I ended up with lumps and bumps in the paper.
I have now prepared an A3 block with filler and have kept the releif quite shallow. I have drawn angel shapes into it with a palette knife and will print from it both normally and in intagllio by wiping off the ink from the ridges. I will do quite distinct versions of each to compare. I also stuck some coarse wire wool on a section of the block because I think I might get some useful textures from that.
The objects that I feel have the most potential are:
Filler drawn into
Screwed up watercolour paper glued into place and stiffened with PVA
Single layers of hessian sacking
Bubble wrap
Other learnings are that there is no appreciable difference between a piece of Somerset paper soaked for 10 minutes and one soaked for 20 minutes.
6th June 2011
I printed from my A3 block coated with filler that I had drawn into and used Somerset paper that had been soaked for 10 minutes. Unfortunately the paper was so soft that it stuck to the ink and bits lifted off. I did another print but only sprayed the paper with water and the paper remained in tact. I got some really useful intagallio prints where I had dran angels into the filler with a stick. I needed to apply the ink slightly diluted with oil, with a brush and then wipe off the areas that I didn't want to print from ie. the raised areas.
I also found, as I suspected, that pressing the print between blotting paper and putting a weight on it after printing caused it to go back to flat without lots of lumps and bumps.
I have now made up an A3 board with different grades of Carborundum powder, some I sprinkled into a thin coat of PVA and some I mixed with PVA and applied quite thickly. I applied it randomly so that I get a variety of effects hopefully.
