NON TOXIC PRINTMAKING
”The declaration of principle” • - to find materials and methods that are inexpensive in use • - easy to acquire • - appropriate to use • -non-toxic or enviromentally safe
Trygve Retvik: ....about printmaking About simple printing techniques But most about non toxoc printmaking
Little has change since…
Rembrandt 1606 - 1669
Environmental problems have by and by become a problem both globally and for the individual.
Litterature on Non-toxic
Keith Howard:Non-toxi intaglio printmaking
Henrik Bøegh: Handbook in Non-toxic intaglio
Henrik Bøegh: It is well known that traditional graphic materials contain a cocktail of healthy and environmentally harmfull acids and chemicals, that are without parallell in creative arts. They can each have their particular charakteristics that are harmfull for artists´health abd tne environment, but used together represent a very dangerous threat to anyone that use them frequently
Which problematic materials are used in the making of intaglio printmaking, and what health hazard can they cause?
Problematic materials
Nitric acid - White spirit - Methylated spirit – Resin – Etching grounds - Printing Ink - Dust
What`s the alternatives
Iron chloride – cooking oil and dishwashing soap – Johnson Clear Polish - Different acrylic based materials
Standing Bath for iron chloride
Recipe for the etching bath • 1 kilo iron cloride in solid form (granulated) mixed with 2,5 litres warm water. This is equivalent to 30 degrees Baumé. This strength can also be used on zink (for standing bath) • For etching on copper in Edinburgh Etch mix ¼ litre lemon acid powder in ¾ litre water (fine aquatints add som more water) Add 4 litres liquid iron chloride. • For etching on zink with Edinburgh Etch mix 1/ 2- 1/3 litre lemon powder in 1 litre iron chloride and mix this in 5 litres of water
For use in the cleaning process of oil-based Ink
Cooking oil and dishwashing liquid soap is a very good alternative to white spirit
Acrylic materials
Stripping acrylic based materials
• 100 grams washing soda to 1 litre water
Some products from the nearest shop we use in non toxic printmaking
Washing soda (crystals) JiF Bathroom cleaner
Johnson Clear Polish
Johnson’s Clear Polish as etching ground Line etching with iron chloride in 30 min. The etching ground is Johnson Clear Polish
Rolled on Lift ground and hard ground
Graphic Chemical Water based in (Crimson red 1661)
Home made Drying cabinet
All acrylic based Materials become more solid after 10 minutes in the drying cabinet
Graphic Chemical Water based Ink as lift ground
Autumnleaves pressed into the lift ground
Recipe on Aquatint acrylic mixture 1 min
This etching Key has intervals from 1 min to 28 min 28 min
• ½ parts volume Stop-Out varnish • ½ part clean water This mixture is spread on a clean and well degreased copperplate with an airbrush, pressure 2-3 bar at a distance of 20 – 30 cm. • 2 parts volume Transparent lacquer from Lascaux 2060 shiny.
Aquatint by liquid acrylic mixture, sprayed on by airbrush
Anti-oxidising liquid
• Anti-oxidising liquid is made of 2-3 tablespoons with ordinary table salt mixed in 1 litre 5% vinegar
Plastic packing tape to cover the back side
Photopolymér and Photo engraving
The starting point here is three fotos, treated through the PC program; Paint Shop Pro, exposed into ImagOn film and etches in iron chloride and printed as intaglio
Developing liquid In a 10 litres container with tap, mix 100 grams of washing soda in 10 litres of water. A little of the water is heated up to aid the dissolving of the washing soda crystals. This mixture should be kept at an even 20 degrees Celcius.
Mixed media: collagraphy and photopolymer (ImagOn)
The working process • Printing plates (copper) cut to shape, polished with fine sand paper (600 or finer). Good degreasing. • Laminate ImagOn film to the printing plate • Expose the aquatint raster (not necessary if only line motif) • Expose the original • Develope the film • Ink the printing plate and print as a normal intaglio
Transparents, originals for exposure
A painting with Gouache on a drawing foil
Transparent foils
The matt foil is removed first
Through the intaglio press
Trim the film with a sharp knife
UV-light exposure cabinet To close UV-ligth or o controll the time f light
The laminated printing plate with the original on the top (between the glass and the v.frame)
A mercury vapour Lamp (Phillips) A 6 mm glass plate
A vacuum frame Compressor from an old refrigerator
Developing bath for ImagOn film
PHOTOPOLYMER
A ”destroyed streetground” can be an exited motif through a cameralence and a printing process
Photopolymer Printing plate
Exposed before lamination
Collagraphy Collagraphy is a flexible printmaking technique wich contains the special peculiarities of printmaking together with the painterly and the sculptural. The expression can remind one of traditional aquatint where tones from white to velvet black can be achived. Painterly effects can remind one of lithography, whose hallmark is that the drawn and the painted media can be used, and gives the picture its character. It is also possible to achieve a strong textured expression through differences in layer in a built-up printing plate
Collagraphic from print Cuba
Hand colorated intaglio
Rolf Nesch
Two examples on collagraphy
Collagraphy
Here is the material a bathroom filler on acrylic base
Bathroom filler on thin aluminium The print
The printing plate. Bathroom filler on polystyren
Collagraphy with bathroom filler on a polystyren plate
PaintOn with Decor Matt Pastel colour Marabu and Carborundum powder to get it more black
That’s all folks