More collagraph

I’ve been experimenting with different mediums and tapes to find out how to achieve the effect I want for two different books.

This are the outcome of cutting and tearing the plate and using gel medium

 and this using a plaster/PVA/water mixture. I am trying to get the effect of the tide line on the beach (hopefully making the most basic mistake of cutting the text the wrong way round on the sample will mean I don't do it on the final block).
    

This is made by using different tapes and by cutting into the board. It is for a book about museum collections.

Collagraph

I’m giving the riso prints plenty of time to dry before I start to cut and fold them into books.

In the mean time I’ve been to Hot Bed Press for a collagraph course. I’ve experimented with the basics before but have never been happy with the results. However I now know how to avoid white marks where the plate changes level and how to stop the plate randomly sticking to parts of the paper.

We worked with a quick method, using tape and drypoint on Perspex

and a slower way, cutting into mount board. This needed sealing with several layers of shellac varnish.

I’m really pleased with the prints from this second method.  I think I’ll try using this method of working for the next book swop I’ve signed up for at ArtistBooks 3.0.