Never throw anything away

I’ve signed up for another book exchange with Artist Books 3.0. The title of this swop is ‘Letters and Alphabets’. I am playing with the idea that letters make up alphabets, which we use in written communication, which we send as letters.

I have also agreed to do a demonstration as part of Preston Art Society's exhibition and had been planning on making a collagraph plate. But I decided yesterday that gelli printing was probably more interesting to watch, certainly more colourful, and that I could use the sheets of prints produced for this book edition.
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After thinking about structure (the book has to be a 63cm accordion) and subject matter I decided to make envelopes for the covers of this book. This also means that I can put card inside to make easy stiff covers.
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I thought that it would be appropriate to use stationary papers rather than printing paper so I dug out old sheets of gelli prints done on printer paper to see if it would be strong enough and started playing.

But I also found discarded prints from an ALAW project (exploring how little of the letter is needed in order for it to read as a letter). I added them.

And then I found letters that I’d cut out as part of another ALAW book exploring looking through.

It’s a bit garish (though it’s growing on me) and it might be a bit labour intensive for an edition of 10 but it’s definitely a starting point.

Adding Silk Aquatint

I wanted a way to add softer edges into the print so I decided to try silk aquatint in the view through the window rather than cutting the objects

and still exploring viscosity inking 

More textures

The last figurative collagraph plates I did were made by cutting into and sticking masking tape and selotape onto mountboard. For the next plate I wanted to expand my range of mark making and make it less hard edged but still representational so out came the tile cement, carborundum and white acrylic,

The first print in blue was OK but felt a bit thin.

I decided to try viscosity inking to add colour

 I think this is worth more exploration.