Different Paper

I’m thinking of making this as a scroll inside a book or box so I started to experiment with the structure.

Cartridge paper is far too springy for what I had in mind and for once the internet doesn’t seem to have any helpful suggestions for paper type or weight.

I went looking through my stuff for something more malleable than cartridge, less fragile than tissue and in long enough lengths that I won’t have to piece it.
I found interfacing...

(it takes the ink much better than I thought but needs a backing paper to read clearly. Probably not what I need for this project but definitely something to come back to)

...and rice paper from a long ago experiment with Chinese calligraphy.

I thought the lack of size in the paper might be a problem with such a wet process but it seems OK. 

Next step 4 colours, and trying to print with a master and on paper that are both too long for the press bed.

There’s been a murrderrr....

The past two Fridays the drama group has been putting on Four Weddings at a Funeral - a murder mystery, so I haven’t quite finished etching the large plate but I have got it ready to go into the copper sulphate for the first line etch next week.

I’ve also been working on the artwork for a new book. The image will be 6 x 80cm. I’ve produced two versions, one to print using the inkjet printer and another to try printing in sections as a gum arabic transfer.

This is a small section of the image for the inkjet.

Small Etching

I've tried another mock up of the book using a scan of the tonal painting

 I've also tried the last section of the drawing as an etching and I think it’s OK.

I have a plate that’s 42 x 15 cm. On Friday I’m going to go for it! I can always go to Plan B (or should that be D for digital?) if it doesn’t work.

New Ideas

I’ve started playing with ideas for a new book.

I started by thinking about simple folds, considering cloisters and frescos (and I will return to this later)

I’m not sure why, but this structure got me thinking about the work of Patrick Hughes. I wondered if I could translate the idea of playing with perspective and making the images appear to move at a smaller scale in book form.  

I tried a mock up and it seems to work

I’ve developed the drawing and done a tonal study at the right size.

I’m not sure if I want to work it up as painting and digitally print the image or if I want to etch it. The next step is to try etching a section before I make up my mind.