Sunday 29 May 2016

Third Time Lucky


I thought I'd replicate the gum arabic transfer butterfly plates (so I could keep the originals to compare to) and then work into them to see how I could push them. It took three goes in three different copper sulphate solutions before they would bite and when they did take the finish was nothing like as good as before.

Next time in the studio I thought I’d try again. Different image but still gum arabic transfer. It bit straight away. I was so overwhelmed I left it in the solution for far too long. It prints mainly black with just a little detail managing to show through in parts. I think I can use it to practice scraping and burnishing on, a sort of mezzotint.

Finally on Friday I decided to try traditional hard ground resist and stop out. It needs working on but I'm finally getting somewhere.

I’ve now got several plates to work into and I’m still determined to nail gum arabic transfer as a resist

I’ve also spent large periods of time over the last two or three weeks glued to a computer. I now have a website up and running.

Saturday 21 May 2016

Spoiler Alert

If you are taking part in the book swop Artist Books 3.0 #17 (CoLours/FolDing/ReCycling) - you might want to leave the page but if you are not....
 I finally finished cutting, folding, stitching and sticking. 
 This edition is named after the Hungarian map fold that I used as part of the structure. 

Thursday 19 May 2016

A brief pause

It’s been a bit quiet on the making front recently.

The follow up to the previous gum arabic prints didn’t take. They took several immersions in 3 different solutions to make them etch and then they seem to have bitten very patchily. ( I'll print them and work into them when I go to Salford at the end of the week.)

Then life got in the way

Our drama group put on Treasure Island at the end of April, the final run up to a performance always takes up a  lot of time.
After which we went to Florence for a week, I carried a load of sketching stuff with me but ended up just wandering and looking.


 I’m hooked, can’t wait to go back.