In the print room for 9 to continue stopping out my plate. Managed to prepare the plate for soft grounding the tree branches before I had to stop for a 'degree show meeting'. We got given a new timetable for the next few weeks! eeek!...
Back to print room to etch the branches onto my plate. I purposely used the crappy press to push the branches into the soft ground this time. The 'crappy press' leaves the pattern of the blankets that you have to use all over your prints. It usually annoying, but this time, it was a good thing. I discovered it by accident when I used the crappy press for my sample of the branches.
The blanket pattern makes the back ground of my image look a bit like bricks or like the wall paper on the walls is peeling off. This could relate to how fairy tales aren't as nice as they appear, and that there is a darker meaning beneath them. I also like the contrast of this 'collapsing house' look with the grand furniture inside. It refers to the wealthy family who is falling apart. Also it meant that I didn't have to spend time stopping out all around the tree branches and fireplace- I could just put it straight into the acid, bonus. Prints look good, as iv'e done on my other images, iv'e rubbed more ink of of certain areas to give the appearance of light. It probably works the best on this version.
Stopped printing to go to a talk about Red Hot Press, a print studio in Southampton and opportunities to carry on working with printing.
Because of all the stopping and starting through the day, there wasnt enough time to continue with much printing, but I have re-soaked and dried most of my prints.
(soaking in a water bath)
(Putting print between two pieces of jotting paper, to soak up the majority of the water....)
(...then applying pressure using a roller).
I have quite alot of prints altogether now. But I have had no where safe to put them. When you dry your prints, your suppose to put each one between tissue paper and between two heavy boards and under weights for a week. You also have to keep changing the tissue paper to soak up the moisture and keep the print nice and flat. But there are only so many boards available. Most of the time I've had to stack them all together under one board.
Charles has found me more boards and a large cardboard box recently though, so I have been able to dry them properly and store them somewhere else.
Seen Katherine helping a third year graphic student make a slip cover for a book he made. Considering asking her to help me make a large box thing for my prints. Would look quite smart. Got quite a lot to do already though.
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