Structure of the Forest
Intaglio technique
(Intaglio is the family of printing and printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface,
and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink. It is the direct opposite of a relief print.)
and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink. It is the direct opposite of a relief print.)
An annex to the Master's Project.
It is an exploration of the forest matter. What it consists of, how the elements work together and how it can be reflected using
a technique of this kind. It is also an experiment on how much you can interfere with the relief. I choose to push the limits and get rid of the conventional rectangular shape. Using acid, I created shapes much more expressive and similar to the irregular form of the natural forest elements.
a technique of this kind. It is also an experiment on how much you can interfere with the relief. I choose to push the limits and get rid of the conventional rectangular shape. Using acid, I created shapes much more expressive and similar to the irregular form of the natural forest elements.
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The reliefs in the process of making:
The prints:
These are the first two reliefs which are smaller compared to the last one. One is a variation about the ground, the other explores the water. Most intalgio prints are black and white but I decided that that doesn't suit the project and broke that rule as well.
Process of making (some of it):
Cleaning and polishing the plate with wet sandpaper before applying the wax. It needs to be as smooth as possible so the tint sticks well. Mirror-like polish is the desired one.
After drawing the lineart on the wax and etching it in acid, applying varnish on the lines that need to be lighter. Same with tint. Takes a lot of time but I consider it to be the most important part as it gives depth to the picture.
Tea hydration is extremely important. Never mix with acetone. Remember to always use bread with denatured alcohol.
After the plate is prepared for printing the paint has to be well mixed. In this case I used various colors because black&white got so boring. The paint on the left sure looks nice but you have to dig in because it can't be dry ;)
After the process of applying paint is finished (worst part ever) the plate is placed on the press. It's important to clean the edges (unless you want your professor to kill you) and hands before...
...placing the wet (but not too wet) paper on it.
Note that you have to place the paint all over again for every print. Yay! The press is good for the muscles unless you have an electronic one.
The final print:
The final one is a mixture of the previous two. It is also the biggest (B1+). Drawing all the details took me a very long time. The structure had to be carefully planned and created. Everything is connected. The light comes from two directions, the water reflects and plays with it's form.
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Thank you very much for watching!
