Cyanotypes and Printmaking

here are the images before they were made into cyanotypes.


i am in a historical processes photography class this semester and we just learned how to make cyanotypes. i love making cyanotypes! here is what the two i made look like. both are made the same way, but the top print with the gnomes is then toned in black tea so it gives an aged and toned look.


another art class i am in right now is printmaking. this top print is called a soft ground intaglio print. when our copper plate is ready for ink, a certain ink is put on top of the copper plate, then you place thin textures on top of the ink. i used really curly doll hair. then that plate is placed on a printmaking roller with ceran wrap on top(that is what created my second texture). then you roll it through and the textured leaves an imprint on the plate. after you remove the textures, the plate(i am sure none of you care how it was made but i think its interesting) goes on a hot plate after you dip the plate in a chemical for several minuetes. the putting in chemicals is called etching. then ink is placed onto the copper plate and with paper it is rolled through again making your print. so fun.

this wood grained piece i did is called a hardground print. this is the second technique we learned. a floor wax is placed in the copper plate, then you draw onto the floor wax just enough to have the copper show through. then the plate is etched and then after ink is placed on and rolled through the press.this is called dry point and was the first we learned. we drew with a metal tool right into the copper(which was hard) and then ink is placed on the plate and rolled through the press.
here is the one of the presses in the room, the one i like to use. there a steps involved in each processes that i didn't mention. altough it is pretty easy it is time consuming and there is a lot to remember. i love the feeling right as i am taking the paper off the plate about to see what was made, it is thrilling.