Photogravure: smooth tones

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

smooth tones

I was beginning to feel I would never get smooth tones out of this process, but today I finally got it right. When I decided to print this image I thought it would be the perfect one to either make me or break me in this regard since it's all about smooth tones. What a relief! The strange thing is that I didn't do anything all that different... it's just been a lot of small changes with press pressure, blankets, paper soaking time etc. I still have to adjust the curve for this a bit to feel like it's perfect, but for right now, I'm happy. Image size is 8 x 10".

6 comments:

Christopher Mark Perez said...: It looks like you're hitting your stride with this technique.

Very beautiful. Congrats!; May 24, 2007 at 1:19 PM
beth said...: I am wondering if you plan to teach this. Your results look fantastic!! The image of the raddishes is stunning.

I have taken 2 classes on photo gravures using different materials and am so confused!; May 27, 2007 at 1:13 PM
Susan Daly Voss said...: Hi, and thank you both for the kind words. Beth, these days I'm too busy with my personal work to think about teaching, and besides, I'm still very new to this process. Maybe someday down the road...

Susan; May 29, 2007 at 4:53 PM
Susan Daly Voss said...: Beth, I meant to ask you what classes you've taken, and which materials?

Susan; May 29, 2007 at 4:54 PM
Slade said...: Susan,

I have been watching your process from the sidelines for a while now. I am very happy with the progress that you have shown.

I have done traditional photo gravures years ago, and am very interested in the polymer photo gravure process you have been working on.

I've also put you in my links, I appreciate your research and the images are very lovely.; June 6, 2007 at 4:10 AM
Sally said...: Very nice.; June 9, 2007 at 11:08 AM

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Very basic description of the process and equipment used

I've set up this blog to document my work in learning the process of polymer photogravures, or photo gravures. My background is in printmaking and painting, but I have always loved making photographs. This process may be a perfect link between those mediums.

The process begins with photographs I take using black and white film. The negatives are scanned into my computer and then printed out as a positive image on clear inkjet media. This positive image is placed in contact with a light-sensitve polymer plate and exposed. The plate is then developed in water and gently scrubbed with a soft brush. The areas of the plate that were exposed to light have been hardened, but the areas protected by the positive image are water soluble and wash away leaving lower areas that will later hold ink during printing. After the plate is dried and further hardened, it is treated much as any other etching plate. Artist's grade printing ink is worked into the grooves in the plate by hand, and then polished off the high areas. The plate is then placed in contact with damp printmaking paper and pulled through an intaglio press under great pressure. The paper is forced down into the grooves of the plate where it picks up the ink and the image is created.

Materials and equipment used:

Medium and large format cameras

Dell XPS 710 computer

Epson Perfection 3200 scanner

Epson 1280 inkjet printer

Pictorico overhead transparency media

Toyobo Printight KM73 photopolymer plate

Nuarc mercury UV exposure unit

Workpress custom intaglio press

Photogravure

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

smooth tones

6 comments:

what is a photo gravure?

Very basic description of the process and equipment used

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