☀AND A MANUAL OPAQUE FILM☀
I have realized this tutorial for ☞ Vostok Printing Shop.
(Tutorial in spanish on the link)
Exposing a plate in the sun, we could make a high quality intaglio plate very simply and quickly.
We need:
- a solar plate (photopolymer plate)
- a transparent acetate
- matt acrylic
- white copying paper
- a brush to apply the acrylic
- a metal tip to scrape the acrylic
- a glass, a board and clamps
- a print of your image reflected
- a bowl od tepid water
- a brush and a sponge
Work on preparing the artwork (transparency) applying the matt acrylic on the transparent acetate.
After being dried, trace the draw on the white copy paper and transferring the draw in the acrylic dried.
Artwork may be created with liquid opaque paint or ink, light-stopping making devices, lithographic crayons and certain black pencils, or found objects. Photographic images can be created on transparent acetate, mylar, or compatible film for your inkjet or laser printer or photo copier. This "transparency" is used as a contact positive or negative for either intaglio or relief. Artwork can be created by hand drawing, computer printout, or with photographic methods.
This technic is the most economic and simple, but the most variable to. The solar radiation intensity may change by geographic area, location, time of year, time of day.
Best results are achieved at noontime in strong sunlight. The exposure time may change to by the label and kind of sunplate. In this case i have exposed for 10 minutes with a strong sun and 30 minutes with cloudy.
It may be necessary to make previously time tests to be sure on the result.
Gently, scrub the entire image with a soft brush for about 5-10 minutes, depending upon the exposure time. Observe that the water has removed the polymer in the unexposed areas.
The washout process is a substitution for the "etch" process In traditional Intaglio. You can control the washing time and stop at any desired moment. After completing the washout, quickly blot with newsprint or phone book pages.
Post Expose the plate for 5-10 minutes (the same first exposure time).
The transparent plate base allow us tu cut and mount the images onto a carton plate to facility the printing.
In this case i have thought the image in two color, so i have mounted the polymer in two same size carton bases.
Ink the plate. The plate can be printed on a relief press or with a spoon or a Japanese baren and any quality printmaking paper may be used!
