NON TOXIC PRINTMAKING

”The declaration of principle”

• - to find materials and methods that are inexpensive in use

• - easy to acquire

• - appropriate to use

• -non-toxic or enviromentally safe

Trygve Retvik: ....about printmakingAbout simple printing techniquesBut most about non toxoc printmaking

Little has change since…

Rembrandt 1606 - 1669

Environmental problems have by and by become a problem both globally and for the individual.

Litterature on Non-toxic

Keith Howard:Non-toxi intaglioprintmaking

Henrik Bøegh: Handbook inNon-toxic intaglio

Henrik Bøegh: It is well known that traditional graphic materials contain a cocktail of healthy and environmentally harmfull acids and chemicals, that are without parallell in creative arts. They can each have their particular charakteristics that are harmfull for artists´health abd tne environment, but used together represent a very dangerous threat to anyone that use them frequently

Which problematic materials are used in the making of intaglio printmaking,

and what health hazard can they cause?

Problematic materials

Nitric acid - White spirit - Methylated spirit – Resin –Etching grounds - Printing Ink - Dust

What`s the alternatives

Iron chloride – cooking oil and dishwashing soap – Johnson Clear Polish - Different acrylic based materials

Standing Bath for iron chloride

Recipe for the etching bath

• 1 kilo iron cloride in solid form (granulated) mixed with 2,5 litres warm water. This is equivalent to 30 degrees Baumé. This strength can also be used on zink (for standing bath)

• For etching on copper in Edinburgh Etch mix ¼ litre lemon acid powder in ¾ litre water (fine aquatints add som more water) Add 4 litres liquid iron chloride.

• For etching on zink with Edinburgh Etch mix

1/ 2- 1/3 litre lemon powder in 1 litre iron chloride and mix this in 5 litres of water

For use in the cleaning process of oil-based Ink

Cooking oil anddishwashing liquid soap is a very good alternativeto white spirit

Acrylic materials

Stripping acrylic based materials

• 100 grams washing soda to 1 litre water

Some products from the nearest shop we use in non toxic printmaking

Washing soda (crystals) JiF Bathroom cleaner Johnson Clear Polish

Johnson’s Clear Polish as etching ground

Line etching with ironchloride in 30 min.

The etching groundis Johnson Clear Polish

Rolled on Lift ground and hard ground

Graphic Chemical Water based in (Crimson red 1661)

Home madeDrying cabinet

All acrylic based Materials become more solid after10 minutes in the drying cabinet

Graphic Chemical Water based Ink as lift ground

Autumnleavespressed into thelift ground

Recipe on Aquatint acrylic mixture

• ½ parts volume Stop-Out varnish

• ½ part clean water

This mixture is spread on a clean and well degreased copperplate with an air-brush, pressure 2-3 bar at a distance of 20 – 30 cm.

• 2 parts volume Transparent lacquer from Lascaux 2060 shiny.

This etchingKey has intervals from1 min to 28 min

1 min

28 min

Aquatint by liquid acrylic mixture, sprayed on by airbrush

Anti-oxidising liquid

• Anti-oxidising liquid is made of 2-3 tablespoons with ordinary table salt mixed in 1 litre 5% vinegar

Plastic packing tape to cover the back side

Photopolymér and Photo engraving

The starting point here is three fotos, treated through the PC program; Paint Shop Pro, exposed into ImagOn film and etches in iron chloride and printed as intaglio

Developing liquid

In a 10 litres container with tap, mix 100 grams of washing soda in 10 litres of water. A little of the water is heated up to aid the dissolving of the washing soda crystals.

This mixture should be kept at an even 20 degrees Celcius.

Mixed media: collagraphy and photopolymer (ImagOn)

The working process

• Printing plates (copper) cut to shape, polished with fine sand paper (600 or finer). Good de-greasing.

• Laminate ImagOn film to the printing plate• Expose the aquatint raster (not necessary if only

line motif)• Expose the original• Develope the film• Ink the printing plate and print as a normal

intaglio

Transparents, originals for exposure

A painting withGouache on adrawing foil

Transparent foils

The matt foil is removed first

Through the intaglio press

Trim the film with a sharp knife

UV-light exposure cabinet

A mercury vapourLamp (Phillips)

A 6 mm glass plate

A vacuum frame

To close UV-ligth oro controll the timef light

Compressor from an old refrigerator

The laminated printingplate with the originalon the top (between theglass and the v.frame)

Developing bath for ImagOn film

PHOTOPOLYMER

A ”destroyed streetground”can be an exitedmotif through a cameralenceand a printing process

Photopolymer

Exposed before lamination

Print Printing plate

Collagraphy

Collagraphy is a flexible printmaking technique wich contains the special peculiarities of printmaking together with the painterly and the sculptural. The expression can remind one of traditional aquatint where tones from white to velvet black can be achived. Painterly effects can remind one of lithography, whose hallmark is that the drawn and the painted media can be used, and gives the picture its character. It is also possible to achieve a strong textured expression through differences in layer in a built-up printing plate

Collagraphic from print Cuba

Hand colorated intaglio

Rolf Nesch

Two examples on collagraphy

Collagraphy

Here is the material a bathroom filler on acrylic base

Bathroom filleron thin aluminiumThe print

The printing plate.Bathroom filleron polystyren

Collagraphy with bathroom filler on a polystyren plate

PaintOn with

Decor Matt Pastel colour Marabu and Carborundum powder to get it more black

That’s all folks