Dec 2015 - Feb 2016

I've been working on making acceptable photogravure plates, using the new Solar Plates from Dan Weldon http://www.solarplate.com/ .  It is a much finer detail plate with improved grayscale.

This one I made in Dec.

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW.

Cedar & Lizard, 4x5 inches

This was made with carbon black Akua ink, onto Hahnemuhle Copperplate paper.  The polymer plate is directed printed on in an Epson inkjet, exposed to UV, developed in water, and then hardened with additional UV exposure [about 10 min.].

I learned this process in the summer of 2015 at Making Art Safely with Don Messec.   In my own studio I did some rearrangement of my workflow from traditional acid etch intaglio to this process, the biggest problem was the exposure unit.

I wanted to build my own to save money, and it came out really easily.  I wanted to build it large enough so that I could do large plates in the future, but for now focus on 4x5 and 8x10.  Cost was about 275.00 usd and took about 5 hours with a friends help.  The hassle was the UV-A tubes, every place I tried was out, and had to back order to the factory in Europe!  Four months later -- tubes installed I was ready to make test plates.  What I didn't need in it was a vacuum frame, as I had printed directly onto the plate, no intermediate acetate required.  And because I printed on the plate a single light source was not needed either, so tubes ['way cheaper by thousands] could be used.

Jan. and early Feb. the following three were made:

Mask & Rods

Dress Shirt & Ipod

Legs

All on 4x5 plates, most trimmed down to image area before plate hardening.

~ tim