Re: Newbie introduction
Hey Mark... thanks for the reply and all the information. I do have the Weldon book, but the Jon Lybrook link was very interesting! The scary thing though, is that he doesn't use fluorescent tubes... says they're too diffuse. He uses a point light source. hmmm... I think I'll go ahead with my plans to build a UV box, because there are plenty of other processes I could use it for, if I decide I need point light for the gravure plates. The first gravures I saw were by Cy Decosse at John Stevens gallery in NY. They just took my breath away. I've since learned that he has his work printed by Keith Taylor, and that they in fact, ARE solar plates instead of traditional copper plate gravures. If I can get that level of detail and richness... that's the benchmark for me. I sympathize about the expense of a press... as I said, I wanted many years to finally get one. At least you seem to have access to one, which is way better than nothing! Thanks again for all the info!!! Susan On 1/15/07, D. Mark Andrews <mark@dragonbones.com> wrote: Hey Susan, Good morning from California. I've been playing a bit with solarplate and thought I would share some information with you. 1. Solarplate requires positives on transparencies rather than negatives. Good news for you unless you want to learn to create digital negatives for other alt processes. I was recently pulling plates with a platinum printer from this area and we both were taken aback by the results we got from scanning inkjet positives on photo paper and outputting them onto cheap Office Depot inkjet transparencies. 2. You can buy good quality ready-made light boxes from Edwards Engineering or Photographer's Formulary if you don't want to go through the hassle of building your own. BUT, the printmaker who taught me to make plates used an old 8x10 facial tanner taped on top of a cardboard box for her UV source (1.5 minute exposures). This makes me think that you could use some simple bulbs with a good amt of UV to expose, but I haven't tried it. Non-photographer printmakers in my area use the sun as a source, roughly 20 minute exposures. 3. Dan Weldon who invented solarplates has a good book on the subject: Weldon, Dan. _Printmaking in the Sun_ 4. A couple of online sources: http://www.lytescapes.com/procedures/polymer_photogravure.html http://www.alternativephotography.com/process_photo_intaglio.html 5. Exposing the plates is very simple. Short exposures and rinse in water. Then harden the plate under a UV source for 10 minutes or so ( I toss mine on the window sill and have a beer). The plates ink up easily. As a newbie I went from positive in hand to pulled print in about 30 minutes (including scanning the positive and outputting it on cheap transparency film). I envy you already owning an etching press. I can't believe how expensive they are. I told myself that I would just dip into my son's college fund to pay for it, but realized he would have to get through college in 3 years if I did :-) Mark -----Original Message----- From: Susan Voss [mailto:altfoto@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, January 15, 2007 7:07 AM To: alt-photo-process-l Subject: Newbie introduction Hi all, I was here a year or so ago, but had to withdraw for awhile. I'm back now and will be working toward a set-up for making polymer photogravures from digital negs. I'm primarily a painter and printmaker, but grew up with a Dad who had a darkroom, so making my own photographs has always seemed a very natural thing. My husband shoots large format, b&w, and we have a small but nice darkroom off my painting and printmaking studio. I really do have a perfect setup for photogravures ( i have an intaglio press), but I have to learn to make digital negs (I have an Epson 1280), build a UV box (i have a table saw and I know how to use it), and expose the plates ( i have some books about that). Sounds simple. HA!!! Looking forward to the journey, and hope to eventually be able to contribute something more than questions ;) susan Susan Daly Voss www.dalyvoss.com
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