Re: solarplate

[Jeremy Moore <jeremydmoore@gmail.com>]

Thanks a whole whole whole bunch, Chris. I am looking at trying my hand at some printmaking myself (mezzotint and photogravure probably) and this has been printed and added to the file!

-Jeremy Moore-

On 1/23/07, Christina Z. Anderson <zphoto@montana.net> wrote:

The subject of solarplate came up, and as I am participating in a
collaborative printmaking project with faculty/students from several
colleges with solarplate as a basis, I thought I would add a couple things
to the discussion. The group will end up with a collaborative portfolio,
some drawing directly on the plates, some combining photographic and drawing
processes, some using the film stuff Z'Acryl (that and Imagon I know nothing
about), some not doing solarplate at all.

I am testing several methods of negatives for this process.  The first two
dispense with the double exposure/aquatint screen, and are lower tech ways
of teaching solarplate to those not digitally savvy.

One is a simple bitmap--input 600/output 600, black ink only.  That works
very well for detailed imagery, as it incorporates a dot pattern into the
image that ends up not being perceptible in the final image.  However, the
printer you use to make your negs really determines exposure time.  For
instance, the Epson 2400 blacks are not very dense, but the Epson 3000 and
Epson 2200 are. And, if there are areas of large darks in the image, they
will still open bite.  Solarplate has two major problems, open bite, and
mottledness.

Second, is the Henrik Boegh method of making your image a halftone--you
first lower the tonal range of the image with a curve, by pulling down the
top right of the diagonal curve line so that input is is 100 output is 80,
then under your print with preview screen adding a halftone screen at 65
lpm/45 angle/diamond.  This works surprisingly well, but of course you are
clipping tones with the way of handling the curve. There, too, was open bite
in larger areas of dark, so for a really dark image like, for instance, Flor
Garduno (sp?) does, it might not be the best.

Third, the most accurate and professional way of handling solarplates but
one that requires more digital savviness:  I am biting the bullet and using
the aquatint screen exposure/negative exposure--doing the double exposure
technique.  I know there is a way to create a stochastic aquatint screen in
computer if anyone can share it, but I bought the thing--not cheap.  So now
I am working at calibrating exposure times with the screen and then the
negative, and then after I get that proportion figured out (solarplates
under UVBL are about 10 minutes total exposure and the aquatint screen can
be up to 1/3 or 1/2 that) I will then calibrate a custom curve using the
Precision Digital Negatives system and colorized negs.  On this one, no open
bite.

I will highly recommend two books, the Heinrik Boegh Handbook of NonToxic
Intaglio and Welden's Printmaking in the Sun.  Both are must-haves.  The
Keith Howard books are also good, but I find myself referring to Boegh's the
most.  Second, buying the plates directly from Dan Welden is pretty darn
cheap, aside from the fact he is so nice and helpful.

Hope this helps whoever it was many emails ago who asked questions on
solarplate!
Chris