Project: Hidden Vessels

In mid 2023 I completed a project entitled Stratification which can be seen HERE. It is the second in a series featuring vessels. Stratification represents layers of sediment rock, debris and so on compressed over time. Within the work I ‘buried’ ancient vessels. The print plate was made in response to a less than successful piece I’d previously worked on, shown on the same link above, and was a vast improvement on that original work.

It’s three years since I created the first piece and, having more experience now, I decided to rework it with, hopefully, better results.

As I reviewed the original collagraph plate (shown left), made from mountboard with various additions, I felt the main issue with it is that it’s been over-sealed, which means it’s extremely easy to over-wipe the plate making the print very uneven and often faint in sections.

The entire surface is very smooth, slick and without significant texture. In fact, the only textural effects come from where media overlap creating different profile levels.

Materials used on this mountboard base include – top to bottom – embossed paper, teabags, cork sheet, commercial patterned paper, masking tape, handmade paper with cut away sections and muslin.

I’ve read many, many blogs and tutorials regarding sealing collagraph plates and have come to the conclusion that it’s personal choice, but here are a few tips:

• Shellac. When using Shellac I always mix up a fresh solution. Using a small jam jar, or similar, I put the flakes in and then double the volume with methylated spirits, i.e. if the flakes fill the bottom quarter of the jar I add meths to the half way mark. The solution is stirred, left to dissolve and then shaken vigorously to ensure there are no lumps.
  Drawback 1: Solution left for extended periods can settle and form tiny dry particles, almost unseen to the naked eye, which will be evident when printing. I’ve had this problem. I thought by shaking the jar to remix it would still be good to use. Not the case, and it was only at the end of the project, once the print was pulled, that I saw the minuscule imperfections across my print.
  Drawback 2: Shellac has a warm yellow/golden appearance and the entire plate will take this on once coated. It can be very difficult to gauge ink application and wiping back of light colours in particular.
  Drawback 3: Depending on the flakes-to-meths ratio and humidity Shellac can take a while to dry. This can be a potential issue when wanting multiple layers within a short time period. Clean-up is with solvent, usually neat methylated spirits.
  Advantage 1: Shellac has a very low viscosity, meaning it’s very runny, so can be applied in extremely light layers. For works where textural effects are paramount and are the mainstay of the piece this is definitely a huge advantage.
  Advantage 2: Multiple layers of Shellac can be applied in selected areas of a plate creating very subtle changes in tonal work. Obviously, the more layers there are the less ink will be retained so creating highlighted sections in the final print. As Shellac can be used so sparingly the tonal variations can be highly controlled.

• Button polish. This is a solution of unbleached Shellac premixed with methylated spirits. I’ve not used it but read many positive comments about it. It appears to dry relatively fast, around 30 minutes per layer, but dries with a golden colour, so having the same as drawback 2 above. Clean-up is also solvent based.

• Polyurethane or water-based varnish and mediums. There are many different brands easily available.
  Drawback 1: With a higher viscosity than Shellac it can be more difficult to apply very thin layers and, if care isn’t taken, build up around shapes or accidental filling of textural elements can occur.
  Advantage 1: Varnish comes in various forms: matte, satin, gloss, fairly runny, less runny, thick and ultra-thick to name a few. These can be used to create many different effects. For example, ultra-thick gloss medium can be applied in a single coat instead of multiple coats of runny satin varnish.
  Advantage 2: It dries more quickly than Shellac, it dries clear and brushes can be cleaned with water.

• No plate sealant. I’ve read some printmakers don’t seal their plates at all. As they use oil-based printing inks they rely on the first inking to coat the plate and, once cured, create a seal. Many inks dry by absorption into the printing paper, so as long as the print matrix is paper-based – such as mine is above – this may well be successful but you’ll forfeit some ink to do it.

Back to my project.
With several years more inking experience now, and having identified the sealing issue, the plate was carefully inked and lightly wiped back. I left more ink on the plate than I would normally, while itching to remove some, but resisted.

On the left is the entire print, whilst on the right is another version of just the top section demonstrating a second colour choice.

If any readers have further advice or tips on sealing collagraph plates please feel free to comment and share your experience.

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