Docking Station collagraph: Connectivity project

This week I created a new collagraph plate using an idea that has been floating around in my head for a while now.

I’m a bit of a fan of science fiction and fantasy films.  I’ve always liked images of satellites, space stations, space ships and so on, and so I created my own version of an unrealistic docking station.  This is just the first step but I already like the concept of shapes encapsulating items, the sense of a captive particle or object waiting to be released, pieces aligned and held in place forming neat rows or structures.

Design progress

After initial drawings, and thinking a bit while out walking the dog, I usually resolve design issues as I create the print plate.  I’m not the best at multiple drawn concepts and tend to keep them percolating in my head and partially evolve them  there.

This was initially intended to be a larger piece, to be wall-hung, and stitched into but I’ve started with it as a new page for my never-ending Connectivity project and, as that’s going to be a book I can’t really add dimensional aspects.

Print outcome

Very happy with the concept but there are some issues to resolve.  Recently reading some printing technical books I decided to gesso the background before applying the surface textural elements.  This has brought up a lot of background ‘interference’ from the brush marks when covering with gesso.  Not what I want at all.

I also have some ink run around the main shape.  I printed this several times and it only got worse.  My conclusion is that, although coated 3 times with Shellac, the ink is seeping under the edges of the cut cork shape and when going through the etching press this is squeezing out, so creating the bleed.  Even using a cotton bud to remove excess ink prior to printing didn’t help.  So I need to re-seal the plate.

A ghost print has brought up better texture in some areas but lost the strength in others.

Need to work on some refinement to this plate.

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