Please respond to the readings in at least 150 words. Follow the guidelines for completing lectures and research before posting your work under the appropriate blog entry.
1) One of the aspects that I found most interesting concerning the origins of collagraph was that different artists working at roughly the same time and independently of one another were experimenting with collage in printmaking. The fact that artists like Roche, Nesch, Margo and Casarella among others like Picasso, Braque and Gris all had a hand in forming this method added to the whole notion that printmaking is a communal art form. Printmakers work together in large studios and it appears that they work together even when apart. Also, the fact that Ginzel started using cardboard after his zinc plates were destroyed in a fire was really interesting, the fact that through hardship something new is created.
2) After reading about it, I would actually like to try the syringe design technique. I think I would like to use that technique in part because it just sounds so bizarre and interesting and something I probably wouldn't have though of on my own. Also, it seems so precise and minute. I like being able to create tiny things. Also, the idea that if you cannot put a found object that you wish to use through the press, you can take an impression from it in gesso. Brilliant!
3) One of the biggest advantages of the collagraph technique is that you can use a wide range of materials to achieve all kinds of textures. The limitations to me seem to be that, after going through the press a certain number of times, the plate that was created might lose some of it's texture after being pressed so flat and also the fact that if an object is too tall or too soft (or too hard even, lest the print press sustain damages) it can't be used.
1. I was interested to discover that Picasso was one of the artists whose work led to collagraph printing. In hindsight, it makes a lot of sense that this would be the case since his work was so abstract and used so much layering, but it still wasn’t something I would have guessed off the top of my head. I also found it interesting that this form of art (collagraph printing) wasn’t truly discovered until the early 1900s because it seems like something that any creative person might have thought of a long time ago. The idea of painting different objects and pressing them up against a piece of paper to achieve different patterns and textures almost seems elementary in my opinion, but maybe that’s just because arts and crafts like that were such a big part of my childhood.
2. Some of the techniques that I would like to try when creating my collagraph include using gesso to create texture, cutting shapes from foam, cardboard and chipboard and layering these materials, and etching into different materials to create texture. I would also like to try smoldering and blazing different pieces of metal together and using wire to create a really interesting and intricate modern print, although I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity or need to do that for the current assignment.
3. One of the biggest advantages to using collagraph printing is the texture that it creates. With collagraphs “the possibilities for texture, embossing and color overprinting are endless.” One of the biggest limitations with collagraph printing is that you can’t be exact with it—it’s not a precise printing method and creating letters and words that are legible with collagraph printing seems very difficult (unless you are using foam letters that have already been perfectly cut out).
One of the most interesting things I found about the origin of collagraph prints was how Margo dissolved celluloid in acetone to create different levels of thickness. I thought this was very creative and interesting. Using liquefied areas of the plate to impress textures and for other decorative uses is a very unique process. Casarella’s cardboard prints are also another technique I found differing from the typical processes of relief printing. Using a collage of cardboard to form the design and then hand printing them gives a personal feel to the print. I like the technique of using Zinc, copper, or aluminum. Using sandpaper to create a rough surface would create an interesting print. However, this process is not convenient for our class. Using found objects is very applicable though, and this is one of the methods I used myself. I like using the “found” objects because the print is completely unique, yet can be replicated several times when it has gesso overlaying it. The advantages of using collagraph are fairly obvious. Collagraph prints are unique, have hundreds of methods to create different results, can be extremely colorful, have unique textures, can have several layers, and so on. The disadvantages, however, are that it can be hard to make a print that is easily replicated. Also, sometimes the artist cannot be sure any of the results that the print will have.
I really enjoyed reading about Roland Ginzel and how he discovered the idea of printing using cardboard. It was a random mistake, when a fire in his studio left him with no zinc to work with, so he began cardboard. Something that appeared to be trash was recycled into an extremely successful means for collagraph printing. I always find these kinds of discoveries interesting in art because a “mistake” or a “problem” can always lead to beautiful and interesting work. I believe that a lot of techniques in art has originated through unexpected situations where artists are forced to change or alter their process.
I would like to try a variety of techniques, but from the reading one in particular that stood out to me was the organza technique. I think using paper-like materials to print is so unique because of the wide range of textures one can create by crumpling or smoothing out certain areas. I enjoy the flexibility of paper in creating multiple layers of interesting textures and surfaces. Another one that really catches my eye is using natural material, such as leaves or bark. I find nature’s textures extremely amazing because not only do they exert aesthetic beauty, but they also serve a vital part in the biology and life of that particular plant. For example, the veins in a leaf demonstrate beautiful textures, rhythm and patterns, but also tell a story of the various ways in which plants are nourished.
Using collagraph printing is very effective when trying to achieve textures and vibrant colors. Collagraph printing allows for artists to use everyday objects and capture their “aura” through ink on paper. When I say this, I mean an artist may find a particular leaf to be beautiful, and through collagraph printing, can incorporate that aesthetic into his or her artwork. It is also especially useful for making a variation of the same print over and over again. Because the collagraph is a fixed image, one can repeat the print various times and have the same image without much effort besides re-inking. A limitation to collagraph printing is detail. Achieving extreme detail is not easy because you are working with lifting up space rather than detracting, as in linoleum cutting or relief printing. When building up material, it is harder to achieve detail.
The most interesting aspect of the origin of the collagraph is that it is a rather young technique. Compared to etching, for example, which has been done for hundreds of years, the term collagraph wasn’t even coined until the mid 1900s. After reading about the technique of thickening gesso and pressing into it with cardboard, and then removing the cardboard to reveal interesting textures, it is something I would like to try. It seems as tough this technique would be a good way to imitate textures that would otherwise be impossible to adhere to a plate, such as marble grain. Also, the technique in which sandpaper is used as a way to achieve a uniform dark tone seems interesting, and a lot more predictable than experimenting with sand or carborundum grit. One of the most apparent advantages of using collagraph over other techniques is that is inexpensive, especially compared to etching with metal plates. Also, collagraphs can suit a variety of skill levels. One of the disadvantages of collagraph is that some materials used will not produce a plate that can last more that one edition.
1) I thought it was interesting that up until the 1900s no one had really been using any printmaking techniques, and then once it did start to come about, there were several artists who independently and simultaneously started experimenting with printmaking methods. Although, now that I think about it I guess that would have to do with the invention of the printing press in the 1800s. But it still seems to me that printmaking would have been a realized form of art before then, because it’s so simple and it seems so intuitive for any creative person to do. Even without a printing press you can create beautiful prints.
2) I really liked the idea of using objects to create impression in gesso. I think this sounds like a good solution to some of the difficulties that you can face when trying to create a collagraph plate such as objects being too varied in thickness to put on the same plate, or too fragile or perishable to adhere to the plate.
3) Some advantages to using the collagraph technique are uniformity and texture. By creating a plate to be printed multiple times, you insure that you can recreate a pattern or texture, something that can often be challenging with other techniques such as monotype. Also, you can create textures by adhering various materials or etching into the board etc that you couldn’t achieve through other methods. Some limitations with this technique would be line quality and detail. Due to the materials used and the inking processes used it is often difficult to get the same, crisp fine line quality that you could get out of a linoleum cut or silk screen print. Also, there is a limitation to how fine the detail can be in a collagraph print.
1) One of the aspects that I found most interesting concerning the origins of collagraph was that different artists working at roughly the same time and independently of one another were experimenting with collage in printmaking. The fact that artists like Roche, Nesch, Margo and Casarella among others like Picasso, Braque and Gris all had a hand in forming this method added to the whole notion that printmaking is a communal art form. Printmakers work together in large studios and it appears that they work together even when apart. Also, the fact that Ginzel started using cardboard after his zinc plates were destroyed in a fire was really interesting, the fact that through hardship something new is created.
ReplyDelete2) After reading about it, I would actually like to try the syringe design technique. I think I would like to use that technique in part because it just sounds so bizarre and interesting and something I probably wouldn't have though of on my own. Also, it seems so precise and minute. I like being able to create tiny things. Also, the idea that if you cannot put a found object that you wish to use through the press, you can take an impression from it in gesso. Brilliant!
3) One of the biggest advantages of the collagraph technique is that you can use a wide range of materials to achieve all kinds of textures. The limitations to me seem to be that, after going through the press a certain number of times, the plate that was created might lose some of it's texture after being pressed so flat and also the fact that if an object is too tall or too soft (or too hard even, lest the print press sustain damages) it can't be used.
1. I was interested to discover that Picasso was one of the artists whose work led to collagraph printing. In hindsight, it makes a lot of sense that this would be the case since his work was so abstract and used so much layering, but it still wasn’t something I would have guessed off the top of my head. I also found it interesting that this form of art (collagraph printing) wasn’t truly discovered until the early 1900s because it seems like something that any creative person might have thought of a long time ago. The idea of painting different objects and pressing them up against a piece of paper to achieve different patterns and textures almost seems elementary in my opinion, but maybe that’s just because arts and crafts like that were such a big part of my childhood.
ReplyDelete2. Some of the techniques that I would like to try when creating my collagraph include using gesso to create texture, cutting shapes from foam, cardboard and chipboard and layering these materials, and etching into different materials to create texture. I would also like to try smoldering and blazing different pieces of metal together and using wire to create a really interesting and intricate modern print, although I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity or need to do that for the current assignment.
3. One of the biggest advantages to using collagraph printing is the texture that it creates. With collagraphs “the possibilities for texture, embossing and color overprinting are endless.” One of the biggest limitations with collagraph printing is that you can’t be exact with it—it’s not a precise printing method and creating letters and words that are legible with collagraph printing seems very difficult (unless you are using foam letters that have already been perfectly cut out).
One of the most interesting things I found about the origin of collagraph prints was how Margo dissolved celluloid in acetone to create different levels of thickness. I thought this was very creative and interesting. Using liquefied areas of the plate to impress textures and for other decorative uses is a very unique process. Casarella’s cardboard prints are also another technique I found differing from the typical processes of relief printing. Using a collage of cardboard to form the design and then hand printing them gives a personal feel to the print.
ReplyDeleteI like the technique of using Zinc, copper, or aluminum. Using sandpaper to create a rough surface would create an interesting print. However, this process is not convenient for our class. Using found objects is very applicable though, and this is one of the methods I used myself. I like using the “found” objects because the print is completely unique, yet can be replicated several times when it has gesso overlaying it.
The advantages of using collagraph are fairly obvious. Collagraph prints are unique, have hundreds of methods to create different results, can be extremely colorful, have unique textures, can have several layers, and so on. The disadvantages, however, are that it can be hard to make a print that is easily replicated. Also, sometimes the artist cannot be sure any of the results that the print will have.
I really enjoyed reading about Roland Ginzel and how he discovered the idea of printing using cardboard. It was a random mistake, when a fire in his studio left him with no zinc to work with, so he began cardboard. Something that appeared to be trash was recycled into an extremely successful means for collagraph printing. I always find these kinds of discoveries interesting in art because a “mistake” or a “problem” can always lead to beautiful and interesting work. I believe that a lot of techniques in art has originated through unexpected situations where artists are forced to change or alter their process.
ReplyDeleteI would like to try a variety of techniques, but from the reading one in particular that stood out to me was the organza technique. I think using paper-like materials to print is so unique because of the wide range of textures one can create by crumpling or smoothing out certain areas. I enjoy the flexibility of paper in creating multiple layers of interesting textures and surfaces. Another one that really catches my eye is using natural material, such as leaves or bark. I find nature’s textures extremely amazing because not only do they exert aesthetic beauty, but they also serve a vital part in the biology and life of that particular plant. For example, the veins in a leaf demonstrate beautiful textures, rhythm and patterns, but also tell a story of the various ways in which plants are nourished.
Using collagraph printing is very effective when trying to achieve textures and vibrant colors. Collagraph printing allows for artists to use everyday objects and capture their “aura” through ink on paper. When I say this, I mean an artist may find a particular leaf to be beautiful, and through collagraph printing, can incorporate that aesthetic into his or her artwork. It is also especially useful for making a variation of the same print over and over again. Because the collagraph is a fixed image, one can repeat the print various times and have the same image without much effort besides re-inking.
A limitation to collagraph printing is detail. Achieving extreme detail is not easy because you are working with lifting up space rather than detracting, as in linoleum cutting or relief printing. When building up material, it is harder to achieve detail.
The most interesting aspect of the origin of the collagraph is that it is a rather young technique. Compared to etching, for example, which has been done for hundreds of years, the term collagraph wasn’t even coined until the mid 1900s.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading about the technique of thickening gesso and pressing into it with cardboard, and then removing the cardboard to reveal interesting textures, it is something I would like to try. It seems as tough this technique would be a good way to imitate textures that would otherwise be impossible to adhere to a plate, such as marble grain. Also, the technique in which sandpaper is used as a way to achieve a uniform dark tone seems interesting, and a lot more predictable than experimenting with sand or carborundum grit.
One of the most apparent advantages of using collagraph over other techniques is that is inexpensive, especially compared to etching with metal plates. Also, collagraphs can suit a variety of skill levels. One of the disadvantages of collagraph is that some materials used will not produce a plate that can last more that one edition.
1) I thought it was interesting that up until the 1900s no one had really been using any printmaking techniques, and then once it did start to come about, there were several artists who independently and simultaneously started experimenting with printmaking methods. Although, now that I think about it I guess that would have to do with the invention of the printing press in the 1800s. But it still seems to me that printmaking would have been a realized form of art before then, because it’s so simple and it seems so intuitive for any creative person to do. Even without a printing press you can create beautiful prints.
ReplyDelete2) I really liked the idea of using objects to create impression in gesso. I think this sounds like a good solution to some of the difficulties that you can face when trying to create a collagraph plate such as objects being too varied in thickness to put on the same plate, or too fragile or perishable to adhere to the plate.
3) Some advantages to using the collagraph technique are uniformity and texture. By creating a plate to be printed multiple times, you insure that you can recreate a pattern or texture, something that can often be challenging with other techniques such as monotype. Also, you can create textures by adhering various materials or etching into the board etc that you couldn’t achieve through other methods. Some limitations with this technique would be line quality and detail. Due to the materials used and the inking processes used it is often difficult to get the same, crisp fine line quality that you could get out of a linoleum cut or silk screen print. Also, there is a limitation to how fine the detail can be in a collagraph print.