Please respond by Thursday, Feb. 7th at 9 am.
1) What aspects of the origins of collagraph were most interesting to you and why?
2) What are a few of the techniques from the reading that you would like to try and why?
3) What are the advantages to using collagraph over other techniques? What are the limitations?
What I found really interesting was the fact that even though they can’t pinpoint the exact time in which the collagraph was first invented, there were already so many famous artists using that technique. The fact that Picasso and artists like him were using it is cool when thinking how that could have influenced their work in any way. Or if maybe they used the collagraph for some of their famous pieces and I just didn’t know before because I didn’t know what it was.
ReplyDeleteSome techniques I really want to try are the molding paste and the Elmers glue. I feel like with the molding paste you can create almost like a landscape with different textures and different details that would look cool with paint. The glue I’d like to try because I feel like you can almost draw with it and create a lot of fine lines and details that you can’t do with any other medium on a collagraph.
I think that some of the advantages are that you can use so many different objects and textures as well as so many combinations of them and still come up with something awesome and different every time. And with all the different textures you could give one painting an entirely different look than another using the same style and colors. The downside however, which was hard to think of, I think might be that you still may not be able to put as much detail into a piece as you’d like. You can’t for example, shade or add really fine lines and details. But you can do that after you print it. Which is why I can’ t think of that many downsides.
An interesting aspect of the origins of collagraph is that Rolf Nesch used all metal pieces, wire weaving, and plates to achieve what is known as the ‘first’ collagraph. Another interesting point is that of Roland Ginzel using cardboard as plates when his zinc plates were destroyed in a fire.
ReplyDeleteI would love to try the collagraph method of taking impressions from gesso found objects, particularly natural objects such as palm fronds and stems of flowers, because of the multi-method concept of this print. Another method would be the absence of ink on a plate to achieve an embossed image. This would be visually interesting over a detailed background.
Some advantages to collagraph are the endless possibilities this method provides for texture, embossing, and color overprinting. Also, because of how easy it is to assemble a collagraph plate, people of all ages and skill level can use this technique. Collagraphs can be made almost anywhere and need little equipment. Some limitations are that you can only see what a print will look like by taking a proof. Also, the plate must be cleaned after every use. Some materials will not adhere to the plate, limiting patterns/textures at your disposal such as certain plastics and metal foils.
The origins of collagraphs are interesting to me in that they were created through experimentation with unconventional methods. As the article mentioned Picasso and Braque were two artists whose works led to later printmaking innovations, artists from the early 20th century were not afraid to try new techniques in their creations. It's cool to think about the way art has changed over the centuries and how critics at the time may have viewed these "new" techniques as Bohemian-like or horrific, but the current state of the art world would not be the way it is today without such acts of experimentation and breaking the norm.
ReplyDeleteReviewing the near limitless possibilities for collagraph prints, the ability to combine various objects and textures into one whole may be useful for my portfolio thesis. As Kali mentioned, I, too, want to experiment with found objects and the print textures they could create. I'm fascinated with the idea of using textures to represent an item, so I may end up making collagraph plates just for the experience of experimenting with various textures.
Because of the allowance to combine so many elements, there are many advantages to collagraphs; the possibilities for a print's appearance are endless. I really like how Danae pointed out that one print could look so much different from another based upon the texture of the plate. I think this could be a freeing experience for an artist in that one can try various methods and run the final collagraphs through the press and be pleasantly surprised by the final outcome. However, I could also see this as a frustrating experience for another artist if he or she desires a lot of direct control over the print.
1) I found it to be of interest that there was an artist that made collagraph plates from metal pieces and was virtuously unknown within the United States. I really thought it of interest that one artist began to use cardboard collagraphs to make art because his studio had burnt in a fire. How creative!
ReplyDelete2) I think I would like to try almost anything within the world of collagraphs. I have never done this sort of printmaking before and I am learning that the possibilities are endless. I liked the idea of using plant material in a collagraph. Perhaps I could mix up some man made elements along with the plants.
3) I would say one of the advantages of using collagraph as a technique is that the possibilities are nearly endless, anything that is nearly flat could be used. A drawback to this form of creating is that it does have to be within a certain measure of thickness to work properly with the press. Another drawback would be that you have to have access to a press to achieve the proper results.
1) Aspects of the origins of collagraph that I found interesting were: First and foremost the fact that it’s difficult to actually say when the collagraph truly started is very funny. Various artists were making art in similar fashions around the same time. I think that the story about the origins of the collagraph are just like the collagraph technique is itself—with room for happy accidents. Nothing is ever set in stone going to look a certain way with this process, and the origin isn’t even set in stone. The technique has been referred to by many different names. It is a process that can be combined with similar methods like etching, or different methods like screen-printing to create a new look. Everyone from 1893-1980s discussed did things differently some played with things such as, adhesives to copper, and real objects like cloth to plates.
ReplyDelete2) A few techniques from the reading that I would like to try are: Gesso, I believe that the textures it would create on the paper would add another layer of intrigue to what ever you print on top of it. Also, adding Sand to the piece sounds like really fun experiment/process. Adding sand to the wet gesso and then sealing it once dried, creating a rough surface. And the Found object, at first I thought put a strange object through the press, but in actuality it is making an impression of the object in gesso. Having an organic thing such as a leaf sounds great.
3) Advantages of Collagraph are that they are easy to make for artists of any skill level. The only thing that will change is the level of experimentation to match the skills of the artist. They are, as I see it, a way to build a work the same way you would if you were painting. (Throw a line here and there, be more expressive.)
Limitations of Collagraph are you have to work out exactly what you want to create before you start, because it is not easy to change direction mid-project without having to start over. Also you cannot stick surfaces that will be raised too far off of the surface into the press and the various materials gathered have to be at the same height, this limits your options.
1) I found it really interesting how multiple people were creating collagraph prints but all in drastically different ways. For instance, one artist used metal while another used cardboard. It kind of shows how versatile and experimental the technique is that it can incorporate so many different ways of doing it.
ReplyDelete2) I like the idea of using found objects in a collagraph because I find it really interesting how you can transform something three dimensional into a 2D representation that is embossed into paper. It kind of reminds me of creating an impression of that object, which is fascinating to think about.
3)
The advantages to using collagraph over other techniques of printmaking is that you can really utilize texture, whereas most other forms of printmaking are either very flat and graphic or embossed in a uniformed kind of way. You can create interest and variety very easily, however it is also hard to manipulate due to the fact that they have a higher tendency towards being unpredictable. For example, the ink could bleed, or pool into the nooks and crannies of the collaged materials providing different results. It takes a lot more planning as well if you want to create a definite image as opposed to just a textural, abstracted layer.
1. The experimentation of unconventional methods interested me because that is something I am usually hesitant about doing. Since I don't like messes, smudges, or anything that isn't "cookie cutter" when it comes to art, I am not the type of person who you would expect to see experimenting with strange objects to see how they look. I admire people who are willing and eager/curious enough to do something like that because they give people like me inspiration to try what they have done once we see how cool it can look.
ReplyDelete2. I have never worked with collagraph before so I am excited to just try it out in general. Gesso sounds interesting because in my first series of prints I incorporated gesso on top of photographic transfers and underneath my screen prints to create bold text. I like the medium and how versatile it is so I think it would be interesting to incorporate it with a collograph print as well because of its texture.
3. Some advantages of using collagraph over over other techniques are the opportunity to incorporate texture (unlike transfers, screenprint, etc). This gives each print a unique feel and can really make it stand out. A disadvantage is that collagraph prints must be well thought out beforehand and carefully executed. This isn't always a bad thing to have a plan for what you are doing, but once you stop there is no going back.
1) What aspects of the origins of collagraph were most interesting to you and why?
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting aspects of the origins of collagraph to me had to deal with its experimental base for the whole process in addition to the lack of a definitive source of origin as to who really invented this practice. I think one part that is aiding in the difficulty in finding this crafts originator has to do with the many forms a collagraph can take on.
2) What are a few of the techniques from the reading that you would like to try and why?
I have never worked with metal in a collagraph and that really intrigues me, previously I have worked with some soft materials in very different manner than you demonstrated in class. With that in mind I am very excited to try new techniques since there appears to be vast possibilities that I was not aware of previously.
3) What are the advantages to using collagraph over other techniques? What are the limitations?
Some advantages to working with collagraph is the patterning and textures on can create from found materials that other forms of printmaking lack. A disadvantage to working with this process though is the uncertainty to some degree as to what you will receive, I feel as though producing series could get frustrated when working with a collagraph due to that.