Making the Collagraph Plate

Instructions for creating and printing the collagraph plate

Lesson Designed by Amy Nack, Founder of Wingtip Press and 

 Idaho Commission on the Arts Teaching Artist

Use these guidelines to create 8" x 10" collagraph printing plates for relief printing.
The focus of this project is  local and community architecture. We used photographs of neighborhood homes for Idaho Arts Powered School elementary school residencies where we integrated math, history, social studies and humanities standards for grades K-12. 

The project was also adapted as a series of community workshops for a  year long citywide celebration. (Learn more under the Community tab and PRINT BOISE tab of this blog)


SUPPLIES FOR COLLAGRAPH PLATES AND PRINTS:

• 3 photocopies of photographs of selected architecture (2 photocopies on copy paper, 1 on cardstock)
• 8" x 10" mat board
• 9" x 11" tissue paper
• Scissors
• Craft Scissors or pinking shears
• Rulers
• Markers
• Assorted textures: wallpaper, textured papers in various sizes, doilies, lace, string, tapes, sand paper, flat sequins, stickers. (Have several small squares and rectangles precut to be used for windows and doors). Do not use items like metal paper clips, coins or heavy twine.  
• School glue
• Foam brushes
• Acrylic medium for sealing front of plate
• Printmaking paper torn to 11"  x 14". (Stonehenge is affordable and beautiful)
• Carbon Black Akua Etching Ink
• Etching press
• Soft 4" speedball brayers
• Sheet of plexiglass for rolling out ink
• Pencils
• Newsprint
• Old phonebook for cleaning brayers
• Soapy water or baby wipes

PREPARING THE PHOTOGRAPHS

In advance of the workshop, take photographs of homes in your school's neighborhood, selecting homes that fit well within an 8" x 10" format and not obscured by excessive foliage. (Note the street address of the residence for future reference.)

Here is an example of a photo:

The photograph will be edited in a photo editing program. Crop the image so the photo will fill the 8" x 10" format. Name the file with the street address.

The image also needs to be flipped or rotated horizontally to create a mirror image.  This will allow the image to print as it appears in real life. Convert images to black and white as copies do not need to be in color. Rename the file with the address and add (R) to indicate it has been reversed.

Once the image is cropped and flipped, print three copies. Print two copies on standard 8.5" x 11" copy paper and the thrid copy on 8.5" x 11" card stock.  I hand write the address on the first copy and use this to create the additional copies.


PREPARING THE COLLAGRAPH PRINTING PLATE

Coat one side of the mat board with school glue and allow to dry. This can be done in advance or students can do as a first step. Coating the back seals the plate and prevents the board from curling when textures are added to the front.

After the board is coated and dry, mark with the letter B indicating it is the back of the plate.  

The board will curl slightly with the application of the glue, but will relax once the textures are added to the opposite side. Clean glue from brush before it dries.


COMPOSING THE COLLAGRAPH PRINTING PLATE

You are now ready to compose the collagraph plate.  Have the following supplies ready:

• 3 photocopies of  photographs of  selected architecture (2 photocopies, 1 on card stock). Students will receive one photocopy and one card stock copy. Teacher will retain one copy for future reference.
• 8" x 10" mat board
• 9" x 11" tissue paper
• Rulers
• Markers
• Scissors (regular and craft)
• Assorted textures: wallpaper samples, textured papers, doilies, lace, string, tapes
• School glue
• Foam brushes
• Acrylic medium

Crumple the sheet of tissue paper to create several wrinkles.  Coat the uncoated (front) of the mat board with glue and cover with the wrinkled tissue paper.  The wrinkles will create a textured area that will provide atmosphere when printed. Trim any excess from the edges

The surface is now prepared and ready for ""re-building" the house with assorted textures.

Students will use the card stock copy to identify, outline and cut the larger shapes that compose the residence.These shapes will be cut out and used "as is" to build the plate. Or, the card stock shapes can be used as a template to cut textures of those shapes to be assembled to build the plate.  The plain photocopy stays intact and is available for reference while building the plate.

 

Once the shapes are identified, cut those shapes from the card stock. Using either the card stock pieces or the traced textured pieces, re-assemble the house utilizing a variety of textures:

It is important to apply glue to the entire surface of the larger shapes when you glue them to the plate. This will prevent the glued pieces from bubbling when dry. Bubbling will affect the quality of the print. 

Here is a completed collagraph of the featured image using an assortment of textures:

Note how the artist left negative space between the two roof sections and the main structure. The negative space between the various components of the building create dimension when printed. Small details, like doorknobs, air vents, porch lights and foliage add interest.  

The collagraph printing plate is now ready to be sealed with acrylic medium. Acrylic medium is preferred for sealing the textured areas as school glue tends to crack and peel away from any plasticized textures or foil surfaces during the inking process. Cover the plate evenly and completely with the medium and allow to dry several hours or overnight. When dry, you may want to trim the edges with a scissors or x-acto knife to remove any excess tissue or textures from the borders of the plate.


PREPARING THE PRESS

Prepare a template for the press bed.  I use a sheet of grid paper cut to 11" x  14" and outline the plate position in the center of the grid. This provides a registration template for both printing plate and printing paper. Cover the template with a sheet of mylar. The mylar will protect your template and can be cleaned between printings.

PRINTING THE PLATES

Have the following supplies ready:

• Printmaking paper torn to 11 x 14
• Carbon Black Akua Etching Ink
• Soft 4" speedball brayers
• Sheet of plexiglass for rolling out ink
• Pencils
• Newsprint
• Old phonebook for cleaning brayers
• Soapy water or baby wipes

Roll out Carbon Black Akua Etching Ink on a sheet of glass or plexiglass with a 4" soft rubber Speedball brayer until even. 

The ink should look very velvety*

Apply the ink to the plate covering the surface completely and evenly with  moderate coats of ink. 

Applying ink to the plate

  

Place collagraph plate ink side up in the center of the template.

Centering inked plate on template

With clean hands, place printmaking paper on plate aligning the printmaking paper to the template.  Cover with a sheet of newsprint and press blankets and run through the press.

 Printmaking paper placed over the inked plate*

Completed Print and plate

Place print on drying rack and allow to dry overnight. 

Print on the drying rack

Clean the collagraph plate with soapy water or a baby wipe. I fill a spray bottle with water and and a small amount of Dawn dish soap for clean-up.

Water based Akua ink does not dry on non-absorbent surfaces, so be careful to clean the plate well, store in a plastic bag.

Clean excess ink from the brayer by rolling on phone book pages.

Phone books are great for cleaning brayers and ink knives*

Brayers and inking station can be cleaned with soapy water.


SIGNING THE PRINTS

Sign prints in pencil noting the edition number on the left:  1/3, 2/3, 3/3, title (address) in the center and artist's name on right, staying within the printed area's margins.  When working with children, I cut a strip of newsprint the length of the plate.  Fold the newsprint in half, creating a center line.  Have the student's practice signing on the strip of newsprint, centering the title on the fold line and signing on the right without going off the strip.  One students have a satisfactory trial strip, it can be positioned under the print to help with placement of title and signature.

Signed print - 2/3

Remove any smudges or fingerprints with a white eraser.

Thank you to artist Chelsi Benger for images of her collagraph plate for this tutorial and to Alex Wonder for her clean-up photos*.