Collagraphy

Collagraphy is the process of creating a relief print using collage.

A successful artist and designer who works with collagraphy is Laura Slater. Slater graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2007 with a BA (Hons) in Textiles Design. She has worked in the industry since with clients and project collaborators that include:  “Heals, John Lewis, The Hepworth Wakefield, Harvey Nichols, Material Lab, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Johnston Tiles, Wrap Magazine, Le Bon Marche (Paris), and Fraser Muggeridge Studio”. Slater is also a part-time lecturer at Leeds Art University on their BA (Hons) Textile Design course, covering years 5 and 6 (Leeds Arts University, n.d.)

Collagraphy will be the first printing technique explored in this experimental module. The printing process uses a roll press to compress a plate made from a mounted collage onto the print media. Collage material can be anything from textiles to flat (or flattish) objects, but for this experiment, I used a cardboard mount and varied thicknesses of paper to create my design.

Example of Textile Printing from Laura Slater Textiles

The thickness of the paper used for collage making and the layering of the paper affects the final image. Because this is a relief printing process the higher (more layered) the collage paper the greater pressure will be applied to the print media. If the collage materials are high enough the print media will be deformed or indented during the pressing, which can create a pleasant 3D effect.

This type of printing uses a Positive Plate, which means that material added to the plate will be printed and areas with no application will not. In addition, the higher the collage element the more it will pick up ink when rolled and the darker that element will print. The plate is also reversed, meaning that the lefthand side of the plate will be the righthand side of the printed image. This is extremely important when printing text, which needs to be laid out in reverse to print correctly.

It is possible to print multiple colours using collagraph techniques, by masking the plate during the print process, and by allowing the media to dry before reprinting with second or subsequent colours using the cleaned plate. For this technique to be used it is important to seal the plate before starting the printing process.

I chose to use a two-colour process. Print masking can either be applied during the inking of the plate, or before pressing. I chose the former, carefully masking elements with masking tape whilst rolling the ink and then applying a second colour before pressing.

Similarly to Lino Cut printing the printing inks are rolled on a glass sheet to evenly coat the roller before it is applied to the plate. The Inks used at Solent will wash off hands with soap and water, but the pigments that they contain may stain clothes.

Example of Ink rolling using a glass plate and a printing roller.

Inspired by the 1989 print Silence Equals Death by Keith Haring I chose to print a single triangle as a motif representing gender/sexuality-based inequality. Haring, an American artist and printer, often used his artwork to express his activist position on injustice and inequity in society. His print, Silence Equals Death refers to the pink triangle pinned to the shirts of gay men in Germany, imprisoned before and during the Second World War under a law called Paragraph 175, which criminalised homosexuality.

Keith Haring Silence = Death (1989)

I used triangular-shaped pieces of paper to represent shattered glass, and an upright triangle to represent the feminine, centred so that it appeared to be behind the shards. Smaller triangular pieces created a crazed framing effect. I finally added an eye to the top of the triangle and several teardrop shapes extending downwards from it to the bottom of the frame. I printed the triangle in red, because of its proximity to the shade used by Haring. Red is a strong colour that immediately grabs the attention, ideally suited to a protest sign. The Shards of Glass printed in blue, contrasted well with red and provided a nod to the masculine and patriarchy.

Printing Plate                                                               

Printed Media

Overall I was happy with my prints. This was my first attempt at Collagraphy, and I found the process highly enjoyable. I particularly liked the way in which the empty areas of the plate picked up some ink during the inking process which transferred onto the media, I felt that they gave the finished prints a more organic, handmade feel, which differentiates the work from my core medium of photography.

I liked the print enough to consider hanging it in a frame. Using an A3 picture frame that I had from an earlier project, I purchased a mount from an online framing supplier and mounted the print, adding a title and a signature to it. The result appears to transform an experimental print into an artwork

Mounted and Framed Print

HARING, K., 1989. Silence = Death (1918) [Viewed 19/10/2014]. Available from: https://www.haring.com/!/art-work/848-2

SLATER, L., n.d. Collagraph [Viewed 19/10/2024]. Available from: https://www.lauraslater.co.uk/collections/collagraph/