17th / 18th February 2016 
MORE PROOFING AND HOME MADE STARCH PASTE FOR COLLAGING PRINTS


More proofs were taken from the first stone using Non Drying black ink on Fabriano Rosepina paper so that I would have more prints to experiment registration with! I had previously exhausted my supply of prints that I had originally taken with trying to register the second stone last week! 

I also took 6 prints of the small stone shown below using the same ink on Japanese paper

I had an idea to try and stick these small prints on to some concrete slabs that I had made earlier (this may sound a bit random but my painting practice involves painting on similar slabs of concrete and I have an exhibition coming up soon and thought this might be a good way of displaying paintings and prints together).

Serena my tutor showed me a method of making a glue paste to achieve this out of flour and water.

One teaspoon of flour was mixed with a small amount of water to make a smooth lump free slurry. A small amount of boiling water (about an inch in the jug) was added which thickened the mix.  Cold water was then added to thin the glue so it became the same consistency as milk. 

The edges of the print and the concrete tile were drawn on a piece of cadfoil to position them and then the print was placed image downwards on the cadfoil and the glue paste brushed over the surface of the print. Care was taken that there were no creases or air bubbles.  It was left a few minutes to stretch and relax. The excess glue around the edges was then brushed off and the print placed on the concrete tile in the correct position. The cad foil was removed and the print was covered with a thin layer of tissue and stippled with a stiff brush to ensure adequate adhesion (especially on edeges and corners!)

The stone was left to dry completely and then the print surface was sealed and protected with  Aerosol spray matt varnish (or PVA)
 Excess paper around the edge of the concrete tile  (see above) was removed  with sharp scalpel.

Heres the finished print stuck on to the concrete - because the Japanese paper is so thin some of the surface texture of the concrete was visible through the paper.