This week I have gone back to working on my 2 stone lithograph.
I had previously had problems registering the 2 stones accurately. Serena suggested that I print the first stone with damp paper and the second stone with dry. I had been reading about pinhole registration techniques and wondered if this might offer a solution to my registration issues! So using an etching needle two points were chosen on the second stone to make two pinholes. Cadfoil with the image of the first stone drawn onto it was placed on the second stone and the 2 pinholes that had been scratched onto the stone were located. The holes from the stone were transferred onto the cadfoil and then the cadfoil was transferred to a print from the first stone. Two darning needles were inserted into 2 corks and the holes from the cadfoil were transferred onto the first print using these needles. The second stone was inked up using litho ink and NAM in a 50:50 mix and applied to the stone using a glazed roller.
A covering sheet of newsprint was placed over the inked stone initially and then the corked needles were placed in each of the 2 holes of the print of the first stone and the print was localised on the second stone - (as the print was quite big it was a two man job!) Once the print was in the correct position the newsprint was removed and a proof taken.
Needle in corks positioned through print of first stone on to holes on second
On the whole this pin hole registration technique worked pretty well and certainly much better than previous attempts!
The two registered stones on one print
