A multiplate making method where one negative is used to make
two halftones. The first halftone is blurred and the second is sharp. Both
halftones are made into plates and printed one after the other with
different colors for each plate.
The first plate carries a blurred image
and the other identical sized plate carries a sharp image made from
the same negative that produced the first plate. Each plate can be
inked up with a variety of colors or mono tones to produce duo-tone or
multicolored intaglio print. This technique works particularly well
for those printmakers who want to achieve the richest mezzotint
black possible within an image as both the blurred and sharp plates
can be inked up in black ink.
Experiment with the enlarger to see how
the image can be adjusted.
Place a negative in the photographic
enlarger and focus to the baseboard for size.
Rotate the enlarger device either up or
down to cause the image in the negative carrier to become blurred. You
will notice that winding the focus control of the enlarger either up
or down will cause the image to go out of focus.
The difference between the or down
focus position will translate into an image that is smaller or larger
then the focused image. This size change can be adjusted by moving the
body of the enlarger either up or down. This is an important point as
the next halftone to be made will be the sharp one and it must be
aligned with this first blurred image.
Make the Sharp Positive Halftone
Place a negative in the photographic
enlarger and focus to the baseboard for size.
Winding the focus control of the
enlarger either up or down to bring the image into focus.
The next halftone will be blurred and
must be precisely aligned to this image.
Make the Blurred Positive Halftone
Aligning the blurred image with the
sharp
You can approach this task in three
separate ways.
After the blurred halftone has been
fixed and dried it is placed onto the baseboard of the enlarger and
the enlarger is focussed directly onto this blurred image. Remember
that not only will the focus need adjusting but also the height of
the enlarger. When making halftones you will have to make a
separate test exposure for both the blurred and sharp
halftones because of the enlarger height difference between the two.
You can start by making the sharp
halftone first after which the blurred image can be adjusted to fit
into this sharp halftone.
With the negative sharply focussed
onto the baseboard place a piece of white paper onto the baseboard
and draw an outline for the projected image. This method allows you
to simplify the main structural elements within a halftone and to
more accurately match the blurred image to it.
Make Printing Plates
Cut the halftone positives and two (or
more) plates so that the external parameter of the plate and images
are identical in size.
Using Color
The blurred plate could be inked up in
the selective wiping method where a number of colors could be inked up
on one plate. This can best be achieved by applying and wiping each
color separately.