ImagOn Techniques
 
Basic ImagOn Process 
....
General Safety
Printmaking Safety
Textbook reference:   
pp 
Chameleon Intaglio-Type  
Materials:  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.   
. .ImagOn Process Index 

.  ImagOn Techniques 

..Projects   
   
..Schedule   

 . Ink Modifiers   

..Printing    
    
 .Ink Cleanup    

 .Plate Prep    

 .Use of Photocopies   

 . Additives & Cleaners   

 . Olec Exposure Unit   

 .Basic ImagOn Process     
 

  • multicolor photo intaglio print
  • employs two plates. 
  • 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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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  Print    Clean Up of Printing Plate and Inking Station   
  • Vegetable oil (canola) and a rag.
  • Degrease with magnesium carbonate.
  • Put up all paper, plates, inks on personal or appropriate studio shelf and drawers.
Keep studio orderly.   
 
 
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© Beth LaCour 1999

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