This is a print I made during a workshop on direct-to-plate polymer photogravure.
The image was originally a Polaroid!
If you're interested in adding a mat, please visit this listing for details and pricing: adding a mat
Images are 4 1/2 x 4 3/4 inches (Polaroid can't just be square... has to be a bit off) and the paper size are what you can see by the ruler on the side of the image.
Towards the end of the workshop I went a little wild with colors- this isn't even the boldest of the prints! First inked in black, wiped, then inked with a mix of .. something that turned purple-pink at the top, and in the middle section I added some black and yellow ochre. I wasn't consciously thinking this as I added the colors, but they're a bit like a beautiful sunset. This print is slightly lighter than I would have liked- if I hadn't gone so wild with wiping it would have been fine. The edges are pretty messy, and maybe I'm making an excuse for the mess, but I kinda like it! As a friend would shout, "it's handmade!!".
Printed on Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag.
If you’re not familiar with photogravure, it’s a 19th century intaglio process where ink is applied and wiped off a *plate that has an intricately etched image on it. The inks are pushed into the etching at different depths which is how gradations are created in the print. The plate is placed on an etching press, covered with wetted paper, and pressed with tremendous pressure to literally smash the inks into the paper fibers.
It is one of the most archival print processes and very hands-on!
I’m brand new to this, so I can assure you no print is exactly the same. Even if I become extremely practiced, the inking and wiping of the plate will never be an exact duplicate. If any color is added, then every print will definitely be unique.
*as of now I do not produce my own plates – that is a process that takes a lot more than my brain can handle at the moment. I purchase plates from people who know what they’re doing- made using my images. They are not cheap and why I’m listing my workshop prints!