'SOLAR LINES' Photo Etching with the Sun. March 2012 TBA with Jennifer Page
In this ntensive 1 day workshop students will use a high resolution photopolymer etch resist called Puretch to transfer a line drawing to a copper plate to be etched. Photo etching is an intaglio printmaking process and depending on how long the lines are etched will determine how much they will stand up on the printed page. Intaglio prints have a unique and subtle 3-D quality that no other printing method can attain.

In this introductory class to photo etching I will demonstrate low tech ways that you can make exposures on your own without expensive UV exposure equipment. I have a UV unit in the event of cloudy weather. You will also learn safer techniques using less-toxic grounds, materials and non-toxic clean up. The drawn positive can be made on single mat mylar or inkjet transparency media with black grease crayon, pen & ink, Sharpie or dark pencil. Pencil and grease crayon work best on mat mylar. Drawings should be linear, opaque and high contrast, no blended shading or washes. I will be in contact with students for more info on how to prepare a good hand drawn positive. Max drawing size is 8x10 with 1 plate allowed per student. Solar photo etching is a great way to get your feet wet with photo etching processes.

This workshop is 10am-5pm with a 40 minute lunch. There are many places close by to get lunch. Class fee is $95 per student plus cost of copper and paper used. Copper is $10 per plate with paper at $2 per 11x15" sheet. All other materials included. A $50 deposit is required to hold your spot, balance is due the morning of class. Sorry, no refunds for cancellations. This class is limited to 6 participants, first come, first serve. Please e-mail asap if you are interested. No prior printmaking experience necessary.

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Photogravure Workshops with Unai San Martin & Jennifer Page
The next Workshop is scheduled for Feb 20-24, 2012 at Cape Fear and another in the Bay area of CA for April 17-21. Class runs from 10 am - 5pm each day with a 40 minute lunch break. If you are interested in upcoming workshops then e-mail me and I will put you on an early notification list. Class fee is $950, all materials included except paper and copper, $400 deposit required for a reservation. This class is full, please contact me if you are interested in future gravure workshops.

Photogravure, an intaglio process developed between 1850 and 1880, was one of the first successful techniques used to edition photographic images. Its tonal and archival qualities are so superb that even after the arrival of more commercially viable processes in the early 20th century, photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Curtis, and Paul Strand used it to edition some of their most important works. Fine art presses and book publishers still use the process today.
 

Unai San Martin has won several prestigious awards for his evocative and subtle photogravures, including the Joan Miro and Sotheby's first prize, and the first prize in the National Printmaking Competition in Madrid. His work is in more than 20 museums and collections in Europe and the United States, such as the Santa Barbara Musum of Art and the di Rosa Collection. He has taught workshops on the photogravure process both locally and in Europe and has made gravures for almost 20 years. 
 

Jennifer Page, the owner of Cape Fear Press, was the first artist to test the new Phoenix Gravure tissue for fine art photogravure. She has thoroughly tested the tissue over the last year etching almost 100 gravure plates with it thus far. Jennifer has developed some technical innovations of her own to deal with the variables and common problems encountered with gravure.
 

In this intensive 5 day workshop students will learn digital image preparation from scanned film or file with Photoshop on a Mac, making positives on a high resolution inkjet printer, direct gravure (drawings on frosted mylar), all aspects of tissue processing, exposure calibration, using aquatint screens and Picco dustgrain for box aquatints, etching, plate retouching techniques, printing and wiping techniques, ink modifications, tips for editioning, chine colle as well as a brief intro to steel facing the copper plate for durability. Prior knowledge of etching, photography and/or Photoshop is very helpful but not necessary. Enrollment is limited to 4 participants and each participant will etch 2 plates approx. 8x10" during the week pulling several prints. We will use a dustgrain aquatint for one plate and an aquatint screen for the next.

Come spend a week at the beach and learn the latest developments and techniques in a time tested medium that refuses to die!

Info for accommodations.
Book flights into ILM, Wilmington International Airport. The airport is about 20 miles from here.

http://unaisanmartin.net/
 

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Yard Debris 4.5 x 6"Jennifer Page ©2012
Copper plate photo etching made with Puretch and drawing