I added some extra materials to my collagraph plate to try different textures. This included some pieces of wallpaper, ripped up cardboard and some flowers. I made some areas quite densed for instance around the left and right edges. However the right side is flatter compared to the piled/bumpy materials on the left. I wanted to experiment with the different types of effects that can be created with this print so sectioning the collagraph to different materials and density helped show them clearly when printed.
Once i varnished the entire plate i found the varnished created these gaps in the PVA glue that reminded me off insect wings when the insects are preserved. I thought it looked really interesting and could be something i could try to recreate on a bigger scale so the holes are emphasised. To develop the collagraph plate i would need to work on composition of the materials maybe try to create an image or a clearer use of materials that hold a more intriguing outcome when printed.
My first print shows how well the materials worked together and how they marked the page. I did clean some ink of the flatter areas to focus on the distinct markings left by the materials. I thought the newspaper and cardboard were very effective in looking old and wrinkled, whilst the string and twig lines are very bold and draw in most of the attention at first glance as they stand out against the layered sides. The flowers appear very dark and unruly, almost like a mud patch and very ominous if used to represent nightmares, bad thoughts if printed on an image of a mind.
Using a wet piece of cartridge paper changed the print drastically. The entire print came out very dark but some darker areas almost look as if the actual material is stuck to the page as its hard to distinct details. This print helped highlight the materials that defy the border of the plate. I find the breaking of the border adds to the disorder style of the plate and shows the material on a white background showing very distinctive details. It would be good to use this printing technique to create a very dark detailed border like this to go around another piece of artwork.
I went over the plate adding in some red ink to highlight random areas. I didn't add more black ink and didn't consider how dry it would be at this point. However this print did create some very vague black lines that appear like a faded photo, almost ghost like. The red really stands out on the white page and helped highlight faint crease in the newspaper and details in the bluebell flowers. This technique might be more effective of the collagraph had a more distinctive purpose/meaning so i could highlight areas in red that correspond to show the meaning.
Without adding more ink to the plate, i printed the same using a wet piece of cartridge paper. This brought back the black ink but lighter. I really like how the colours reacted in this one as if the black ink was stronger i think it would have lost details in the print and the red would look too conflicting. To me this print looks like a birds eye view of trenches from World War Two. The grey is the muddy fields and the red highlight the trenches and no mans land in the middle where the string and twig are. I think it shows how the destruction was caused by the people when on the field as the red could represent the suffering.
I washed my plate but some ink still remained; i decided to see how the print would turn out with a wet plate on wet paper. I imagined the ink would be weak and disperse like watercolour. The outcome is very dramatic and faded creating a lost and confused feeling. This could show the feelings of losing oneself like suffering from memory loss. This print is very dark and i would definitely like to use this technique again to use as background to build on to. I could create a print with specific materials that connect to a personal memory, showing how it is being forgotten. Or create images of people in distaright as it looks nightmarish.
I dislike this print as i tried to use some random materials i had leftover to create a really bad collage. I needed time to collect ideas and materials then develop an interesting composition. I used some leftover photos of lights then dried up flower petals. The print doesn't really stand out, instead looks like the paper was walked over by a group of people. However, i do think the bright colours of red and yellow really work as background colours against the black ink. They look fiery and could be used as a background to prints of silhouettes of people that could show how they were in a fire.
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