I used a pencil sketch of Ronan (my son) to learn how to use the solar box-in-the-corner-of-the-print-studio. Ronan graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (in Dundee) back in 2016, with a BDes (Hons) in illustration.
The process for this plate was quite different to copper plate etching. It involves scaling down a photograph or drawing and copying it onto a special plate. I do appreciate that things look ‘better’ scaled down, like photos on a phone screen, but it did make me feel a bit uneasy. I like the authentic feeling of drawing directly onto the plate
A few pages from my sketchbook – my original drawing (first image), the sheet of timings, at 5 unit intervals to determine the increment to use (middle) and the acetate sheet – reduced by half and photocopied (third image).
Process
Anyway, my drawing was also greatly ‘improved’ through the magic of the photocopier… The original drawing is around A4 size, the solar plate A5ish. The image is transferred onto an acetate sheet, and then through the magic solar contraption. There followed a many-step process which involved aquatint sheets, working out numbers and times and water x3 (and I have a really good instruction sheet somewhere). My memory is awful, but there were many steps and lots to remember!
Sharon and I had another shot at it a wee while later, and while it’s not a simple process, the results are impressive. I’m pretty sure neither of us got our first plates to come out successfully. And there would have been a great deal of frustration and a few laughs along the way!
I’m not sure if I’ll endeavour to use the solar plate technique again. I quite like that I could use my Tulips drawing to make a Tulips (variable) solar print. So having said that, the possibilities of this definitely appeal!
I would feel happier if people were aware that things aren’t always as they might at first seem…
2/5 – the second print from this edition of 5. It’s on Somerset paper, which has a creamier tone than 1/5 [main image].
