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Nature Printing by Foilography |
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A
print of an Oregon grape leaf. |
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In
its simplest form, nature printing involves applying ink
to natural material and then pressing the inked material
onto paper to make a print. I developed the process of
foilography to allow for the production of many prints
from one subject without harming it.
As a simple introductory example, I've outlined the process
involved in producing a print from a skeletonized leaf.
Essentially, the leaf to be printed is placed on a flat,
smooth backing and the entire thing is wrapped in aluminum
foil to make a printing plate. The plate is then inked
and printed.
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Materials: |
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- Dried, flat leaf (The moisture content in a fresh leaf
will form objectionable bubbles under the foil.)
- Heavy-duty household aluminum foil
- Piece of thin Plexiglas® a bit larger than your leaf (The
edges and corners of it should be rounded and smoothed to
avoid tearing the foil.)
- Speedball® oil-based block-printing ink
- Ink roller or brayer
- Masking tape
- Cotton swabs
- Rubbing alcohol
- Two pieces of thin felt about 9"x12" (23 cm
x 30 cm)
- Rolling pin
- Two 9"x12" (23 cm x 30 cm) pieces of stiff flat
board, old countertop material or plywood or MDF 3/4"
(2 cm) thick
- Printing paper such as card stock, watercolor paper or
vellum-finish art paper
- Plastic-coated freezer paper
- Sheet of acetate or Mylar® that is a bit larger than your
Plexiglas®
- Permanent felt-tip marker
- Utility knife
- Plastic spoon or spatula
- Vegetable oil
- Liquid soap
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Other Articles from this Issue |
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