Day 7: Jo Lankester Printmaking Copper Sulphate workshop @ Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read my blog on printmaking.

This is day 2 of a 4 day workshop during my printmaking residency at Umbrella Studio, Townsville, Australia.

Everyone was eager to get started with dissolving their sugar-lifts. We poured warm water into trays and placed our plates face up. The process was a little slow to begin with but after a while we started to agitate the water and gently rub the surface of the hard ground to help dissolve the sugarlift.

We discovered that the gouache was very hard to remove due to the thin application and the fact that it dried hard before applying the hard ground. So it was decided that thick and soft/not yet fully dried goauche would work best.

Some members of the group decided to experiment with a home made sugarlift and decided that they preferred it over the gouache and commercial sugarlift. They liked the consistency and the fact that it dissolved quicker and easier than the others.

Once we all had removed the sugarlift and coated the back of our plates with shellac we excitedly went out to the back to mix the Copper Sulphate etch and start etching our plates.

The acid was fresh and strong, so the plates were biting fast. We found that the best surface was created on the zinc by dipping the plate in for 30 seconds, washing it off and re-dipping it into the Copper Sulphate to created a  nice aquatint surface.

The Aluminum bit beautifully, creating the best surface out of the two metals. I highly recommend Aluminium over zinc for an aquatint surface. The aluminum bites similar to zinc in nitric acid.

Happy Printing,

Warmly,
Jo Lankester

Day 6: Jo Lankester Printmaking Copper Sulphate workshop @ Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts

Day 1 of 4; Copper Sulphate workshop, Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts.

Today was the first of a 4 day work shop at Umbrella Studio demonstrating Copper Sulphate Etching using Zinc & Aluminium.

There are 10 students enrolled who are enthusiastic to learn how to create an aquatint without using the traditional techniques of Aquatinting.

I demonstrated how to polish, degrease, and apply a purchased sugarlift, and gouache as an alternative sugarlift medium, I also made available a home made sugarlift using sugar, water and Indian ink. Then how to apply and liquid hard ground.

Amanda Wileheart using gouache as a sugarlift medium

Gabriel Smith using Heildelbrg Fine Art Sugar Lift

Margot Laver using Gouache on Aluminum

Lyn Scott-Cummins using the Heildelberg Sugarlift.

We applied the liquid hard ground and then knocked off for the day.

Happy printmaking,

Warmly,
Jo Lankester

Day 5: Jo Lankester Printmaking Residency @ Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts

Welcome to my blog,

Day 5 of my printmaking residency at Umbrella Studio has been focussed on completing the three plates for the first image in the book. I had a challenging day with the imagery for the third plate which is the Burnt Sienna colour plate. The ground was a little more brittle than the others as I had over smoked it slightly. The other plates were waxier and easier to scratch and carve into.

After scrathing all day I felt uncertain of the results I achieved. I went home considering the following,

1. If the cross hatching I used for  certain areas were too dominant on the plate. Thinking that the sugarlift process would work better in giving a softer aquatint tone and to reduce the size of the marks of the crossed hatched areas.
2. I pondered on blocking out the crossed hatched areas and etching the line work which I am happy with and consider applying sugarlift as an alternative to the cross hatching  for a second etch.

I slept on it and feel that I may etch the plates as they are and if they are no good then redo them using the back with the sugarlift process. This way I have tried both ways and made an informed decision.

Happy printing,

Warmly,
Jo Lankester

P.S Oh the places you'll go!
Dr. Suess

Magical Secrets About Aquatint: Spit Bite, Sugar Lift & Other Etched Tones Step-by-Step

Day 4: Jo Lankester Printmaking Residency @ Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts

Hello, thank you for taking the time to read my blog on printmaking,

Day 4 of my artist in residency at Umbrella Studio was less physical and focussed on creating the large plates for the book.

After completing the small test plates and experimenting with different printmaking tools, I was able to select the right tools for the desired marks I want to create on the aluminium plates.

I chose to use a diamond tip etching tool and a reasonably flat lino tool to scrape the hard-ground of the plate to expose the aluminium ready for etching in Copper Sulphate.

Happy printing,

Warmly,
Jo Lankester

Day 3: Jo Lankester Printmaking Residency @ Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts

Welcome to my blog on printmaking.

I'm well into my 3rd day of my printmaking residency at Umbrella Studio, Contemporary Arts and I have had a very busy day completing an edition of the small three colour plate etching.

Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE students paid me a visit to see what I was up to as an artist in residence. Most of the students had some experience in printmaking and were able to ask relevant questions and see first hand how a limited edition is made in a professional studio.















I'm ready to move on to the larger plates and hope to have three plates ready for etching tomorrow evening.

I also printed a few Artist Proofs of the Lyre Bird to show Tate Adams















Happy printing,
Warmly,

Jo Lankester

Day 2: Jo Lankester Printmaking Residency @ Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts

Hi, Thanks you for taking the time to read my blog on printmaking.

Day 2 of my printmaking residency at Umbrella Studio was getting to know the press and experiment with printing the small etching plates.



I etched the Lyre Bird, and the other plates form the three colour etching which is a test for my larger plates for the book.

The press is a lovely old Hildav Industries etching press made in Sydney. The press has great pressure and it took me a while to find the right amount of pressure for the small plates.

The three colour plate etching will print will be sent to the Australian Print Workshop as a donation towards a fundraiser exhibition IMPRESSIONS.

I was very happy with how it turned out. The yellow plate posed a problem as the aluminium oxides with each application of yellow ocher particularly when wiping back. I found I had to clean the plate with solvent and metho and use tarletan and very little paper.

Happy Printing,

Warmly,
Jo Lankester

Day 1: Jo Lankester Printmaking Residency @ Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts

Welcome to my bog about printmaking.

I had a very productive 1st day in the printmaking studio at Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts, Townsville, Australia.

Happy Printing,

Warmly,
Jo Lankester

Printmaking Residency at Umbrella Studio, Townsville

Hello, thank you for taking the time to read my blog on printmaking.

Today is the start of a two week residency in Umbrella Studio's printmaking studio located in the basement.

I'll be working on a limited edition artist book to be published by Tate Adams, Lyre Bird Press.

The book is a two page fold out book with and essay by Frances Thomson. The two etchings are three plate colour etchings including my artist impression of a Lyre Bird.

The overall plate size is 400 x 1200 mm and the book size is 400 x 400 mm and is an unbound book.

The Artist book is titled Fissure and will be an edition of 25 with two Artist Proofs.

I'll keep you posted with images and updates on how the residency goes.

Happy printing.

Warmly,

Jo Lankester

Compact prints 2010 Exhibition , Exchange & Auction: Umbrella Studio, Townsville

Welcome to my blog on printmaking.

Compact Prints 2010 is currently showing at Umbrella Studio in Townsville, Australia.

The biennial print exchange exhibition is Umbrella's trademark exhibition attracting participants nationally and internationally.

The exhibition opened on Friday 8th October with a sensational bang! Artists were asked to submit two works, one for the touring exhibition, and one for exchange. Vicki Salisbury and her team asked the artists to donate a third work for auction to raise money for the print studio located in the basement of the building.

The auction went fast and furiously, I got caught up in excitement and purchased at least 7 prints for my collection. I invited my 14 year old son, Holden, to start him on his journey as an educated art buyer, he bought two prints :-).

The exhibition is on until 7 November 2010, Umbrella Studio 482 Flinders Street, Townsville.

Happy printmaking!

Warmly,
Jo Lankester

Compact prints 2010, Umbrella Studio
Jo Lankester
Fissure, 2010
12 x 12 cm
2 copper plate colour Sugarlift Aquatint etching

© Jo Lankester 2010

Artspaced Inc. Membership Give Away: Jo Lankester Limited Edition Print Prize Raffle!

Artspaced Inc. Membership Give Away: Jo Lankester Limited Edition Print Prize Raffle!

Artspaced Inc. Annual General Meeting Friday 5th November 2010 at 6.30pm Artspaced Inc. (Upstairs at Dance North) Crn Walker Street, Townsville

FREE Limited edition print up for grabs!

Tittle: Cicada ll

Date: 1998

Medium: Two plate colour etching

Size: 15 x 12 cm

Value: $250

Collections: National Gallery of Australia, Art Bank

Go in the running to win a limited edition print by Jo Lankester by simply becoming a paying member of Artspaced Inc. before 5pm October 28th 2010.

Artspaced Inc.  Annual General Members Form

Click on the link to download the AGM Members Form.

Email a copy to artzspaced@gmail.com and pay your membership using our PayPal account.

Full Membership $5.00 annual fee includes:

·         Voting rights at Artspaced Annual General Meeting

·         Potential membership of Artspaced Inc. Management board

·         Regular updates on all exhibitions and events

·         The opportunity to exhibit your artwork

·         Advertising with approval on our upcoming web blog and current Facebook page

·         Plus More

Send this offer to your friends for extra chances to win Cicada ll, 1998 by Jo Lankester. Simply ask your friends to include your name on their membership form and PayPal as a reference to claim your extra tickets.

You will be emailed your raffle ticket numbers on receipt of payment.

If you are an existing paying member the offer is available to you through your friends who sign up before October 28^th 2010. So send this to as many friends as possible to be in the draw!

The winner will be announced at the AGM and the print will be available to collect after the draw. For those who live outside Townsville the print will be posted shortly after the AGM. The winner will also be announced on Facebook.

Thank you for your support