This time I tried taking an impression of some scrim (rough fabric used in the inking process) using a soft ground on a zinc plate, then etched it in stages to create some deeper lines and some more delicate ones. The most successful prints were the ones where I inked the plate using a couple of different rusty colours, and the blind embossings. The prints are reminiscent of tributaries and turbulent geographical features.
 
First version

 
Second version – printed with colour gradient

 
Third version – after some lines were etched for longer

 
Fourth version – blind embossing

My other experiment was using a photo-polymer plate, a type of light-sensitive plate which can be exposed using a UV exposure unit (normally used for screen printing) and washed in water.. so no harsh acids. The potential for bringing digital media into the workflow but retaining the physicality and unpredictability of printmaking is very exciting. I did a few tests with this flower image which gave a very dark print even though the original image was quite light. There doesn’t seem to be as much creativity in the inking process as there is with acid-etched plates but still something I’d like to play around with more, especially as you don’t need access to an etching studio to produce the plates.

I just visited an enthralling exhibition by artist Gemma Anderson at the Eb & Flow Gallery near Old Street in London. She has developed a focused artistic practice in which she takes an analytical approach that is similar to scientific research. She uses observational drawing as the foundation for explorations in different media, most notably copper-plate etching and hand-painted ceramics. Her interests lie in observing, researching and documenting the similarities in structure across all types of natural forms (animal, vegetable and mineral) and these interests come together in this exhibition under the name Isomorphology, a term she has coined. (The book published by Super/Collider is worth checking out and only a fiver).

I’ve always looked to science and nature as an inspiration for visual work so it’s great to see such a body of work coming from this kind of approach. Most of all I love her hand coloured etchings. Strongly recommended.. on until 6th April. More text and image at her site.

I recently came across Nenad Saljic’s incredible photographs of the Matterhorn via an old post on the ISO50 Blog. Saljic has visited Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn countless times since 2009 to capture the majestic peak in a range of light and weather conditions. By limiting himself to black and white, the images use the interplay of light and shadow to convey the Matterhorn’s stark beauty.

“I want my images to compress the passing of time – the beauty of the wind and the clouds dancing around the mountain.”

I’m also a big fan of his ongoing Petrified project of black and white images of cave exploration. (see the last image below).

We are pleased to launch Warm Glow Photo, a new branch of Ambigraph focussing on the portrait and wedding market. Ambigraph continues to be the home of our commercial work and personal projects.

Photography is the focus of Warm Glow but we also offer a design service which will develop over time. This includes wedding invites, storybook albums, cards and any other printed materials which use photos from portrait and weddings shoots.

Have a look around the new site and get in touch if you want to book Anna for a photo shoot.

Another photographer we’ve come across that resonated with us because of similarities in approach to our Withdrawing Room project is Rinko Kawauchi. She has an eye for patches of empty sky, interplay of light and shadow, solitude, finding beauty in the ordinary, natural patterns and quiet moments…

We came across her work at the recent Contemporary Japanese Photobooks exhibition at The Photographer’s Gallery in London. It fired our interest not just because of the images but also the stunning variety of book formats. Our favorite was a book called Light Navigation by Asuka Katagiri.

I love how printmaking forces you to slow down which in turn makes you think about what you’re doing more carefully.. and it’s such an immersive and physical experience that it makes it so different to creating images digitally. Plus the end results are so tactile, especially when you get some decent paper stock to work with. I’m planning to dot these around (for example, hidden in library books) as a subtle way of promoting The Withdrawing Room site.. which by the way, has just reached it’s 50th image.

One of the print studios I find most inspiring is Tugboat Printshop. Their woodcuts are beautifully and meticulously executed, with a stunning use of colour. You can see in the work-in-progress images of their Bonfire woodcut, the laborious process of producing a multi-coloured woodcut. Especially impressive is when the cyan ink is added and the way this combines with other colours to create various shades of brown and green. This sort of technical prowess comes only through experience, practice and patience.

Seeing this kind of thing gives me envy/inspiration to get on with making new work. I am very pleased to have my own print of their dense, psychedelic Forest woodcut.

I drew the design in pencil, then scanned it, traced in Adobe Illustrator, tweaked and tidied and then sent off to Centurion Graphics to create the plate. The block itself is a desirable object, almost lickable. I’m really interested in the crossover between digital creation and handmade production especially in relation to printmaking so the potential of this kind of thing is most exciting, especially with a little press of my own to work with. More to come!

The block itself:

The finished Illustrator artwork: