Giclee Art
Jon Lybrook’s Method for Photogravure Quality Prints from Polymer Plate
The photogravure process is one of the most beautiful printmaking processes the photographic world has ever witnessed. As somebody who’s worked in the art and science of photography since the 1970s, Jon Lybrook has written a process as documentation and to assist those interested in achieving more continuous-tone quality from their intaglio prints made of polymer plates. It has taken many years of first hand trial and error and the guidance of many seasoned craftsmen from various backgrounds to devise this approach, from which the service company Intaglio Editions was created in 2004.
This process isn’t for newbies, and definitely not an affordable or simple strategy to printmaking. Making polymer plates in this fashion requires an investment of time and cash, but we are hoping this document saves you a great deal of both, and allows you to create wonderfully gratifying, archival, polymer photogravure prints!
The procedure will not achieve the same level of detail and resolution as the holy grail of these processes: Copper Plate Gravure. The goal of this technique is to make prints that accomplish a degree of quality somewhere in between the contrasty, and more grainy-looking polymer plate prints many of us have learned to expect, and those made from copper gravure, or silver gelatin coming more to the latter two, we are hoping. The method requires a high-resolution aquatint screen, Jon Lybrook first learned about from David Hoptman.
Some of us have asked, “Why not do straight photography, rather than going thru all this business of acquiring special devices and screens, creating added frustration and expense?” To photographers who’ve tried intaglio printmaking the reasons are clear: Photographic chemistry is said to be more toxic than this process (though as alternative photography guru Dick Sullivan once said, how might we actually know polymer photogravure is a non-toxic process? Well, Dick’s questions are not off-base. Photo artist Karl Koenig reported to me he had used one favored brand of polymer plate for 2-3 years doing washout with his hands with no problem. Then one day out of the blue he developed a painfully blistering and dreadful skin reaction from a buildup of polymer in his skin which took many months and doctor visits to fix. Karl now wouldn’t think about processing a polymer plate without nitrile gloves.
Health risks notwithstanding, we do intaglio printmaking for a few reasons. We do it because A) it is first and foremost, more archival than standard photography, digital or otherwise, B) it is certainly less immediately harmful than the chemicals used in copper etching, C) it permits us to employ many creative and regular printmaking methodologies that straight photography does not, such as a la poupee and chin colle, and D) it offers a broader range of papers to use. Until the technology or the standard approach changes, results of this process will likely never look as crisp nor as continuous in tone as a silver gelatin or giclee print, nor should that be expected. The approach Lybrook proposes for fine art photogravure prints from polymer plates has nevertheless , brought us several steps closer.
Jon Lybrook is owner and chief printmaker at Intaglio Editions in Boulder Colorado. Jon’s web page about art and science may be found at http://jonlybrook.com
Giclee Art Reproductions on Paper : Identifying Authentic Giclee Art Reproductions
|
|
Blue Q Shopper Hummingbird … |
|
|
Blue Q Shopper Happy Food Town … |
|
|
(2×3) Rosie the Riveter We Can Do It Retro Vintage Locker Refrigerator Magnet $3.99 (2×3) Rosie the Riveter We Can Do It Retro Vintage Locker Refrigerator Magnet… |
|
|
Blue Q – Flotsam & Jetsam Zipper Pouch $3.20 (7×9) Flotsam and Jetsam Zipper Pouch by Blue Q… |
|
|
(50×144) Montego Bay Panoramic Huge Wall Mural Door Poster Art Print $46.81 (50×144) Montego Bay Panoramic Huge Wall Mural Door Poster Art Print… |
|
|
Blue Q Dick & Jane Zipper Pouch $2.11 (7×9) Dick and Jane Zipper Pouch by Blue Q… |
|
|
Hawaii Giclee Art Print The Moon 16 x 20 in. $49.99 Decorate your home, office or dorm room with this beautiful print. Buy one for yourself and another for a friend. All images are reproduced from the original artwork and digitally enhanced. They are printed on a Roland Giclee Print Maker on Premium Heavyweight paper with Archival Quality Pigmented Inks. This process ensures unparalleled color vibrancy and guarantees lifelong enjoyment! Inks are fa… |
|
|
Blue Q Shoulder Tote Moon Garden … |
|
|
Blue Q Shoulder Tote Batista … |
|
|
Zombie Survival Playing Cards $4.98 (3×4) Zombie Survival Playing Cards… |