I have continued to explore the possibilities of using cardboard as an etching plate. The following works have been printed using Graphics etching ink (sepia) on 250 gsm Dutch etch paper. For this print run, I only sprayed the surface of the paper with water, and then blotted the paper (rather than extensively soaking the paper), I also used PVC and acrylic fine tooth medium to alter the degree of abrasion on the plate surface.
As I am learning, there are many ways to create a mould. Using latex is one option, typically in brush on format. The approach is simple: find an object (without too much under cut), mount the object to a board using plasticine or modelling clay, and coat the lot with vaseline. Then apply layers of brush on latex, letting each layer dry between applications. After 4-5 layers, then decide whether to create a support using ‘mod rock’ (plaster coated bandages) or Chux. The choice comes down to whether your object needs a two part mould or whether a one part mould will suffice (ie, limited under cut). After the support is created (as the final ‘layer’) and dried, peel off the support and then peel off the latex. The plaster can then be poured into the latex mould (surrounded by the support) to recreate the original object.
Sounds fairly straightforward… however latex can easily split when being pulled from the object. On the other hand, it can pick up an amazing degree of fine detail, as the following images show.
1. Casting a Cambodian Buddha head
The photos show the process from the final state of the latex mould with the mod rock support layer, through to pulling off the latex (which split first time and needed to be redone), to the results of the plaster cast to the final coloured version. The head was stained with sepia acrylic, which was brushed back to create a distressed patina.
2. Using the ‘chux’ method for a plasticine original (of a gas mask)
A similar process to the mod rock approach, except that Chux is used to create one integrated support layer.
