Photogravure 2-Day Workshop with Karen Hymer

Photogravure
In this two-day workshop students will learn the art of photopolymer gravure printing. Using light-sensitive steel-backed Solarplates, participants will create 4″ x 5″ and 6″ x 8″ gravure etching prints from their photographs. This environmentally friendly process translates photographic detail into ink on paper with unparalleled beauty.

No prior experience with printmaking is required. All necessary aspects of printmaking will be discussed including choosing inks, papers, and wiping material. Wiping and inking techniques will be covered. Be prepared to marvel at the way your photograph is transformed through ink on paper.

The making of digital positives will be discussed, but for the workshop itself, you will send color or black and white image files (300 dpi at 10” on the long side) to be made into a digital positive prior to the workshop. An email with details will be provided once you are registered. Please submit a WORKSHOP SIGN UP FORM located below so we are able to contact you!

Here is a brief outline of the process that will be presented in this workshop:

• Starting with your digital photograph, a 5 x 7 transparency positive will be made
• The positive is then laid on top of the light sensitive polymer plate and exposed to UV light
• Washing the plate in water etches the image onto the plate
• Once hardened, the plate is hand inked using water-soluble intaglio inks
• The inked plate is then run through an etching press onto dampened paper

Remnants #202, Karen Hymer

About Karen Hymer
Karen Hymer is an artist and educator based out of Silver City, New Mexico. For the past seven years she has ventured into the world of printmaking – exploring imagery in the form of photopolymer gravures. Her current work explores the effects of time on the human body and various plant life. Hymer’s richly detailed photogravures emphasize the interplay of texture, pattern, light and shadow in muted earth tones. The decontextualized close-ups of the body and decaying plants reveal a poetic beauty in these often over-looked subjects.

Watch The Beauty of Ink on Paper: Photopolymer Gravure printing from Karen Hymer to get a preview of Karen’s process!

Photo by CL Burns

Photo by CL Burns