Tone is a collagraph basic building block
Sometimes its good to go back to basics with collagraphs as things can quickly get very complicated!
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced printmaker I hope this post will be a refreshing reminder of one of the basic collagraph building blocks.
I have found over the years that students enjoy this exercise focussing on tones – it is a great reminder that less is more, as in this exercise we use only 3 materials to create striking collagraph prints and explore some of the possibilities of light and dark.
A print works best when it has some areas that are very light and some that are very dark, as well as mid tones. It is easy to get carried away with textures and leave the tones to sort themselves out, but if you keep tone in mind while you are building a plate you will develop more control over the tonal range in your prints.
All materials have a tooth
Collagraph plate making materials have their own innate tooth, this affects how light or dark they will print. ‘Tooth’ describes how smooth or rough the surface is.
When inking a plate as intaglio, rough surfaces will hold ink and print dark, smooth surfaces will wipe clean and print light.
This image shows a collagraph plate with graded stripes from light to dark. The intaglio print reveals the tone produced by each material.
Light tones
Smooth shiny materials have no ‘tooth’, they will print light, because you can wipe the ink off them. E.g. flat aluminium tape, Sellotape, brown parcel tape.
Mid tones
Lots of materials produce a medium tone. These materials have a surface that is neither very shiny or very gritty. E.g. the top surface and core of mountboard, or masking tape. They will hold a bit of ink, but some can be wiped off.
Dark tones
Rough gritty materials have a lot of tooth. These will print dark as they hold ink in their surface, and you can’t wipe it off. E.g. carborundum, sand paper.
In these samples the materials are arranged to illustrate high and low contrasts. The aluminium tape (very smooth) and the sandpaper (very dark) provide the maximum contrast when placed next to each other, the mount board surface and mount board core provide two mid tones between the lightest and darkest.
Make some sample plates to test out tonal range
- Start with plate that has a medium tone; add darks and lights
In this exercise we start with mount board, (also called mat board, as it is used for mounting and framing pictures)
Mountboard has a rough core sandwiched between two layers of smooth paper. The paper surface produces a light mid tone when inked up and printed. The internal core is rough so it produces a darker mid tone.
First remove some areas of the top surface to reveal the rough inner core which will hold more ink and print darker. Create different effects on the plate by cutting more graphic shapes out, in contrast to organic torn shapes. This provides the two mid tones in the print.
Then create your own ‘sticky-back’ sandpaper; stick double sided tape on the back of sandpaper. Tear, or cut shapes with a craft knife and stick onto your plate to make the darkest areas.
Lastly add aluminium tape to make lighter areas. The second image shows an intaglio print from the tonal plate, also illustrating the different feel of cut/torn pieces.
2. Working from dark to light
Start with a surface that will print dark; e.g. a cardboard plate covered with wet and dry sandpaper.
Add successive layers of aluminium tape to create a range of tones. The more layers you add, the lighter the tone will be because the tape smooths out the rough surface of the carborundum.
Sandpaper grit is measured in numbers, the lowest (40-60 grit) being the coarsest. I generally use fine grit (120-220) on collagraph plates
3. Working from light to dark
Start with a smooth surfaced plate that will print light; e.g. mountboard with aluminium tape or foil over it.
Cut or tear areas of the surface to reveal the mountboard underneath.
Use sandpaper and pointed tools to scratch into the surface. The more you scratch the darker it will be. (remember to leave some smooth light areas!)
4. Something else to try…
Divide your plate in half, cover one half with shiny aluminium tape or Sellotape. Cover the other half with sandpaper.
Work into this to make the dark side lighter and the light side darker
Shadows and light
A print works best when it has some areas that are very light and some that are very dark, as well as having a mixture of mid tones. It is easy to get carried away with textures and leave the tones to sort themselves out, but if you keep tone in mind while you are building a plate you will develop more control over the tonal range in your prints.
People frequently say ‘this plate just isn’t working, and I don’t know why’. Well, the answer is often that there is not enough tonal contrast, or that the balance of tones is not right.
Once you understand the idea of ‘tooth’ you will soon be able to assess your plates and decide whether there is enough light and dark in them.
All the materials you use for plate making will have their own innate tooth, and one of the exciting aspects of collagraph printing is discovering the various tones of new materials, and experimenting with different combinations.
So I hope you will make a bit of time to experiment with simple materials and increase the tone in your life!
12 thoughts on “Understanding tone on collagraph plates”
Thank you. This is very useful as I haven’t done any printmaking for a couple of years and I’m ready to start again. It’ll be good to go back to the beginning
yes, I agree, I think we all circle around and it is good to re-visit old ideas as they seem to bring new stuff each time
Perfect range of exercices to begin a new may week. Thanks!!!
I hope they keep your printing muscles active and strong!
Very clearly explained, thank you. It is also very timely as I am about to start my first collograph adventure.
How exciting, I hope you will soon become hooked on collagraphs…..
Thank you for this Emily, it has given me great direction and food for thought as I’m in the middle of planning/doing my next plate.
I am glad it is helpful – send us a pic of your next plate / print!
Hi Emily, I’m wondering if you seal your collagraph plates in any way. I find exposed mountboard core doesn’t print terribly well as it’s got a furry surface, so I always put a light coat of varnish or Shellac over it. In fact I do that over most parts of the plate except aluminium or other shiny tapes.
What’s your take on sealing or not?
To be honest I am on the fence – if I can avoid adding a layer of shellac I will do, but I suspect it does make rough surfaces easier to wipe and it certainly makes plates easier to clean the ink off, (if you want to do this – frequently in just leave it and change colours allowing the previous ones to influence later ones). I find it messes up smooth shiny surfaces, wither making them cloudy, or it flakes off in patches so I dont seal these with anything.
Thank you so much. I did colograph printing years ago and am so happy to find your “start from the beginning” instructions. Yes, light dark and mid tones are the make and break of most artworks, and not to be forgtten. Best wishes.
I think it can be reassuring to go back to the beginning sometimes, particularly if you bring your old skill and experience to it!