Fusion the Complete and Safe Lithographer

Fusion the Complete and Safe Lithographer, (Waterless Lithography and Stone Lithography)

The lithographic process will be performed with no solvents; attention will be paid to a more thorough and responsible, approach towards personal health and safety procedures.

 Participants

 Otis Tamasauskas Print Artist, stone lithographer, Educator, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario

 “Fusion the Complete Lithographer”, is a proposed workshop and demonstration that will articulate the associations of waterless lithography to stone lithography. And attempt to answer question about that are relevant to these exquisite print process in association to day’s world of printmaking. “How are these techniques used, where do the two streams meet, possibly in one eddy, when the two streams flow in a parallel course, they make frequent contributions to each other”. 

“Has stone lithography played out its purpose in to-days art scene, can waterless lithography elevate or replace the stone lithographic role in art making today? Can both mediums exist in some sense of co-existence”.

When Aloys Senefelder, found out that he draw with a greasy crayon on a certain kind of limestone, and he could make prints from this stone, he entered a kind of technological wonderland. Ever since chemistry, physics, and the fine arts have lived happily together in lithography

Demonstrations are designed to give the viewers an overall understanding of the print processes.

Stone Lithography and Waterless Lithography are very technical art forms

The two participants are both specialist in their field, through a comprehensible approach should give clarity and simplify the processes, as while as addressing the philosophical issues.

 “Waterless lithography, gives the print artist an encyclopedia of tonal ranges”

Nik Semenoff 

The demonstration will be conducted in one area, both demonstrators side by side, one working on waterless lithography the, other working on stone lithography, giving the audience a panoptical view. The demonstration will cover the immediate drawing processes as while as the photocopy transfers processes.  The developing of the images on the lithographic stone and waterless plate will be orchestrated simultaneously. At each step the health, and safety dialogue, will be addressed, regarding the old hazards vs. the les hazardous newer approaches; also opportunities will to taken to further discuss any innovative applications of these processes.

Advantages of waterless Lithography

Ease of printing, because there is no need to establish a water/ ink balance, waterless lithography can be printed with less effort than lithography. It is possible to print direct or offset. Letterpress as well as litho and etching presses can be used. Metal plates or stones may be employed. In all cases an easy pace is possible.

Colour Strength, since there is no water in the ink the full strength of the colour is obtained

Colour control is better, colour is depended upon ink film thickness only; there is no water to cause unwanted variations.

Finer detail is possible; the dot grain due to water/plate/ink, interaction is eliminated.

High-density pigments can be printed better.

Paper waste is reduced, since water/ink balance is not required only a few prints are needed to establish good reproduction.

Registration is improved, paper distortions due to fountain solution in the ink is eliminated.

Plate preservation is almost perfect. After the plate is washed out it is not necessary to use gum or other materials to keep the plate. It will last indefinitely as is.

How does Waterless lithography Work

An image is produce on a plate by any of several means, than silicon is used to cover the image that, is applied by hand.

The coating of silicon is thin and easy to put on as gum Arabic. Once coated the image is washed out using water or acetone. The image is removed along with the silicone above it. The plate is now ready to print.

The silicon coating adheres tightly to the non-printing areas and is repellent to ink made correctly. When the plate is rolled up the ink takes to the image but not the silicon areas.

Stone Lithography,

Traditionally images printed from cut stone

Stone Lithography is rich in technical discoveries, starting with the very simple one that oil and water do not mix.

These matters will be made clear to an audience unfamiliar with the early lithographic Stone Age.

After the artist draw on the stone with his grease crayon, the lithographer would add his early technology. He would treat the stone with chemicals and water. The image created by the artist, being greasy, would repel water, which would cling only to the surface not touched by the artist’s crayon. The lithographer would then roll up the stone with oily ink over the entire surface of the stone. Now the water would repel the ink, which would adhere only to the image created by the artist. Paper would be laid over the inked image, compressed by a heavy steel roller from a press, to lift the inked image from the stone.

Advantages of stone lithography

Rich density of ink deposit on paper, the grain and surface also allow for more purchasing of the ink onto the paper.

Creative latitude, towards reworking the image, in the drawing and printing stages.

This is due again to the grain density and hardness of the stone.

“When you have drawn and even blackened your stone, rub it down with flannel, then redraw and re-blacken till you have modeled it according to your imagination. Then take the scraper, take out more, and lay more black in, keep stumping tell you have rendered your conception. Take a few chances and you will discover all the sorcery for yourself”

 E. Delacroix

The stone allows for a more workable surface to work and roll ink upon, again the weight and thickness of stone is desirable in intensity of creative work.

More individual specialized techniques can be used, such as line engraving, acid tinting, and biting and image reversals. These techniques can be rendered quicker and accurately.

With no developments in developing the lithographic stone, it is now argued that it is the must health and safety conscious process.

Demonstration Perspective:

A stone lithograph will be prepared in advance, grained and a toner photocopy will be transferred on to the stone using a synthetic product that has no dispersant toxic element, (no fumes). The product is commercial known as Estisol 150.

The image on the stone will be engaged with drawing material relating to traditional stone lithography.

Tradition meets Contemporary Process:

The stone and drawing will be etched, and washed out with the product Estisol 242, basically an inert substance, that has no toxic or hazardess effect on the person using it, or the environment; it is biodegradable and breaks down with water and time.

The stone will be rolled up in Senefelders Crayon Black ink, 2^nd etched, and washed out again with Estisol 242, again demonstrating the health and safety procedure which eliminates toxic solvents, (this is the crux of the demonstration).

The stone and image will be proofed and printed several times allowing for discussion from the interested audience.

The demonstration will conclude with a thorough clean up, using the Estisol 242 of the inking rollers and glass slab,

As my introduction reads, I will be working simultaneously on a waterless lithography process if time lines permit.

Lithography,  (Silography)

Working from a ball grained aluminum plate, the plate will be counter etched to rid the plate of any oxidation, a toner copy transfer will be made on to plate, and a drawing will follow using appropriate waterless lithography materials.

The plate will be heated to by heat gun to adhere the washes and toner.

Silicon and odorless minerals spirits will be used to dilute the silicon into a more viscous solution.

The mixed silicon will be applied to image on plate with paper towels and buffed thoroughly, till no streaks are visible.

The image will be washed out with an Acetone substitute, called Estichem.

The plate will be rolled with Van Son Rubber Based Black Ink.

Clean up will again commence with hazard free Estisol 242.

Other waterless approaches will be illustrated through printed examples and worked aluminum plates.