All prints on Vaughanprint are handmade by me, the artist Stephen Vaughan, using a variety of traditional printing techniques. The execution of an image, from plate preparation to printing of the editions, can take several weeks.

Patience and dexterity are fundamentaly central to the act of printmaking, with the history of printmaking styles and rules playing a strong role in how the artist is influenced in the execution of any idea. It is important therefore that the atist/printmaker is fluent in the printmaking techniques, knowing what is appropriate for the image they whish to create; always ready to introduce something new so that they can make the medium their own.

I like to refer to the of creation of an image on a plate as building, with the use of materials such as carborundium and adhesives being an additive process. Some would say that it is sculptural and this is also appropriate when cosidering the corrosive action of acid or the cutting actions of an engraving tool: the reult is an item in three dimenions albeit one in low relief.

Techniques used in prints.

Intaglio Processes

This term is used to describe a printing technique whereby the textured surface on a metal plate, representing the image to be printed, holds ink. From Italian, the word intaglio commonly refers to the activity of carving. Black or a coloured Ink is rubbed onto the surface of the plate. This is wiped with different cloths until the smooth areas of the metal plate are revealed. These areas represent whites while the rough areas will still hold ink, representing the intaglio image. When run through a printing press, under pressure, the plate will transfer the inked image onto damp paper. Intaglio printing covers etching, aquatint, engraving, drypoint, carborundum and collograph.

Etching

Etching is an intaglio process in which a metal plate is marked by exposing parts of it to the corrosive action of acid. The plate is first coated with a wax ground that is acid resistant. A design is scratched in the ground with a needle or pointed implement, revealing the metal. The exposed lines are progressively bitten when the plate is immersed in acid. Another option is to use a liquid ground to paint out areas that are not to be etched. The exposed metal areas are subject to an open bite. Using a coarse grained metal like steel will result in quite a rough bite

Carborundum

This process uses a very hard abrasive powder, silicon carbide. Carborundum (the trade name for silicone carbide) is mixed with an adhesive to make a paste and is applied to a plate with brushes and any other applicator that the artist chooses. It can be used to create a textured emboss while at the same time reproducing painterly marks and large areas of dense blacks or colours.

Screen print

In its simplest form, a stencil is adhered to a taut mesh screen. A rubber squeegee blade is used to push ink through the screen to print the stencil design onto paper.

In the prints that I make I use screen printing to lay down background colours on the paper and then these are overprinted with the plates that have been etched and have carborundum applied.