Legends of Lithography

Eric Ravilious and me.

23rd October  2014

Lithographic printing was a paradox. My previous experience of the process was disappointing at best (a clumsy washed out scummy texture on stone - slimy yet dissatisfying) and after last weeks' 'schadenfreudic' (sic) experience with etching I was afraid, very afraid. However I really wanted to like it - rather like ones' first taste of an olive - and the process is one of the grand old men of the printing world, rather like the aforementioned Eric Ravilious; who apparently was 'inordinately fond of tea'. 

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/18/eric-ravilious-alan-powers-review

Phil Bowden was our 'Brian Cox' of Lithography. We started with Evolution; finding out that a Litho stone is perfect for printing because it is composed of pure Bavarian shellfish. This prehistoric recipe apparently creates a fine, dense and even surface for printing is also fabulous for fossils and rocks a pair of lederhosen. 

Using an Aluminium plate instead of a Limestone for this Litho workshop was more cost effective and much easier to carry around the studio, unless you happen to be Popeye. So after tracing our images down onto the plates we had a variety of greasy media to choose from to make our textured marks. I chose dip pen with Litho ink to draw out my botanical illustration. This created a loose and relaxed line which was much more satisfying than carving into copper or acetate (as in etching). It was comfortable and felt like drawing.