Saturday, August 3, 2013
Let's get ready to bundle!
Sorry for the delay in getting the photo essay on the blog, but Life happens. Here in a brief space is the method I use to bundle my paper prints to prepare them for cooking. Here I am using ceramic tiles, 140# watercolor paper, natural rubber bands and plant materials. Soak your papers in warm water for about 30 minutes, or overnight in cold water. Place a ceramic tile on a flat surface, lay a sheet of paper on it and place a layer of plant materials on top. Continue to build the stack of paper and plant materials to the height you wish, then place another ceramic tile on top of the stack. Using natural rubber bands, or heavy cotton twine, wrap the bundle securely. Now your bundle is ready to place in a pot for cooking. I like to place the last rubber bands at diagonals on the corners to help even the pressure on the tiles. I hope this helps.
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Many thanks for posting your methodology! I must invest in some ceramic tiles as for my first two attempts I used plywood and whilst it was effective, it is starting to de-laminate and impact on the first and last print in the stack. Lesson learnt! Also, the oak leaf recommendation was spot on! I only had access to the English Oak (Quercus robur) however I have found a city park with several species so that will be my next foray!
ReplyDeleteDid you use any scrap iron pieces with you When iron mixes with tannins in leaves, you get a range of greys to black, and sometimes purple tones if alum is used. Beer bottle caps flattened are a good source of iron (I call them Redneck flowers!) You may also use washers or bolts or rusty tools, etc.
ReplyDeleteYou can also mix species of plants or trees and get some unusual combinations, with or without metals. Good printing!
In a saucepan, how long should you cook?
ReplyDeleteI normally cook for 1 hour in a saucepan. When cooking indoors, I usually use a pressure cooker and cook for 20-30 minutes. Both ways I always let it cool in the pot overnight.
ReplyDeleteLast night I cooked 10 double fold sheets that were each interleaved with cooking parchment so that I could get different prints on facing pages. After leaving them overnight, I undid the stack and added some metal bits and wires and some additional plant materials not previously used. Re-stacked and cooked for 20 minutes in the pressure cooker. I will be posting the phtos on my blog shortly. The prints are very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the tips!
ReplyDeleteDo you have experience in getting red or orange prints from eucalyptus?
Only once. The Eucalyptus that grows near me does not produce reds or oranges. I purchased some E.cinerea from the florist that did give me orange prints. I am thrilled by the patterns I get from Eucalyptus more than the color. It was the first plant that gave me a green without copper, and I have been hooked ever since.
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