LUZ Studios Workshop: Intro to Photo Polymer Gravure

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Monday, July 20th, 2015

Two sessions to choose from:

Two-day: Sat Feb-14 & Sun Feb-15, 2014
10:00am - 4:00pm
$395 plus gst

Three-day:  Mon July 20 - Wed July 22, 2015
9:30am - 3:30pm
$550 plus gst

Photogravure has a long history in photography, even pre-dating daguerreotype and the wet plate collodion processes. Developed in the 1830s by Fox Talbot and Niépce, it became one of the first ways an image could be reproduced with the details and tones of the original image.

The beauty of a gravure print lies in it's unique tonal range and the fact that the image truly becomes part of the paper rather then simply suspended on its surface. Traditionally, an image was etched onto a copper plate which was then inked and printed by hand with an etching press. The gravure process was practiced by legendary photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz for producing Camera Work, Paul Strand and Edward Curtis, in the 1920s.

You can now achieve beautiful intaglio and relief images without the use of acids, solvents or highly toxic and combustible materials to etch the plate. While polymer plates are a safer alternative to traditional etching and relief printing, they still rival the quality and tonal reproduction capacity of copper plates.

NEW FOR 2015!  We will be offering a 3-DAY Summer Studio Session workshop. This will be an extended version of the 2-day Intro class to allow for more studio time refining your printing & inking techniques. We will also cover digital negatives more in depth. We may also be able to go into more techniques such as chine colle.

The KM polymer plates are a light sensitized steel-backed plates with a photopolymer emulsion.  The plates are then exposed through an UV exposure unit to create an intagalio plate with consistent and striking results. After exposing with UV light, the plate is developed with water, no acids or heavy grounds.

Artwork can be created in many ways, including drawing on acetate, mylar or other surfaces, but our focus will be on working with photographic images. We will print these images as digital positives on Pictorio film in order to produce the plate and then learn the fundamental techniques of gravure printing.

- Making Digital Positives
- Double Exposure Technique
- Exposing & Developing Plates
- Printing on an Etching Press
- Ink Types and Use, Paper Selection
- Setting up at home/or continuing at the studio  

What To Bring:

- notebook, pencil
- smock or apron
- plates & prints you may have previously made...?
- a portfolio to bring home your prints + plates.

We will need you to send your files to us in advance... BY Feb-1st / July-3
- 4-6 images in digital format, scanned to 300 dpi at 5x8"
* if you need images scanned, please get in touch with the studio.

Your workshop fee includes a studio & materials fee.

Register and pay online at http://www.luzstudios.com/polymergravure-workshop. To secure your space in this workshop we must receive receive full payment or a NON -refundable deposit of $150.00, with the balance being due 60-days prior to the start of the workshop date.

Studio + Workshop inquiries please email [email protected] or phone 250-882-4169.