I've been planning to experiment with embossing ever since I got my Hawthorn printing press - but have not had the time. At last, Covid-19 brought lots of other activities to a stop and I decided to have a play.
I chose a very simple and small design, so that I could learn faster. The first design is based on the ivy climbing up the wall in our back yard. I've included here pictures of the ivy, the plate and the emboss itself. I kept the cutting bold and the contrasts strong. You can see the results here - just about!
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| My starting point |
I used damp etching paper to create the emboss. After the ivy design, which I felt had been fairly successful, I tried an oak leaf, following a similar approach.
I then had a go at experimenting with adding colour - using oil based-in diluted with white spirit to reach a watercolour consistency, painted onto the plate with a fine brush. The colour transferred onto the damp paper, initially lightly, then more strongly as I built up the colour.
I particularly liked the more subtle examples and the blind emboss (no ink at all). I'm planning to come back to explore this further as a 2 part process - adding the emboss to a dampened oil-based print.
To learn more about my work, please check out my website www.carolynmurphy.co.uk where you'll find my gallery, online shop and links to my social media.
