An Intaglio Print Photoshoped On Scrapbook Paper

Hello Everyone.  Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Its hard to believe that summer is almost over.  Labor day is right around the corner, and before you know it, Halloween will have come and gone.  Kids are returning to school and college this week, and it is nice that life is returning to normal again. I have nothing against summer, but I absolutely cannot wait for fall to get here.  I love sweater weather, and adore the bright autumn colors here in Wisconsin.  I also enjoy decorating the house for the autumn season and upcoming holidays.  The best part of fall is that my house will be scented with pumpkin spice (my all time favorite smell) and I can drink pumpkin shakes from a local custard shop once again.

The image below is an intaglio print I created in college. Intaglio printmaking is by far my favorite form of printmaking. I love etching copper and nickel plates with acid baths and and metal engraving tools to create lines and texture. I find that this style of printmaking is very time consuming and tends to not go as planned, but I absolutely enjoy the process of etching metal.  The printing of the metal plates is my favorite part.  The paper has to be wet when it is printed on so it is important to use a cold press archival paper like Reeves BFK. It would be impossible to actually print on scrapbook paper due to the quality and additives in the paper.  Unlike block printing or stamping, this type of printmaking makes a print when the ink settles in the groove of the metal plate.  When the plate is run through the press the ink is deposited from the groves onto the wet paper.  As you may have guessed, a print will not come out cleanly unless you meticulously clean the surface of the plate after inking it. This form of printmaking was common in the 18th and 19th century due to the longevity of the metal and it ability to stand up to the wear and tear of multiple printings.

In order to have this image on specialty paper or scrapbook paper, you must use Photoshop or a photo editing software.  I used Photoshop to achieve the results in the image above.  Instead of using the wand or eraser tool to remove the white areas of the picture, I was able to invert the white area with the digital scrapbook paper.  This technique is much faster and creates a cleaner appearance if you are simply looking to change the background appearance.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Monday.  Thanks for stopping by. ❤ Tia- Copper Blossom Paperie ❤