Thursday, August 12, 2021

Tetrapak Mark Making and Printing Tests

 

Tetrapak mark making tools test
I always have to make a book and take a photo. Even the funky tests. Single sheet binding, instructions from Keith Smith.

I have been testing a lot of mark making tools on Tetrapak. Above is a little book I made myself. Below are all the tests. Most of the tools I used are in the photos. The paper is Stonehenge, ink is Akua carbon black. Not all the tests printed equally well, but it's information, not beauty that I'm looking for.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Fine line applicator with Golden high flow paint. Hard to control, hard to write backwards. Take a while to dry thouroughly.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
PVA sprayed on with toothbrush, keep it light for a texture. Lots of small spots end up making a dark area.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Liquitex clear gesso, center is the tetrapak, right is Blick white acrylic, brushed on and scribbled with brush handle end. I need to play more with the brush handle marks.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Utrecht mat medium sprayed on with spray tool. Keep it light to get spots, more spots will hold more ink. Hard to control but I love the bigger spots.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Left dark area is an etching tool that scratches many fine lines, the grids are pieces of screening. I couldn't find most of them - the heavy plastic one above was used, also the wire. it's twisted very fine wire. These are embossed into the tetrapak.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Staples under aluminum tape on the left and above right, hammered staples on the right.
 If you try this be careful - you don't want to make permanent marks on your rollers. Extra padding is a good idea.
Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Aluminum tape, torn for the two horizontal pieces, crumpled for vertical piece. The long horizontal line is a fold in the tetrapak.
Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Above: screwdriver blade, Below square tubing. Press down hard.
 The screwdriver blade is notched.
Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Left: sand paper scratches, right Wiggle Jiggle writer with scribe taped on.
 It's a kid's fun drawing tool. On Amazon.
Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Marbling comb. On the left I tried brushing on some mat medium. I want to use these in collage. Turns out the Akua dries slowly, but is finally supposed to be waterproof.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Left some kind of etching tool - makes many very fine lines. Center: fork, Right: nail set, although maybe not the one in the photo. I think it had a larger circle end.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Wheels with spikes. For leather working and sewing. These are hard to ink well. A very soft toothbrush seems best.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Papermate ballpoint pen, wheel with spikes.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Energel 0.5 pen

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Left: twisted scribe, right: scalpel

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Circle test: Left twisted scribe. The five is cut out. Right: nut cracker pick. Easier to draw a circle. I am having trouble adjusting to the different feeling between a pen and the scribes which are very sharp and only really work when I pull them toward me.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Left: Jetstream pen .23, nut pick, Right Cork handled scribe. Just as sharp as the twisted scribe but easier on the hand.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Uni Jetstream pen .28, Uni Jetstream 3, .38, Pentel energel .5, Papermate 1. They all look about the same when printed. I was hoping for a finer line from the finer tips.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Top: wire tool with handle, Bottom: cork handled scribe, trying light and firm pressures.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Polymer clay tool with embedded nails. I made this one years ago.

Tetrapak mark making test 2021 Judith Hoffman
Polymer clay tool, point on one end, circle on the other. The circle is like a nail set tool. The point is fairly smooth. I need to test this more.

Protecting the ink from cats
My system to leave the ink on the glass plate. We have a cat, he mostly doesn't walk on the table but he might. I should put a weight on top. They claim the Akua ink doesn't dry on non-porous surfaces, so it can sit out until you use it up.


8 comments:

Hilke said...

That looks so interesting. I love the quality of the mark made, the monochrome tone, and the book you made with it. I'll have to take a closer look at the images you produced, I am all set up for some similar printing (with the miniature press I got last year). But I have not quite gotten round to trying... - Thanks for sharing your results and experiments!

Judith Hoffman said...

I love the marks too. You’ve done other printing so it should be easy for you. I had some trouble with inking the plates. I’ll watch for your results. (-:

eileen2000 said...

I am in awe. I cannot tell you how much I love your scientific art tests. I feel like I should bow down. I am a fan girl.

Judith Hoffman said...

Oh I love having a fan! I am your fan too. The tests were a way to get better at inking and printing. I find inking very hard.

Aine Scannell said...

Judith really appreciate you sharing this - I definitely have not explored tetrapak enough. Its great that the follow by email is still working...I wonder how long it will carry on. Seems they just couldn't be bothered to provide us with an alternative after pulling the one we have always used. Take care and Keep well...Aine x

Judith Hoffman said...

I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I am using the mulberry paper for ghost prints most of the time - excellent suggestion. Bear in mind that I’m just learning so you would get better results. The tests have been a good way to practice. I do like the mark and the ease of making the plates. I gather some people seal their plates with shellac or some medium to make them last longer. I haven’t tried that. The message I get is that the email notifications will end this month. I guess it’s what we get for “free.” I assume they make use of our info somehow. You take care too. These seem like very weird stressful times. Let’s hope things calm down a bit soon.

maureen nathan said...

Great to see and I love small books so that’s a great idea! You said it’s not beauty you’re after here but information but you got beauty all the same. Thanks for posting.

Judith Hoffman said...

Thanks Maureen. I’m so glad people are appreciating the info.