Printing And Protecting The Artwork

With the panel completed, it is time to print (and protect - more on that later in this post) the artwork. The image I wanted to use for this project is an alcohol gel transfer (discussed here). I enjoy the simplicity of the image, which was photographed in a Japanese garden, and the organic look of the gel transfer result. The actual gel transfer was photographed in order to enlarge it, as the original transfer (as seen below) is only about 7x7 inches.

I am something of a paper freak and love experimenting with different types of paper. However, once you put a print behind glass, the paper itself becomes less prominent. One of the benefits of presenting an image in the way I plan to is that removing the glass barrier that separates the print from the viewer allows the actual paper to become a more prominent component of the artwork.

So, I wanted to pick a beautiful paper that had some texture and on which the image also looked good. Of course, I made some small prints first and decided on using Hahnemuhle Museum Etching paper. This paper is quite thick (350 gsm) and has a natural creamy color, which complements both the tree bark and the yellow/gold background in the image. It also has a subtle and seemingly random texture to it that I find very pleasing. The next step was to print it out at a large size on roll paper.

I wanted to have some nice borders around the image to show off the edges of the transfer and in which I could sign the image. I decided that the actual transfer portion of the image should be about 15 inches, which would leave about a 1 1/2 inch border around it, filling the 18x18 inch panel.

This printed output from the roll paper was 24x24 inches and would need to be cut down to size. When trimming the paper to size, there are two issues. The first is a relatively minor one, which is that very often the stated measurements of these panels are not exact. In this case, it was a couple 16th’s of an inch short on one side. No big deal because of the way we will trim the paper. The second issue is that we want the paper to be perfectly flush with the sides of the panel. How do we accomplish that?

What we do NOT want to do is cut the paper to the exact size of the panel. We will never get it exact and, besides, even if we did, we would never be able to lay it down and attach it to the panel absolutely perfectly centered. The answer is to cut the paper so that it is 1/2 inch larger than the panel, attach it to the panel (more on that in the next post), and then trim it flush after it is secured to the panel. Here is a cell phone photo of the print with the paper trimmed to 18.5x18.5 inches. I have also taken the opportunity to sign the print in the lower right-hand corner. The slightly warm tone of the paper and its texture doesn’t really show on the photo.

But before we mount the print, there is one last issue to deal with. Since there will be no barrier between the artwork and the viewer, we really should have some way to protect the surface from accidental touches, fingerprints, or other damage. Luckily, there is a way to do so with any of several protective sprays. I have previously used Hahnemuhle Protective Spray and have been very happy with the results in that it is completely invisible and does not change the appearance of the artwork or the paper at all. The spray is apparently not carried by B&H anymore, but you can find it on Amazon (affiliate link)

The spray will protect against fingerprints, smudges, and any flaking from the surface. But it’s not a miracle. If someone attacks the artwork with a scissor, the surface will be ruined! The spraying really should be done outdoors and since it is raining here today, I will need to put it off for a day or so.

In the next and final installment, I will talk about how to properly mount the print to the panel and trim away the excess paper, finishing the project. I think it is going to end up looking quite good!

To be continued…….

Join Me For A Real-Time Experiment, Pt. III

Printing And Protecting The Artwork