Printing the invisible

Testing all the ways I can think of to combine thin paper, digital image and clear varnish.

It is so difficult to see unless its a bold block of medium.

I am testing this on an offcut of the Weyward Sisters print. The paper is porous. It isn't easy. The usual method is to apply a clear coat of varnish to the print through a screen. However, because of the paper’s porosity, it’s simply soaking in.

I've tried several versions of this varnish, but it’s just not happening.

Test of three different varnishes

Tony and Pete have been really helpful and offered suggestions. Ultimately, what would normally happen here is that the image underneath would have been made with screen-printed ink. This would have created a barrier between the image and the top varnish. A great example of this is in the Cristea Roberts Gallery. It's difficult to show, but there is a layer of varnish in dots all over the image.

I have pursued this technique for probably three studio days, and to be honest, I’ve given up. The technique is interesting, but it’s not what I want to do with my image.

N.B.

At the London Original Print fair, I found another example of this technique at Jealous’ stand. Given that I was perplexed by my results, I spoke with owner Dario Illari about how they had produced it. The image underneath was on Somerset paper, so surely that was porous too.

Dario thought about it and then gave me the answer. To get a porous print to accept varnish, apply a window block of varnish to the back of the image and let it dry. Then, you can print the varnish through your screen onto the front. Thank you, Dario. I will have to test this in the studio when I have a moment. It would be good to understand the concept, even if I feel the application is unnecessary here.

Examining the samples in this post, as I write up the platform, I can see that there is merit in this technique. I think the high frequency of my black-and-white background, together with the delicate image of the sisters, is just not helpful. I’m intrigued; I think I will return to