Visiting Instructor: Tom Paulius, Old Fieldhouse Press

In this course, you will learn how to use the solar plate process for non-toxic photogravure printmaking. Students will learn what a solar plate is and how to prepare images to create a positive that is exposed onto the photosensitive polymer coating of a solar plate. They will develop their exposed plates in water to create photogravure plates in which the images are etched into the photopolymer on the plate. After careful drying, students will ink and wipe their plates and pull a proof of each plate, followed by an edition of prints.

Students will also learn how to calibrate an exposure unit to obtain desired black values while avoiding open biting in their plates. Examination of test strips to select desired shadow and highlight values in the final print will be explained.

All materials will be provided. Students will need to send a digital file of an image (or two) which they want to print. Students will have the choice of preparing either one large plate, approximately 8x11, or two half plates, approximately 4x5.

About the Instructor:
TD (Tom) Paulius, is a printmaker from Orland Park, Illinois. Tom creates prints in various media, including woodcuts, linocuts, screenprints, etchings, polyplate lithographs and solar plate photogravures. His solar plates prints focus on seascapes and nature, using photographs taken along the coast, the Keys, the Everglades and Big Cypress swamp.