Printmaking Process + Final Product
My element was palladium whose atomic number is 46. Palladium was discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. Wollaston was a famed chemist of the time due to his creation of pure malleable platinum. From his studies and analysis surrounding platinum he discovered palladium, a rare metal that strongly resembles platinum and has the lowest melting point in the platinum group of metals. He revealed his discovery by selling a large quality of the metal to a mineral dealer and then anonymously posting flyers throughout London, describing the new metal’s properties. The metal was denounced at first as just a platinum-mercury alloy, however, Wollaston publicly proved these claims to be false during a talk with the Royal Society of London in which he revealed himself to be the true discoverer. His reason for keeping his identity anonymous was apparently because he wanted to be able to continue testing and experimenting with the metal before claiming it as his own. He did this in order to avoid any discrepancies with his reputation as a chemist - just in case some of his original tests/claims turned out to be false.
Palladium has many uses however it is mostly used in dentistry, the automobile industry, electronics, fuel cell production, and jewelry. In dentistry, palladium is used to make crowns and bridge restorations due to its economic availability, corrosion resistance, and solubility with other metals. In the automobile industry, it is used in catalytic converters which convert close to 90% of the harmful gases produced by cars (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide), into less harmful gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. In fact, over half of the world supply of palladium is used specifically for catalytic converters. In terms of electronics, palladium is widely used due to its electrical conductivity and reliability and is therefore most commonly found in MLCCs (Multi-Layer Ceramic chip Capacitors). MLCCs in turn store energy in broadcasting equipment such as cellphones, computers, high voltage circuits, and electric lighting. For fuel cells palladium is used as a catalyst and for jewelry it is valued as a cheaper alternative to platinum.
For my print I decided to focus on palladium's function as a filter in catalytic converters in cars as, after a few tests, it was the design I liked the most.
From there I traced the image from my paper sketch onto transfer paper which I then flipped onto my foam plate - I did the step with the transfer paper in order to ensure that the letters and numbers would not be backwards on my final print.
Once I traced the image onto my foam plate I printed the image onto paper using a variety of colors and chose the 3 images whose print was best.
After that I had to prep the images for matting so I used a ruler to protect the print and tore off the excess paper which is a traditional printmaking technique.
After that I matted two of the images, keeping one unmatted, while being sure to measure an exact one inch border around the prints.
I would not change anything in my process besides using more paint when printing and my favorite step was tearing off the excess paper when matting as it was very satisfying.
Comments
No comments have been posted yet.
Log in to post a comment.