The plate has been worked and now I’m moving into the printing phase. My plan is for the final print to be in color and I’ve been experimenting with color applications and different papers. The colors I’ve chosen are a mixture of sepia, burnt sienna and lamp black for the background:

Madder lake and yellow ochre for the lantern and surrounding area:

A thin wash of permanent yellow lake and yellow ochre is applied with a soft roller (it can be seen in the upper right-hand corner of the photograph below).

The method of inking I’m using is called a la poupée. The colored ink is applied directly to the plate in the areas that I want colored and worked into the areas with the tarlatan. The word “poupée” comes from the small felt “doll” that is often used to work the ink into the small areas of the plate. I usually use small pieces of mat board that have been cut to different sizes. The color roll is applied after the surface of the plate has been inked and wiped. In this way, the plate is only run through the press once to create the print with multiple colors.

   plate           print

I’ve been adjusting the color combinations within the different groupings and I’ve put up photographs here of the results. There will be at least another week of experimenting until I find something that conveys the feeling I’m looking for!