Folding and creasing paper, which I first mentioned in my article on ‘Flexures’, was also later used to make collagraph printing plates. Starting with a sheet of mountboard, I would mark out the shapes of what would become a multi-piece printing plate. Then, I part-creased thin sheets of paper by hand, before pressing the creases firmly into place through the printing press. These creases and folds produce mid tones and shadows in the final prints, whilst light of toes can be created by painting on thin layers of varnish, making the texture smoother and therefore lightening the tone in the final print.
