Toner powder drawing

Materials:

  • arabic gum
  • nitric acid
  • acetone
  • loose toner (for photocopiers or laser printers)
  • asphalt
  • shellac
  • rosin and talc
Sypki toner / Toner powderSypki toner / Toner powderSypki toner / Toner powder
Similar techniques
2
Spray
Touche sprinkle

The xerographic toner is a relatively new drawing material. Its microscopic particles are extremely light. They are fully opaque so there’s no need for a thick layer of toner to get blacks. In photocopiers and laser jets toner particles are baked into sheets of paper in short operation of high temperature.

The toner can be applied to the stone with various tools, brushes, cloths, makeup sponges, erasers… The drawing can be wetted locally – changing its character and the way it adheres to the surface of the stone.

The toner used in this technique is an ordinary powdered toner for photocopiers or laser jets. It can be easily purchased from online stores (it’s much cheaper than lithographic touches).

As with all wash techniques, you can use various types of stencils, obstacles, salt etc. to obtain interesting effects.

It may seem problematic to fix the wash – high temperature is needed. Using a heat gun or heater bears the risk that the hot air will blow away the light toner powder. The drawing needs to be fixed with acetone vapors.

1

Make a powder toner drawing on a dry, well-grained lithographic stone, preferably with edges covered with gum arabic (unless water is used during drawing). You can use a wide range of ways of applying the toner to the surface of the stone, removing, moving, creating textures… You can use brushes and other tools: cloths, rubber sponges, even a blast of air…

2

Afterwards the drawing should be fixed – baked in a box filled with acetone vapors. See the description above for instructions on the box’s construction.

3

When the wash is dry and the effect is interesting, the drawing should be fixed in the acetone chamber (description above), an acetone soaked paper sheet under the pressure (description above) or using high temperature.
You can apply subsequent layers of wash on the image you have done, remembering to fix them each time.

4
The fixed drawing should be etched with gum arabic and nitric acid (depending on the density of the wash). Then, as usual, dry the stone and wash the drawing with acetone (turpentine will not remove it).* The printing can be rolled directly onto the toner, but there is a risk that the roller will not reach everywhere (some areas of wash can have higher and lower parts) and, in the case of hard, short ink, the image can detach.
5

After the toner is removed the stone must be wiped with shellac and then asphalt. When the asphalt evaporates (5-10 minutes), the stone can be moistened and rolled up with printing ink.

6

Second etching depends on the drawing.

by Anna Trojanowska