I’ve been experimenting with a new relief plate technique which uses hand-cut paper stencils as negatives for SolarPlate exposures. I got the idea while touring the Nikki McClure exhibit at the Bellevue Arts Museum.

One of the great things about using paper stencils is that I can see exactly what the print will look like as I am cutting. This allows me to make decisions about composition and shape as I go. It all feels very fluid and it keeps my head more in the artistic space.

The pictures below are all cut paper positives. These are the scraps I leave on the cutting room floor (or frame and hang on the wall) after reserving the other pieces to make the negatives that make the printing plates. Stay tuned for a post on making plates with papercut negatives.