Johee Kim, of Robert Blackburn Print Workshop New York, has been proofing a new Diane Victor drypoint print.
The images above and below show Kim attaching chine colle to the plate for printing, as well as details of the plate and print. Chine collé is used for a variety of purposes. One use, as seen in these images, is to allow the printer to print a plate on a very delicate surface (here, Japanese Gampi paper) which will necessarily draw fine details from the drypoint marks on the plate.
To use this technique the printer initially inks the plate, then the delicate paper is dampened, laid onto the plate, and the edges are trimmed. Paste is then applied to the delicate paper and the plate with paper is laid on the press with the dampened backing sheet. The pressure of the printing press transfers for the ink onto the delicate paper, which is in turn adhered to the backing sheet.
Another, simpler use of chine collé, is to provide a different background colour for the image from the backing sheet, or to add a splash of colour to a print where a second run through the press is unfeasible.
For more about Diane Victor in New York please see the links below: