Printmaking (Series 15 of 21) - Making Toner Chalks

By Nik Semenoff September 13, 2004

} Making Toner Chalks Printmaking Series - Part 15 of 21 By Nik Semenoff I early discovered in my work with toner that it can be made into charcoal like sticks for drawing on grained plates or paper. At first I bonded the particles with a weak solution of adhesive, but later built a complex hydraulic press and special forms to compress the toner into suitable shaped pieces. The toner chalks can be used to produce charcoal drawing on newsprint, which can be transferred to plate much like the Mylar technique. After the transfer, there is enough of the image left on the newsprint to allow one to draw the next series of colors for the edition and transfer that to other plates. This way all colors should be in register. I have found that some newsprint produces better images as it is smoother but still has enough texture to grab the toner off the chalk. Use a number of newsprint packing sheets to get a smooth transition in the image. One doesn't use water with the toner as the drawing is just like a charcoal work. Heat or white gas is used to set the toner. Since you will not likely have a hydraulic press, I suggest you use the adhesive method of making toner chalks. You will need methyl cellulose and methyl hydrate (wood alcohol). Good art stores sell the cellulose glue and it is quite inexpensive. Mix 5 grams of cellulose into 500 ml of water and let it stand until a smooth liquid. Depending on the hardness you want, try 2:1 alcohol to the gum, 1:1 for harder chalks. Add just enough of this mixture to a batch of toner powder and mix until it forms a stiff paste. This can be cast into simple molds and let dry. These chalks can be used for drawings in place of charcoal on paper. Putting the sheet in an oven set at around 280' F should set the toner. When working outside, white gas would set type B toners. If you can acquire some colored toners for laser printers, you could make up a set of pastel-like chalks for fine art drawings. This material should be considered quite archival as pigments are usually of the highest quality and they are encased in plastic as well. ________________________________________________ Copyright © 2004 Nik Semenoff Nik Semenoff Artist-in-residence University of Saskatchewan Visit Nik Semenoff's website at duke.usask.ca/~semenoff/ for more information.

• Posted: 2004-09-13