Artwork on right: Heidi Barkun - HEIDI BY heIDi Page 184

I noticed that some artworks are created on “archival paper.”

What’s the difference between archival paper and regular paper?

Katherine Lebbon, Burlington, Vermont

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Archival paper will not turn yellow or become brittle over time. Regular paper is made from wood pulp, and there are two components in wood fibers which cause trouble: lignin and acid. Lignin is a compound found in the cell walls of plants and causes yellowing. Just think of newspapers lying in the sun. The other culprit is acid, which contributes to the paper’s fragility.

Deteriorating paper is a considerable issue when creating or buying art, so artists and collectors tend to choose archival paper over common wood-based paper. There are two types of archival paper: Conservation-grade and Museum-grade. Conservation-grade paper (also sometimes labeled as “acid-fee paper”) is made from regular wood pulp, but the lignin has been removed and a mild alkaline base was added during the production process to neutralize its PH (which means the pulp is neither acidic nor alkaline). Conservation-grade paper is mostly used for important books and documents.

More common in the art world is Museum-grade paper, which is made from cotton fibre and is also known as “rag paper.” Rag paper is naturally PH neutral, and it has an added advantage: cotton fibers are longer than wood fibers, making rag paper stronger than regular paper, so it won’t easily buckle, crease, or get dog-eared.

An example of an artist playing with the idea of archival versus regular paper is Visual Voice Collections’ Jennifer Hamilton. She offers her artwork Love Labyrinth in two versions: a limited edition on archival paper, and an open edition on regular photocopy paper. She added the open edition because part of her artistic practice is creating ephemeral works, and knowing that the heart-shaped labyrinth will eventually fade is a poignant comment on everlasting love. Which edition will you choose?

The Visual Voice team

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Have any questions about archival paper?  Leave us a comment below or get in touch with us at info@visualvoicecollections.com.

Left: Melanie Matthews "Nature vs Nurture" (Acrylic on Yupo) | Right: sheets of Mylar

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I’ve noticed that some drawings and mixed media works are made on Mylar or Yupo.

What’s that – some kind of paper?

Ben Reid, Ottawa

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Yes Ben, they are – Mylar and Yupo are synthetic papers. Mylar is a type of polyester (polyethylene terephtalate) and Yupo is made from polypropylene pellets. Both have a variety of uses outside the arts – from insulation and sailing to food storage and musical instruments. Mylar and Yupo have become increasingly popular with artists in recent years for drawing, painting, pastel, silkscreen, even embossing and offset printing.

Many artists love the silky smooth surface which is great for drawing. Painters appreciate the fact that synthetic paper is nonabsorbent, so paint doesn’t soak into the paper which can dull the colour. Mylar and Yupo are also incredibly tough – it is stain and tear-resistant and doesn’t buckle when wet, so it can take a fair amount of abuse from artists who like to experiment. Some artists take advantage of the synthetic paper’s translucency and layer their artworks for stunning superimposed effects.

Neither Mylar nor Yupo are made with organic materials, so both papers are PH neutral and therefore archival (which means they won’t yellow or deteriorate over time). So, it’s pretty tough stuff. However, we recommend that you are careful when handling artwork created on synthetic paper, because the oil from your fingerprints will show on the non-absorbent surface.

We showcase two artists on Visual Voice Collections who work with synthetic papers: Sigrún Jenný Bardadóttir who creates expressive, dynamic drawings on large sheets of Mylar, and Melanie Matthews who uses a variety of image transfer and painting techniques on Yupo for her irreverent and playful mixed media works.

The Visual Voice team

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Have any comments about Mylar or Yupo? Chime in!

If you have a burning questions about contemporary art or art collecting, email us at info@visualvoicecollections and we’ll make sure to find you an answer.

Jonas St.Michael "The Lakewood - Model SL9 - no.3" (C-print)

What is a C-print? I see this sometimes in descriptions of photographs. Does the ‘C’ stand for ‘colour’?

Nadine Collings, Montreal

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Good guess Nadine, you’re close! The ‘C’ in ‘C-print’ stands for chromogenic. A C-print is a colour photographic print which was produced from a colour negative or slide. Nowadays c-prints are also created from digital images, though in this case they are usually referred to as ‘digital c-print’ or ‘Lambda’ print.

The C-print technique was originally developed in the 1950s by Kodak and was the standard colour photo printing technique until digital photography and inkjet printers took over.

Technically speaking, the chromogenic process involves the reaction of two chemicals which work together to create the colour dyes that make up a photographic image: a colour developer and a dye coupler. Each C-print is created by layering three developer-coupler combos on top of each other: one for cyan, one for magenta, and one for yellow. Together the three layers create the full colour image.

You won’t find a lot of C-prints in contemporary art today, because the inkjet technology has improved to such an extend that artists now prefer the simplicity and flexibility of the new printers. However, there are a few die-hards who stick with the chromogenic technique. Why? According to them C-prints have a more beautiful continuous tone, more subtle gradations. If you take a magnifying glass to an inkjet print, you’ll still see dots. Not so with a C-print, because it was created using dyes, not tiny sprayed-on dots.

However, C-prints will need a bit more care than modern inkjet prints, because the chemicals used in the chromogenic process may fade in the (very) long run. If you do own a C-print we suggest that you use UV-blocking glass in your frame to protect your artwork.

For some examples of C-prints, check out Jonas St.Michael‘s portfolio Elm Park.

The Visual Voice team

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Have any comments about C-prints versus inkjet prints? Chime in!

If you have a burning questions about contemporary art or art collecting, email us at info@visualvoicecollections and we’ll make sure to find you an answer.