The technique of creating imagery with watermarks is unique to papermaking. Historically, Italian hand papermakers are credited with inventing the process in the 13th century to leave a mark or image inside the paper without disturbing the surface of the sheet. A watermark design lies hidden within the structure of the paper fibers, not on the surface, and thus usually needs backlighting to be seen. The term watermark describes both the wire design sewn to the surface of the paper mould to make a watermarked sheet as well as the resulting image inside a sheet of paper.
Instead of bent wire, fine wire mesh embossed to form topographical graduations that correspond to shadows and highlights of an image is used to make a traditional light and shade, or “chiaroscuro,” watermark. The embossed mesh is sewn onto the surface of a papermaking mould. When the embossed mesh is dipped into cotton pulp, more pulp is deposited in the low areas of the mesh, and less on top of the high points, creating thick and thin areas, which translate visually into a range of dark to light tonal gradations.
While metal wire or mesh are traditional media used to design a watermark device, contemporary artists also use waterproof materials, such as laser-cut adhesive-backed vinyl to design temporary watermark devices.
The surface of a sheet of paper that has a watermark inside it can still be printed on, as with currency. The watermark image itself, however, is not a print and can only be made using the papermaking process. It continues to fascinate visual artists because of its mysterious quality. Rather than back lighting watermarks to reveal the image within, contemporary artists often back the watermark image with a contrasting color, either by double couching it onto another colored sheet when it is wet or mounting it when it dry.
William Kentridge, Wire watermarking device for Thinking In Water,2002.
William Kentridge was drawn to the secret characteristic of watermarks, asking himself, “What can I do with this handmade paper that wouldn’t be just a drawing [on top of a sheet of paper]? The solution suggested was, ‘Well, then, why don’t you make a drawing inside the paper?’ And a drawing inside of the paper is a watermark.”
Kentridge hid his drawings inside a sheet of paper. Dieu Donné translated his ink drawings into wire watermarks which were sewn onto the surface of papermaking moulds. On display is one of Kentridge’s wire watermark devices used to make the watermarked images for his triptych, Thinking in Water.
Courtesy of Dieu Donné Papermill, NY.
William Kentridge, Sheets of Evidence,2009.
Collaborators: Susan Gosin and Paul Wong.
William Kentridge’s book Sheets of Evidence is made entirely of watermarked pages of text and imagery. Building on his experiments in Thinking in Water, he continued to play with the opportunity to hide watermark secrets in plain sight inside a sheet of paper. Instead of traditional wire, Kentridge used laser-cut, adhesive-backed vinyl to make these watermarks.
Published by Dieu Donné Press and Dieu Donné Papermill.
Edition of 30.
Embossed mesh screen, light and shade watermark device for Chuck Close’s Watermark Self-Portrait, 2007.
Chuck Close,Watermark Self-Portrait,2007.
Collaborators: Susan Gosin and Paul Wong.
Chuck Close worked with Dieu Donné collaborators Susan Gosin and Paul Wong, as well as William Blake of Crane & Co., the American manufacturer of paper currency, to fabricate a currency-grade “chiaroscuro” watermark from one of Close’s daguerreotype photographs.
Richard Tuttle,Dawn, Noon, Dusk: Paper (1), Paper (2), Paper (3), 2003.
Collaborator: Paul Wong.
Richard Tuttle’s, Dawn, Noon, Dusk is an example of how attaching a dry watermarked sheet of paper to a dry sheet of a contrasting color reveals the watermarked image without back lighting.
Published by Dieu Donné Papermill.
Edition of 20: PP 1/1.
Courtesy of Paul Wong.
Arturo Herrera,Untitled,2005.
Collaborators: Paul Wong and Rachel Gladfelter.
To edition Arturo Herrera’s image Untitled, Dieu Donné collaborator Paul Wong fabricated an adhesive-backed vinyl watermark attached to the surface of the papermaking mould to form translucent abaca watermarked sheets. Wet watermark sheets were couched, or layered, on top of wet, pigmented red-orange cotton base sheets. The two sheets permanently bonded when pressed and dried. Because Herrera’s ghostlike watermark image is contrasted by the strong red-orange backing sheet, it does not need backlighting to be seen.
