Throughout history artists have used new tools and techniques to push the boundaries of what they could achieve. Gustav Klimt famously added delicate Gold, Silver and Platinum flakes to his paints to create his most famous work, “The Kiss.”
Meg Kirkpatrick’s Modern Masterpiece
More than a century later, artist Meg Kirkpatrick reimagined that artwork using multiple layers of Digital Foil and UV Reactive Ink. Thanks to meticulous planning and execution by print partner Indigo Ink Digital Printing, she brought her vision to life.
Contrasting Themes: From Romance to Protest
While the original piece portrays a romantic and intimate moment between lovers, Meg’s piece serves as a protest. It reveals the power dynamics of the couple in a beautifully foil-enhanced light.
The Detailed Process Behind the Masterpiece
Brace yourself as we take a deep dive into the creation of this masterpiece. First, the team laid down a layer of Black ink on super-thick 18 pt. WestRock Tango Digital C2S Board using an HP Indigo 7800 digital press.
They followed this with an application of Digital Gold Foil, a process known as “sleeking.” [PaperSpecs PRO Members: Find out everything you need to know about Sleeking here!] Another layer of Black ink followed, then a layer of Silver Foil.
Believe it or not, this was just the beginning!
The pattern of printing and sleeking repeated multiple times, using different color foils each time – 10 foils in all! The foils included Gold, Silver, Rose Gold, Matte Gold, Matte Silver, Copper, and Clear Gloss, with some used more than once.
About a third of the way through the process, they applied a primer, then added CMYK and UV Reactive Ink in a single pass. As a result, when the print is exposed to ultraviolet light, the previously unseen power of the woman blossoms across the page in an eerie glow.
A Soft Touch lamination not only protects these ink layers but also lends a finger-pleasing quality to the print.
The most intricate part of this print is the layering of the Supreme Court decision wording in the background using Rose Gold Foil. At the very end, they applied a spot Clear Gloss Foil to highlight certain areas and give it a stunning shine.
Overcoming Challenges
To keep the multiple foil layers tightly registered and intact, Indigo Ink Digital Printing spent several months studying how the different colors and foil finishes interacted. They experimented with several substrates before finding one that could endure the unusually high quantity of trips through the printer and sleeking system required for this piece.
As you can imagine, pushing Sleeking to the limit like this wasn’t easy; only 1 print in every 4 passed inspection.
Yet the experience not only yielded invaluable information about optimum Sleeking speeds, temperatures and Foil interaction for future projects, it also netted the print service provider a 2024 Gold Leaf Award from the Foil & Specialty Effects Association for Best Use of Digital Foil (Toner Adhesive).
As Klimt once observed, “Art is a line around your thoughts.” And had he lived long enough, he might’ve added “and a little Digital Foil doesn’t hurt, either.”
