US1905061A - Art of shading drawings - Google Patents

Description

April 25, 1933. v 'H, SAX 1,905,061

ART OF SHADING DRAWINGS' Filed Feb. 11, 1931 WATER PROOF ADH ESIVE '7 '7 /CELLULO$E ESTER FILM PRINTED mmcm l SOLUBLE LAYER ii 4 PAPER J3 /?4 WATERPROOF ADHESIVE I i v H I PCELLULOSE ESTER FILM 1/} \PRINTED INDICIA INDICIA LLULOSE ESTER FILM ATERPROOF ADHESIVE .7 DRAWING /REINFORCED EDGE Z2 o g {44 WATERPRO F ADHESIVE jive/2%?? Hwy Jam.

Patented Apr.

PATENT OFFICE? mm? sax, or, cnrcaoo, rumors am or ammo nmwmes Application filed February 11, 1931. serial 110. 515,001.

' The present invention relates to the art of shading or toning drawings and to an ar ticle employed for this purpose, as well as to 1 methods of making said article.

In the production of commercial illustra tive drawings such, for example, as are used in the advertising art, is has become the custom t0 stipple or tone certain predetermined areas of the sketches prior to photographic reproduction and the making of printing plates, by applying to such areas a large number of evenly spaced dots or lines so as to simulate the effect, when photographed, of a half-tone screen.

Numbers ofpatents have been issued and methods described for stippling or toning various areas of a drawing, for example, by transferring thereto by a printing process the required dots by the use of a 'suitable printing screen and the like. Such a process has come to be known in this art as a process of Ben Daying, being named after the igventor of such stippling, Mr. Benjamin ay. a

A number of processes have been shown in the past, for example, those exemplified in the patent of C. R. Swaim, No. 1,7 21,933, in which a sheet having dots printed thereon is laid over a drawing, whereupon a hot iron is run over' the sheet so as to cause the transfer of the dots directly onto the face of the drawing, these dots adhering lightly and being capable of removal by means of scraping. A somewhat analogous process is that described by H. Q. R. Crowder, Patent No. 1,175,614, of March 14, 1916, in which a sheet of paper having moist dots thereon is laid over a draw- I ing and the dots transferred by pressure with a stylus. The original Benjamin Day Patent, No. 214,493, of 187 9., accomplished the result by means of, a flexible film having lines or cross-hatching thereon, which was inked with a printing roller and from which the ink was transferred to the desired areas of the drawing by pressure of the stylus, particing dots or other shaded indicia is laid over a drawing, held contact therewith and from which sheet the stippling or other shading indicia is'removed by scraping.

' The present invention constitutes a great improvement in this art and employs in place of the devices hereinabove mentioned a very thin, flexible and inherently adhesive filma containing printed indicia'in the form of dots, lines, squares, and the like, the film being .so thin that it may readily be laid directly upon a drawing and rolled into contact therewith, but which film is so soft and friable that it may readily be removed by inlgans of a sharp tool such as a knife or the The present invention has for its object the production of a shading or toning film which consists essentially of a very thin film of a cellulose ester containing a suitable plasticizer or softener and bearlng' upon one side the edges or margins of which are thickened considerably by the application of a solution of a cellulose ester so as to form, as is'were, a frame by means of which the thin film or sheet may easily be handled'without danger of disrupting the same.

A further object of the invention is the method of producing the said film or sheet by means which will be described in great detail hereinbelow.

A further object of the invention is the method of toning or shading drawings by applying thereto one or more layers of the aforesaid thin film, by means of which excellent opportunities are given for the selfdevelopment or formation of many complicated and beautiful geometric designs. These designsare due to the interference or orientation of the dots or lines relative to each other so, as to produce what are commonly known as beats, which appear either in the form of wave-like structures or of definite geometric designs, all of which will Figure 1 is an end view of an intermediate 'stage of manufacture of said film, showing the various layers on a tremendously large scale;

Fig. 2 is an end view of th'efinished film ready to use;

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Figures 1 and 2 of a drawing with the film attached to the desired areas;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a drawing showing toned areas which have been toned or stippled by means of one modification of the invention, showing particularly the geometric designs obtained automatically by the superimposition of the two or more of the said films;

' Fig. 5 is a cross-section, on 'a tremendously enlarged scale, of, the finished film showing the reinforced margins or edges; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the finished film with reinforced edges thereon.

Broadly speaking, the film which is employed for toning or stippling in accordance with the present invention consists of a cellulose ester film containing a softener or plas tic-izer, to keep the same supple, in conjunction with a waterproof or waxy inherently adhesive but not gummy coating by means of which coating the film may be applied directly to the surface of a drawing, particularly to the areas which it is intended to cover with the desired design. The film and the said coating, however, are extremely 'thin, and by rolling the film into contact with the drawing to be stippled at the areas desiredfthe balance thereof may be removed from the surface of the drawing by a simple scraping operati0n,,without in any way discoloring or disfiguring the parts of the drawing that are to be left blank. 1 The film is prepared substantially as folows:

Any plain, strong paper is wetted and laid upon a smooth surface which is non-adherent, such as glass, metal, stone, or the like.

There is then applied to the paper a solution of dextrin, glycerol, soap, and vinegar, whereupon the'paper is allowed to dry. This will form on the paper a coating which is soluble in water but. which is readily receptive to ordinary printing or lithographing ink. The 'sheetof paper thus prepared is printed upon the coated side with a plurality of dots, straight lines, wavy lines, crisscross lines, or any other shading or toning indicia that it may be desired to produce.

It will thus be seen that the printing itself. (that 1s, the individual ink particles) is ly-v ingupon an inherently water-soluble foun dation. The printing is then allowed to dry. The printed sheet is thensprayed with a cellulose ester solution preferably made up from collodion in conjunction with an oil such as boiled linseed oil or castor oil. While this is being done, the margins or edges of the sheet may be given a much heavier coating of this cellulose ester solution, so as to form a reinforcement or frame. After the cellulose ester layer is dry, there is applied on top of thecellulose ester layer a coating 'of beeswax and parafiin, or the like. When this layer has 'set, it being applied hot, the finished article is laid, face down, upon a smooth support such as glass, metal, stone, or the like, whereupon the paper is wetted with water, which, penetrating through the paper, dissolves the soluble layer of dextrin.

glycerol, soap, and vinegar and causes the paper to let go ofthe cellulose ester film which carries the printed indicia on one side and the waxy coating on the other side. After the paper has been removed, the film is gently. washed with water while still on the rigid support and is then allowed to dry, whereupon it is lifted from the support and forms the finished article ofthe'present invention.

Referring to the figures, Figure 1 shows a layer 10 of paper upon which there has been applied the soluble layer 11, which is preferaply made according to the following formu a:

Dextrin (British gum) 1 part Glycerol part Soluble sodium soap lpart Vinegar 1 part Water q. s. to form a brushable or sprayable solution.

Upon this layer of Figure 1, there are shown small hemispherical marks which are intended to represent diagrammatically the printed indicia 12. This indicia, after dryand which imbeds the indicia therein. The collodion in this formula is the ordinary collodion of commerce which consists essentially of a low nitrogen (about 11.7 cellulose nitrate dissolved in a mixture of ether and alco-' hol. The lacquer is preferably commercial low viscosity pyroxylin lacquer of the type which has become known in the art as Duco lacquer. the entirely transparent type being used. The waxy layer 14 which is placed upon the pyroxylin layer is preferably composed of a mixture of bleached beeswax parts, paraflin wax 45 parts, rosin 5 parts,

although for most purposes equal parts of bleached beeswax and parafiin may be used,

omitting the rosin. If desired, the edges or margins of the sheets may be coated additionally with a rather heavy solution of the Duco lacquer alone, as these borders are merely for the purpose of producing a margin, by means of which the finished sheets may readily be handled.

Fig. 2 shows the finished article, consisting of the printing 12, the layer 13 of pyroxylin, and the layer 14 of wax, the printing being imbedded in the collodion-pyroxylin film.

Fig. 3 shows a drawing 15 upon which there has been laid the material shown in Fig. 2 after turning the same upside down, so that, counting from the bottom upward in Fig. 3, there will be the drawing 15, the waxy layer 14, the collodion-pyroxylin layer 13, and the printing 12 on top.

In Fig. 4 there is shown substantially a diamond-shaped object divided into four sections, in'which 16 is shown blank. Section 17 shows the appearance after the application of one of the films in the manner shown in Fig. 3 and provided with indicia consisting of evenly spaced rows of black dots. The area 18 shows compound stipples produced by superimposing two of the films so as to produce the beat efi'ect already mentioned.

It will be noticed that this presents the appearance of numerous hexagons with interior dashes and is quite ornamental. The area 19 shows another modification of design produced by superimposing two films of the nature of those shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and eventuates by merely shifting slightly the relationship between two such sheets. as it may seem, the ornamental areas shown in sections 18 and 19 are produced merely by imposition of two dotted films which in their ordinary plain form are as shown in section 17. By superimposing three or more sheets, highly complicated and very attractive geometric designs can be produced, and these may vary over the area of the drawing in accordance with the fancy of the artist.

It is obvious that the use of such thin film as comprised in the present invention opens an entirely new field for the rapid and economical stippling or toning of desired areas of drawings. So far as the inventor is aware, nothing of a similar nature has ever been employed in this art, as all the hitherto mentioned stippling means involved the physical transfer of the dots themselves to the drawing. It is very plain that this would not permit the production of geometric designs and would also involve the use of fresh printing ink, heat, or other inconvenient means for transferring the desired indicia to the paper of the drawing.

In employing the improved film which forms the subject matter of the present invention, the same is laid over the drawing Strange with the wax side I down, whereupon the same is covere with a sheet of aper or celluloid, or the like, followed by t e application of rolling pressure such as by the use of a squeegee ro ler or by means of a iece of bone, ivory, or even the palm of t is hand, the main object being to cause good adhesion between the waxy surface and the surface of the drawing.

From such areasas the stippling or toning is to be removed, the film is cut with a sharp knife around the periphery of the area to be freed therefrom, whereupon the film is lifted with the knife, and such parts as do not come away cleanly are scraped off with the knife. As there is nothing to wet the drawing and the wax comes away clean, the unshaded areas of the drawin remain white and clean.

The finished drawing with the stippling or toning in place may then beset up and photo'- graphed without the necessity of employing a half-tone screen and may thus be transformed into a negative from which the usual printing plates or line-cuts are produced by methods which form no part of the present invention but are well known in the photoengraving art.

The invention is, of course, not to be limited to the particular formulas given as any suitable water-solu'ble release material capable of accepting printing ink may be used. Applicant is aware of the fact that transfers of a similar nature have been made and used in the ast, as, for example, the transfer shown in atent No. 748,427 to Henry Sicard. However, this was for an entirely different purpose, namely, for the transfer of anactual picture to a canvas backing in order to produce the imitation of a painting. There is also nothing in the Sicard patent to show the use of the inherently adhesive waxy coating by means of which the film made in accordance with the present invention is applied to the surface of adrawing and yet remains removable therefrom with the greatest ease at such points where it is not desired. This, of course, is a very great advantage and enables an artist to tone or stipple a large drawing in an incredibly short space of time with the utmost accuracy.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional viewsimilar to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, drawn on an enormously large scale, so as to show the idea of the heavy reinforced edges; Fig. 6 being a plan view showing a substantially dotted sheet 21 with the edge 22 of relatively greater thickness.

It is, of course, obvious that the indicia, such as dots, lines, wavy lines, and the like may be printed in colors other than black, wherebyby suitable choice of CO1OIS-.V3.- rious areas of a drawing may be toned 0r shaded in color right upon the drawing whereby a drawing is produced whiclrwhen photographed through suitable color screens -may without further work by the artist be directly transformed into a number of colorprinting negatives and from these into printing plates.

In the formula given for the release material, the vinegar may be replaced by acetic acid, which, of course, is the main ingredient in this substance. WVhile collodion has been mentioned as forming. the basis for the film, it is obvious that cellulose esters and ethers, such ascellulose acetate, ethyl cellulose, or similar compounds forming a flexible film may be'employed with substantially the same results. In the claims hereinbelow, the term cellulose compound is intended to cover the cellulose esters as well as the cellulose ethers, their derivatives and modifications. The boiled linseed oil or castor oil may be replaced by other suppleness-inducing agents, such as plasticizers, and the broad term softening agent is used in the claims as a generic term for the boiled linseed oil, the castor oil, the

plasticizers, and Duco lacquer shown in this specific formula.

It is, of course, obvious that the inventor is not limited to the making of the film individually by hand, as it will be fully Within the scope and intent of the invention to coat the paper from a roll by a continuous process, to print thereon from a rotary printing press, to apply the collodion continuously by spraying. and to apply the wax while hot with the usual roller-coating equipment. Such expedients are entirely and wholly within the skill and ability of workers in this art, and hence it is not deemed necessary unduly to lengthen this specification and to multiply the drawings by showing obvious mechanical equivalents and expedients which would eventuate the production of the article which forms one of the objects of the present invention.

That it is desired to protect by Letters Patent is the following:

1. A film for toning drawings which comprises a thin cellulose ester support, a plurality of indicia on oneside thereof, and a waxy non-smudging adhesive on the other side.

2. A film for toning drawings which comprises a thin friable film of cellulose nitrate, a softener therefor, and a coating of beeswax and parafiin on one side, the other side of the film bearing toning or stippling indicia.

3. A film for toning drawings which comprises a thin friable film of cellulose nitrate and an oil, and a coating of beeswax and.

parafiin on one side, the other side of the film bearing toning or stippling indicia.

4. A film sheet for toning drawings comprising a border of flexible cellulose ester plastic and a central portion of thin friable cellulose ester plastic bearing printed indicia on one side, and a coating of a waterproof adhesive on the entire side of the sheet free from indicia.

5. An intermediate product for the production of atoning or stippling film which comprises a sheet of paper, a coating of a Water-soluble printing-ink-receptive coating thereon, printed indicia on said coating, a layer of a thin friable cellulose ester on said indicia and'a coating of wax on said cellulose ester coating.

6. The process of for toning drawings which comprises the steps of coating paper with a water-soluble printing-ink-receptive composition, printing on said composition, coating the printed matter with a solution of a cellulose ester, and after said solution has dried and formed a film coating said film with anadhesive.

7. The process of producing a film sheet producing a film sheet for toning drawings which comprises the from, removing the paper, and drying the 8. The process of preparing a tonin sheet for toning or stippling drawings whic comprises the steps of coating paper with a composition consisting of dextrin, glycerol, soap, acetic acid and water, drying the coating thus .produced, printing dots or other indicia thereon, coating the printing with a thin friable film comprising cellulose nitrate and an oil, coating said film with a mixture of beeswax and paraflin, and splitting the film from the paper by wetting the latter so as to dissolve the dextrin'composition, separating the film and drying the same.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

HARRY SAX.

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