Abigail Trujillo Vázquez- Printing in 2.5D: Reproducing the Essence of Ancient Mexican Artwork

Reproducing the appearance of a work of art in a printed reproduction is not easy when it comes to inherently three-dimensional artwork. Since feather works are light-responsive and dynamic, they are difficult to reproduce in two-dimensional formats. The colour of feathers is accompanied by a high degree of shine and changes depending on the viewing and illumination angle due to the presence of structural coloration which gives a visual sensation not attainable when looking at painted or printed images.

In the context of printing, non-absorbing coloration based on so-called effect pigments is a recently developed alternative to colour mixing based on absorbing cyan, magenta, and yellow primary inks. Effect pigments are synthetic microscopic structures, usually iridescent flakes, that produce colour by interference. However, when these reflective particles are used in printing, many assumptions based on traditional inks no longer apply, such as the subtractive mixing model.

To improve the reproduction of appearance in 2.5D prints, Abigail’s research has explored ways to adapt printing applications to the physical and perceptual behaviour of effect pigments. These structural materials exhibit optical qualities similar to the iridescent multilayer reflectors found in nature, such as those found in beetles, and allow artists and scientists to approach colour rendering on a physical level.