For the last couple of days I’ve been playing with this design. I started with the following poorly defined ghost prints using leftover ink straight from backdrawn plates:

I then used a mask of the Buddha and the elephant to give some definition to the background in ultramarine blue:

Then, after they had dried sufficiently, I added a backdrawn outline using yellow mixed with a tad of ultramarine blue oil based ink:

I’m hesitant to add more layers to these as I risk spoiling them. But I think they could benefit from “sweetening up” using a bit of pink or lavender colour. It would help to bring out the green.

I’m running out of time. This first assignment is due to be posted on Thursday (day after tomorrow!) Though I can’t risk spoiling it, I can’t really send them as is either. Perhaps I shall test out my theory on the weakest version first to see what occurs.

Thinking about it, I feel I could have enjoyed this Part 1 of Printmaking 1 more if I’d been less precious about trying to get a perfect print. I intend to enjoy Part 2 more as it involves linocut, which is far less hit and miss than monoprinting. I’ve just placed an order for some assorted A3 coloured paper. I may do more experiments with monoprinting using these in conjunction with (or at least alongside) working through Part 2.

Today’s Printmaking session started off a bit rubbish, but went on to improve somewhat. I seem to be relearning what I’ve already learned – remembering to leave plenty white space, for example – as initially today’s prints were ill-defined at best.

In the above prints I returned to the technique of brushing the ink onto the plate (glass) but this time I used dampened paper to get as much of the ink as possible from the plate and onto the paper. Here I have used smooth Zerkal 120gsm paper and a textured Fabriano paper 250gsm.

I decided that the black background was far too heavy and opted for the lighter terracotta colour instead. But here I wish I’d left some white areas on the elephant so that it could be more easily recognized as such, rather than a peanut butter coloured splodge.

I had a break and returned, determined to pull something of value out of the morning’s work. The following prints were done on A3 photocopier paper. My intention was to produce masks from photocopies of my initial sketch:

These copies I placed onto the back of the A3 copier paper as it sat on the lightly ink rolled plate and I have then drawn onto the photocopy to produce backdrawn outlines of the design:

These I intend to build upon using layers and by masking areas using cutouts from the photocopies of my sketch.

Manyana.

I’ve spent the past couple of weeks attempting to build up print layers on multiple prints of the same image of a violin – apart from a slight deviation to play with the face of the Buddha which, as it’s a negative mask using white ink, is only really effective on black or coloured paper).

It has been a frustrating time as I’ve tried to perfect a spot free image each time. I used A3 photocopier paper as it was plentiful – having bought it at a car boot sale at a greatly reduced price. I had begun this part of the Printmaking Unit thinking to vary my paper more widely, as is suggested in the course text. However, I have had such patchy results that I abandoned this approach in Part 1 Project 1.

Yesterday I returned to part 1 and, using oil based ink, I was able to achieve the following images by first dampening the paper (Zerkal and cartridge) by soaking it for 10 minutes or so before printing on it. I had thought that this method would only be necessary for producing intaglio prints. I feel it’s useful for Monoprinting too if you are using oil based ink. If I had still been using water based ink, this would have been inadvisable, of course.

In the past week I gradually accumulated enough prints on which to experiment with second and third layers, allowing for “wastage” of those that may not make the grade.

Today I built up a third layer onto some of these prints in an attempt to create interesting textured effects

Above are a mix of monoprints using oil based ink on A3 photocopier paper. Methods include back drawing, the use of masks and bubble wrap to form impressions onto the inked plate before taking a print.

Tomorrow I shall do more of the same, using different colours and different objects for added texture.

I set out today to add texture to yesterday’s prints using white ink. It then occurred to me that I could print using white ink onto other coloured paper, as well as black paper, and aged sheet music.

Firstly, I thought it was time to cut out a new violin mask (as well as design a new mask, using a different personal object, to use in conjunction with, as well as seperately to, the violin mask).

I particularly like the white ink on black paper. The ghost print beside it unfortunately included a couple of spots. I may use these spotted prints for mixed media pieces at another time.

I think I can afford to go a bit darker on the sheet music print. I’ll wait until the mask dries and cut out the “f” holes. Or, I could use a seperate copy of my violin design and cut out just the “f” holes in order to best place them in a seperate colour on any future prints in this series.

I set out today with the following objectives, not all of which came to fruition.

Create multi-layered monoprints achieving diverse effects using textures, masks, and back drawing.

Complete blog post from yesterday by adding references.

Note todays successes as well as the “failures”.

Despite writing this list before starting the actual printing this morning, I blundered through a series of printmaking efforts with no real sense of what I was doing or why. Headless chicken mode has pretty much prevailed since starting Printmaking 1. The blame for this I had been placing squarely at the door of the fact that I had been awaiting the results of my first module (Drawing skills) and still did not know whether it was resolved and safely beyond the risk of necessitating resubmission.

However, having received my grade and been content with a mark of 60, it was difficult to switch off this hypervigilant part of my brain and really commit to Printmaking 1.

Excuses excuses.

The photograph above depicts my best efforts of this morning. The rest are either “also-rans” or in need of further layers.

Here they are as follows:

I think the last three prints in green were a bit of a mistake. I failed to follow my own advice and to use colours that rub shoulders on the colour wheel rather than so-called “complementary” colours which are opposite.

I think perhaps the above can yet be rescued as outcomes with the addition of a third colour. I need to think carefully about which colour to use. In fact, I need a complete colour-strategy rethink.

I also need to revisit the first item on the list – “Create multi-layered monoprints achieving diverse effects using textures, masks, and back drawing.” – and complete some fun experiments.

I think the above print is my favourite so far. I like the way the red does not dominate here. It is more complementary to the other colours than those prints I pulled yesterday. I chose to use red again as I had a couple of earlier printed layers using yellow and wanted to use a colour closer on the colour wheel rather than opposites. I attempted to add some texture by impressing ribble board into the ink before taking this print. The effect maybe a little too subtle to see in this photograph.

The following, though not quite so successful, has some interesting texture. This is a ghost print. I had already taken two prints from this inked plate before removing the violin shaped mask so that it revealed a greater density of colour beneath the mask. Again, the red is rather dominant. But I plan to reduce this effect using white ink and random objects such as lace, bubble wrap and feathers as masks.

Later I will amass a few more base prints upon which I shall experiment also using objects found around the house.

I have continued to use oil based ink since finding it easier to work with due to drying times. But I also prefer it because it gives a better finish to the print. Rather than soaking in like paint, the oil based ink appears to sit nicely on the surface of the paper.