Diy: Slow Relief Printmaking
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
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Guest Tutorial yesteryear Ruth Bleakley
Bookbinding & Graphic Arts
www.RuthBleakley.com
This slow (I promise!) printmaking tutorial is a groovy agency to role upwards styrofoam meat trays that yous are in all probability hoarding (or perchance that's exactly me...) too it would also survive a fun arts and crafts for kids, equally long equally yous did it outside. It's essential that yous larn water-based block printing ink (it costs close $3 a tube) - otherwise this tutorial goes from an "easy" to "the-reason-why-I-never-majored-in-Printmaking" tutorial because the cleanup is much to a greater extent than hard for oil-based printmaking ink - that existence said, if that's what yous receive got on hand, larn for it - actually, if that's what yous receive got on hand, yous are in all probability somewhat beyond styrofoam tray printing anyway!
There are some specific tools I recommend below, because they brand the procedure a breeze - total toll if yous purchase them all - ii brayers (rollers) summation block printing ink- is in all probability some $30, too you'll survive able to role them for many hereafter projects! I give some substitutions though.
Tools too Materials:
• 2 styrofoam meat/produce trays
• 1 pencil or pen
(used for rolling on the ink, substitute a mini foam roller from the hardware store)
• hard safe or acrylic brayer
(used to printing the plate, yous tin flame also role a rolling pin)
• kraft paper
Directions
1. Cut the edges off of your styrofoam trays, then yous receive got a apartment rectangular sail of foam that I'll refer to equally the "plate".
2. Using a ho-hum pencil, or a retracted ballpoint pen, blueprint your plate. AS IF BY MAGIC, the areas where yous force downward amongst your pencil are the parts that won't receive got ink on them. The to a greater extent than yous force down, the less probable they'll impress amongst ink. I made parts of my impress form of stripy yesteryear inscribing vertical lines, yous tin flame play amongst dissimilar types of lines for texture. It's called a Releif impress because the ink adheres to the parts of the plate that haven't been inscribed.
3. Using the instant meat tray, crush a blueberry-sized blob of ink on the tray, too curl your brayer (fancy give-and-take for roller) over it back too forth until the roller is evenly coated. If you're using a safe roller, you're looking for the ink to receive got a texture on the tray similar to an orangish peel, too when yous curl your brayer, it'll brand a sticking dissonance that sounds similar fierce paper - that's how yous know yous don't receive got TOO much ink on the roller.
4. Apply a recollect layer of ink all over the blueprint side of your plate.
Related:
5. Print a examination impress on some fleck paper - house the plate pigment side downward onto the paper - don't movement it. Roll the dorsum of your plate amongst the instant build clean brayer, or a rolling pin. Carefully elevator upwards the corner, exactly to banking firm jibe too come across if it's printing correct (this is form of similar a giant safe stamp, right?). If yous come across areas that receive got pigment inward them that yous meant to survive white, yous tin flame launder off your plate inward the sink too role your pencil to larn over the areas that request to survive squished downward more.
6. To gain your in conclusion print, if you're doing a pattern similar I did, lay downward some paper too merely tile your plate on a big sail of Kraft paper yesteryear putting the prints correct side yesteryear side to each other - Use waxed paper on summit of your plate to proceed your brayer or rolling pivot from rolling onto the moisture prints yous exactly made.
Kraft paper is groovy for printing on because it absorbs ink then readily. It's non then groovy for archival artwork , since it's commonly non acid complimentary but printed kraft paper would brand a lovely poster or gift wrap!
Here's a takeaway hint - if yous recollect your plate looks a trivial funky (and it might, it's form of hard to larn fine details on styrofoam using a pencil) arrive into a pattern yesteryear printing it a bunch of times! you'll survive impressed when yous come across how a pattern transforms the master copy blueprint into something genuinely cool!
If yous endeavor this out, link to it inward the comments, I'd honey to see! Also if yous receive got whatever questions allow me know.
-- Bookbinding & Graphic Arts
www.RuthBleakley.com
