CPS Freemium Printmaking v3

7/28/2019 CPS Freemium Printmaking v3

1/17

printmakingtechnique workshops

or mixed-media art

1 structure and color

ruth issett

2 oral renzy: combining

colors & monoprint techniquesruth issett

3 variations on a theme:

printing tissue papervirginia a. spiegel

4 roll out the

backgroundslinda calverley

presented bycloth paper scissors

1 2

3

4


2/17

if you love mark making and surface

design like we do here at Cloth PaPer

SCiSSorS, youll love what weve

pulled together for your printmaking

pleasure. Whether you like to use

printmaking as the focus of your art, or

just as an integral layer, these workshops

will offer you new techniques to try in

your next art session.

First up are two workshops by Ruth

Issett, that will walk you through the

process of printing with string, as well as

Printmaking Workshopsor Mixed-Media Art

presented byCloth Paper Scissors

editor Jenn Mason

assistant editor Barbara Delaney

creative services

division art director Larissa Davis

PhotograPher Larry SteinPj fm f p

pl u ly. Clothpaper SCiSSorS

pbl f y lbly fm ,

m, mk Bk,

ul p uuly, plly w

p l fm.

iw P LLc pm ppy

y p publ u f pl u

ly.

a great monoprinting technique using

a brayer as a no-waste printing tool. In

the next Workshop, Virginia Spiegel has

you set up a printmaking session with

hand-cut stamps and tissue paper that

will have you singing in your studio.Finally, Linda Calverley will have you

searching through your recycle bins with

her workshop full of fantastic ideas for

rolling stamps.

Use these techniques alone or partner

them with any one of the new

techniques we bring to you in each, and

every issue ofCloth PaPer SCiSSorS.

Jenn Mason

Editor

N e ed f r e sh i N s p i r a t i o N ? look inside

cloth paper scissors

Mixed-media stitch

Art journaling

Assemblage

Working with oundobjects

Surace designMetal working

Printmaking

Encaustic collage

Book making

Upcycled art

Available onnewsstands

worldwide andthroughsubscription.

where youll fnd ideas or:

Toll-free within the U.S. & Canada: 800.406.5283

International customers: 760.291.1519 (not toll-free)

Cloth PaPerSCiSSorSMagazine,

P.O. Box 469087, Escondido, CA 92046-9350

clothpaperscissors.com

4 Printmaking Technique Workshops for Mixed-media Artpresented by2


iw P LLc


3/17

many people who work with textiles, papers, and scissors nd it quitedicult to draw with a pencil in their hand. However, i you ask themto take a thread or piece o string and arrange it in the shape o an object, they

oten manage to produce a very passable drawing or design. Somehow a

pencil or stick inhibits their fuency when creating a condent line to represent

an image.

a fomCloth PaPer SCiSSorS

F 2006

byru i

materials

A piece o oam core board cutto a reasonable size or ease inhandling

Double-sided tape (Carpet tape willwork.)

A dark marking pen

Well-twisted string (It needs toeel rm between your ngers.Butcher string works well.)

Brayer or print roller (not the sotsponge variety)

White acrylic paint (Liquitex,Golden, or Rowney System 3brands work well.)

An assortment o smooth, white

papers: watercolor paper, whitetissue, tracing paper, and dierenthandmade Asian papers, such asLokta or ne silk papers

Sti plastic sheet or protected sheeto glass or rolling out the paint

A large sheet o paper or plastic toprotect your work surace

optional

Inks, diluted Procion MX dyes,

or extended acrylic color

When developing a new series o work

I oten create a printing block or

stamp. Making a string block is very

satisying: manipulating the string

into position on a board, developing

an elegant, powerul mark that gives

structure to the images printed.

The work included in this article

was stimulated by a study o winter

treesa bare hedgerow, just the

branches, tightly packed and

silhouetted against a cold gray sky,

or even against a dramatic sunset. In

winter, the twigs are so noticeable when

walking or driving. Gradually, as the

spring comes, they change color; new

bark appears in bright reds, yellows, lime

greens, dark burgundy, and oranges.

To record these images, rst you needto make your string block. Assemble the

materials listed and ollow the directions

below.

structureand color

Above let: Background paper inked andvarnished then roller-printed with whiteacrylic, inked with Procion MX dye. Furtherblock printing in yellow and orange and thensot pencil detailing were added.



iw P LLc


4/17

how to useprinting torecord theseimagesmaking yourstring block

Completely cover one side o the1.

board with the double-sided tape. It

is very sticky and will hold the string

in place when you are arranging your

design.

Position your design, laying the2.

string up and back down the same

line, creating a double line. Initially,

place the string lightly on the board

to arrange the design, then press

it into position once a pleasing

arrangement is achieved. The string

will twist in opposite directions

preventing it rom rolling o the

block when pressed by a brayer or

print roller. To create a strong, linear

design, let the string lay naturally in

a strong fuid line. It is important to

make sure that the string does notcross and avoid too many cut ends;

try to have one continuous line, as

much as possible.

Next take the brayer, rmly press3.

the string onto the block, and

then lightly coat the whole block

(including the string and double-

sided tape) with white acrylic paint.

Take care not to over-saturate the

string, as that will cause it to pull

String print blocks

Roller and block print in white on greenLokta paper, enhanced with dyes and acryliccolors.



iw P LLc


5/17

printingProtect your printing table with a1.

large sheet o paper and gather your

supplies.

Arrange your papers so that it is2.

easy to select them once you start

printing as ideas will come thick and

ast!

Squeeze out a generous blob o white3.

acrylic paint and roll the brayer in

the acrylic, evenly coating the whole

surace. This may be a little dicult

at rst, but do not press too hard. I

you press too hard, your brayer will

not turn smoothly, i at all.

Become amiliar with your brayer; do

not rush, enjoy the eeling o gently

coating it with acrylic.

Above: Images were roller- andblock-printed in white and theninked with Procion MX dye.

Let: Images were roller-printed

in shades o gray onto whitepaper and then block-printedin black.

away rom the double-sided tape. Use

the brayer to work the paint into the

string to ensure the string absorbs

the paint well. This helps to give the

block a strong absorbent surace.

Let the block dry beore printing as

this allows the string to tighten and

ensures the string stays attached to

the board.



iw P LLc


6/17

Careully roll the brayer, coated with4.

acrylic, across the surace o the

block. Leave an even coating on the

surace o the block; do not push

the acrylic down between the string.

Once the block is evenly coated,

quickly place it onto your chosen

paper, press down hard, and then

remove.

note: When working with white acrylicit may be dicult to distinguish the printedimage on a white paper so try a tintedcolor instead.

Repeat steps 14 and then apply the5.

block in another position to gradually

build up a repetitive image.

printing romthe brayerPrinting rom the brayer will broaden

the range o images available.

Evenly coat the brayer with acrylic1.

paint, making sure it is applied to the

whole surace. Press the brayer rmly

into the surace o the block and

gently roll it across, watching the

negative image being revealed on the

surace o the brayer.

Careully transer the brayer print2.

onto your paper by slowly and gently

running it across, not pressing too

hard, just rmly enough to allow

the acrylic to transer onto the paper

surace. But every rotation o the

brayer will remove a layer o acrylic,

inyourlife

PutMore

fromphototoART

QUILT

fabricdXb\fm\i

Threadsketchingmadeeasy

forenteringQUILTSHOWSt

ips

FROMMISTAKETOMASTERPIECEt

ips

p.46

p. 14

p. 28

800.406.5283 (U.S. & Canada)

760.291.1519 (International)quiltingarts.comQuilting Arts MAgAzine, P.O. Box 469087, Escondido, CA 92046-9350

Quilting Arts MAgAzine explores ideas, textiles, and techniquesrelated toembellished and contemporary art quilting. Inside,youll find design inspiration,step-by-stepdirections, gorgeousphotography, and

motivationfor developing your personal style,

at all skill levels.

so increase the pressure with each

rotation.

note: No two brayer images will be thesame. The brayer can be rolled acrossthe block a number o times or in dierentdirections. Sometimes the image will evenbecome distorted.

Allow the acrylic to dry and then3.paint over the image with inks,

diluted Procion MX dyes, or extended

acrylic color. Some o the white

acrylic will absorb the inked color

giving a tinted surace.

Finally, add additional drawing using

colored pencils or pens to give extra

emphasis.tipsFurther prints can be added using

other acrylic colors to build up thedesign ideas.

Try printing on colored papers,previously decorated papers withprinted or painted suraces, oreven onto collaged papers.



iw P LLc


7/17

loral renzys

ummertime oers so much inspiration or color. Gardens are ull oamazing combinations: suddenly blooms appear in unexpected hues

against lush oliage o citrus greens, olive greys, and deep red russets.

Somehow these riotous combinations should be recorded and stored or the

dark and dreary days o winter.


W 2006

byru i

combining color& monoprint techniques

materials

A collection o simple, bold, papershapes

A selection o papers or thebackground: tissue, watercolorpaper, smooth drawing paper,Lokta, cotton rag, etc.

Lino and cutting tools, such as an

X-Acto knie, or making stampsAcrylic paints

Glass with taped edges, or alaminate sheet, or spreading paint

Brayer or print roller

Water-based inks or dyes

Scissors

Graphite and/or colored pencils

note: O course, it would beeasier to use ready-made stampsto explore color combinations,

but making your own print blocksoers the opportunity to studyin detail the shapes and lines ofowers and oliage, adding to

your creative repertoire.

Stamps hand-carved out o linooer great detail.

Building on the Structure and Color

Workshop, let us examine how we

can use printing to record these color

combinations and develop ideas or

design, drawing, and collage projects

year-round.

Lokta paper, or Lama-Li, is cultivated

rom the Daphne bush that grows high

in the Himalayan mountain region o

Nepal. Tibetan reugees create the most

exquisite and versatile handmade lokta

papers on the planet. Lokta has our

deckled edges and is a very strong ber.

This bush completely regenerates in

about our years ater being cut to about

six inches rom the ground. Thereore,

the cultivation o this tree-ree paper

is an eco-riendly resource and a reliable

revenue stream or the village artisans o

Nepals rural and urban areas.

directionsBegin by drawing or collaging simple1.

fower and oliage shapes. Petals can

be oval, angular, rilly, and trumpet-shaped, with the leaves thin, at,

curved, and serrated. I drawing is

dicult, try tearing or cutting the

shapes rom dierent colored papers,

even dividing the leaves where



iw P LLc


8/17

the veins come. Make a collection

o these simple, bold shapes that

combine to build an interesting

arrangement.

Take a piece o stamp-printing2.

material such as lino and cut a

simple stamp. Choose a piece about4" 6", so it is easy to hold in your

hand and a good width to ink with a

brayer (roller).

Select some o the fower and lea3.

shapes and trace them directly onto

the surace o your stamp making

sure that the lines are clear and

strong, giving a fuid movement, and

that both the positive and negative

areas read well.

Gather a small selection o acrylic4.

colors such as lemon yellow,

cadmium yellow, scarlet, magenta,

cobalt and turquoise blue, and white.

Squeeze a good blob o color onto a

fat, shiny surace such as the piece

o glass or the laminated sheet. Using

a brush, paint the color onto your

stamp, making sure that the wholearea is evenly covered with acrylic.

Place your papers onto a pad o5.

newspaper and press the coated

stamp (block) onto the paper surace.

Remove the stamp and reveal the

reversed print. Print the stamp

repeatedly, altering the color by

adding dierent paint colors to create

secondary colors.

ragpaperThe symbol o quality is still a paperthat is made rom 100 percent cottonrags. At one time, rag meant cotton

taken exclusively rom cotton textileremnants. Now very ew cotton papersare made rom rags, either entirely orpartially. The dierence between truerag papers and cotton papers maderom linters is that the rags have longercotton bers and the weaving seems toadd strength. Today rag and cotton areterms that are virtually interchangeable.

Above: Simple block and brayer printing onpaper and on cotton muslin (calico), bothprinted rst then over-inked or -dyed.

Right: Various papers were glued together tocreate a varied surace, printed with shades oyellow and orange, inked with turquoise andmagenta ink, and urther enhanced with coloredpencil.



iw P LLc


9/17

Try printing the designs adjacent to6.

each other, overlaid and inverted, to

see what variety o images you can

create. It is interesting to try printing

on colored paper; try light blue paper

with dierent shades o yellows and

oranges mixed rom the yellows,

scarlet or magenta, and add a small

quantity o white.

note: It is easy to produce a number oprints very quickly, so it is worth preparing

your papers beore you have begunprinting. Gather together a variety odierent suracestissue, colored paper,as well as good, smooth drawing paper.Collage together a number o papers osimilar weight but dierent types: smoothcardstock, brown paper, and handmadeAsian papers such as Lokta or cottonrag. Once the glue has dried, print thepapers with your stamp and be preparedor variation in the prints because o thediering paper suraces.

Finally, print onto papers that you7.

have already colored with other

drawing media such as Shiva

Paintstiks, pre-inked papers, or

commercially printed papers such as

magazine photographs. (I using the

latter, you will have to obscure the

image with your stamp in order toavoid copyright inringement.) You

may even nd that when a print is

very wet a quick contact print can be

made by lightly pressing a ne paper

onto the wet acrylic.

Once your prints are dry, the real work

begins and everything comes alive.

over-ink it

Get together some transparent1.coloring media: Procion MX dye

(mixed as an ink, roughly 14 teaspoon

o dye powder to a cup o warm

water), Koh-I-Noor (water-based

inks that come in little solid pans) or

you can use commercial inks.

Wash these transparent colors over2.

your dry prints, making sure to color

all o the background and making a

vibrant contrast to the printed color.

Sometimes the ink will rest on the

acrylic color; i you dont like this

eect, wipe it away with a paper towel

while its still wet.

By inking with a vibrant contrasting

color, exciting compositions can be

created. Try painting dark color over

light prints such as purple over yellow

and orange or turquoise over scarlet.

Areas that have been printed with

additional white can become quite

luminous when inked with a contrasting

color.

take it urtherHaving printed and over-inked yourpapers, the next challenge is to urther

embellish, enhance, and enjoy.

This can be done in a number o ways.

Select areas o the printed papers1.

and begin to cut into them using a

crat knie or scissors. Cut around

the printed shapes leaving areas o

the inked paper as a contrast. Make a

collection o cut images leaves andfowers, even copying some shapes.

Spend time arranging the pieces2.

onto a dierent background, either

a contrasting color or a dierent

printed surace. Sometimes foral

prints look wonderul when displayed

on a geometric patterned background

or a patchwork o plain, colored

papers.

Cut larger areas o the prints and3.place them with areas o other prints

that you have on hand.

Arrange areas o complementary4.

solid-color papers to rame the fower

shapes, to give contrast, or to make

connections.

tipTry using a brayer or a dierentapplication. Shade the colorswhen rolling them, thus producingvariegated bands o color. Whileapplying the color with a brayer,try creating a reverse print othe brayer; this will oten result inwonderul distorted prints, weirdlyshaped fowers and leaves, as wellas negative linear patterns.

Drawing on this cotton rag paper was done withShiva Paintstiks, over-inked, and allowed to dry.Printing rom a stamp and a brayer were addedand, when dry, over-inked.



iw P LLc


10/17

drawingOnce the printing and gluing is nished

you may eel very happy with the pieces

you have produced.

However, it is still possible to urther

enhance your work with gentle and

sometimes subtle additions. Amazingly,

it is quite possible to add additionalgraphite or colored pencil to both the

acrylic printing and/or the background,

inked paper.

Select a sot pencil or graphite stick1.

and gently draw into the background

paper around the printed area,

shading and emphasising the printed

pattern. Let the shading become

darker in some areas, lighter in

others.

As you work, stand back and view2.

your work, gradually adding greater

emphasis in some areas. Take care

not to cover the whole print. Be

selective to yield variety and tonal

dierence.

Select some colored pencils that3.

are slightly darker or lighter than

the original print and start to draw

into the acrylic printing. Gently

rub the colored pencil across the

print surace, gradually building the

color. You may even nd that it is

exciting to add a small amount o

a contrasting color to your piece

bright lime green to a deep orange or

a sot salmon color to a bright yellow.

As you apply the pencil coloring

you will nd that the actual print

has dierent surace levels; a ridge

along the edge o the print gives a

dened line. Draw up to this line to

emphasize the color contrasts.

Finally, use the colored pencils to4.

enhance the dry, inked suraces

around the print, careully adding

detailed color between the printed

areas. Shade the colors, use

complementary colors, or add

dierent tones to the colored paper.

Use the pencils to create large slabs

o color or ne detailed lines.

Embellishing and enriching the print

and the inked surace can be very

absorbing and un.

These paper ideas can be enjoyed or

themselves or can be added to a design

portolio to build ideas or uture hand-

dyed and printed abrics.

resources

Specialty papers, inks, dyes, andstamp-carving supplies

artvango.co.uk

dickblick.com

Below: Printed with a PZ Kut block and a lea block created rom oamcore board and Funky Foam. Prints were cut, rearranged, and enhancedwith colored and graphite pencils.

Above: Printed, brayer-printed, and inked papers were cut, composed,and enhanced with additional papers and drawing.



iw P LLc


11/17

variationson a theme


M/a 2007

it is ubiquitous, inexpensive, and youve been using it orart projects rom the time you made stained glass inkindergarten. Yes, tissue paper is one art material we

can all aord and nd almost everywhere we shop.

Visit the right stores and you might even get it or ree.

There are many easy ways to transorm this humble

material into art paper that can add layers odepth and translucency to your artwork.

I nd the best way to ensure an

interesting and complex pattern on

tissue paper is to spread it out on a

plastic-covered foor or circle o tables

and make marks on the individual

sheets o tissue paper in a round-robin

ashion. Put on some music and think o

printing a symphony. Move rom sheet

to sheet while repeating motis and mark

making among the sheets; you want

both repetition and variation. But keep

in mind that its important to have some

plain areas as well as a place to rest your

eye in your collage.

printingtissue papermaking yourown stampsO course, you could use commercial

stamps to print your tissue paper, but its

really quite easy to make

your own. You can also

be sure your work will be

unique i you take a ewminutes to make

your own stamps.

makingprinting

blocks

On the positive side,

making a stamp by

carving pre-made printing

blocks with linoleum

carving tools really is

easy. I carve the block

reehand, but you can

draw your design on

the block with a pen

beore you begin. On

the negative side, it

is dicult to obtain

a good print with thebyv a. spl

11


iw P LLc

4 Printmaking Workshops for Mixed-media Artpresented by


12/17

4" 6" blocks I like to print. But since

Im building up layers o marks on the

tissue paper, I actually preer the less-

than-perect marks. I generally leave the

printing blocks unmounted so I can toss

them right into a dishpan o water to

soak as I nish using them.

moldablefoamstamps

I youre not ready to carve your own

blocks, an easier method is to use

moldable oam stamps. The basic

technique is to heat the oam block with

a heat gun until it is glossy and then

press the block onto 3-D objects such a

washers, match sticks, or nails. I have

discovered that you can make dierent

stamps on both the ront and back o the

block.

stampingSqueeze blobs o paint out on1.your palette. In order to have a

coordinating set o papers to use,

choose no more than 57 colors o

paint to use on one set o tissue

paper. Lay out 2 or 3 colors o paint

at a time on the palette, starting with

the lightest colors.

Take a 2" oam brush and drag it2.

through the edge o the lightest color

o paint you want to use. You want

the brush to be covered with paint

but not have big globs, so stroke the

brush a ew times on your palette (or

on a piece o paper or abric) beore

you begin.

Brush a very thin coat o paint on3.

your carved block or moldable oam

stamp. The advantage o using a oam

brush is that you can walk among

your papers and start a rhythm:

swipe the brush on the block, print,

swipe, and print. Pick up more paint

and continue. Move to the next sheet

o tissue paper and repeat. Since

you will be layering your marks,

keep printing with your stamp even

when only parts o it are covered in

paint and the layer o paint becomes

thinner. You will automaticallybe creating variation within the

repetition.

Dont worry about creating beautiul

compositions o color and pattern at this

stage; the printed tissue paper is only the

raw material or your later collages.

randommark making

As you nish stamping with each color

o paint, clean your brush by walking

around and randomly swiping the brush

or twisting it around on your tissue

papers. Make a variety o random marks.

You will be amazed at how much paint

remains in a oam brush.

Above: Patterning here was created using an

E-Z-Cut printing blockBelow: Stamps or this printing were createdwith moldable oam and vintage letter stamps.

materials

Tissue paper (I like Blick ArtTissue as it tends not to bleed, butI have used even the cheapest

brands with success.)Acrylic paint, such as CreatexAcrylic Colors

Foam brushes

Palette (such as a 12"-square sheeto Plexiglas)

Printing blocks

Linoleum block cutting tools (I likethe Speedball brand as it has manyinterchangeable blades.)

Moldable oam stamps

610 Thermoax screens o wordsand images

Markers (such as Sharpie orZig)

Heat gun



iw P LLc


13/17

I you work rom light to dark paints,you wont need to change brushes as you

will be cleaning the brush as you make

your random marks. Just pick up a new

paint color and continue with the stamp

you were using previously or start with a

new stamp.

Beore moving on to another technique,

its time to check your tissue paper. Are

there still open spaces on your tissue

paper? Good!

screenprintingThe easiest way to make screens or

screenprinting is to use a Thermoax

machine or to purchase the screens

rom a Thermoax printing service.

(Quilting arts magazine, Winter 2003,

has an article by Maggie Weiss on

working with the Thermoax

machine.) As with the paint you

choose or your tissue paper, you

want a coordinated suite o 610

screens with images and words related

to a topic.

I use a 3" oam brush or screenprinting

on tissue paper. I nd the normal

screenprinting squeegee applies too

much paint and doesnt give me enoughfexibility.

Run the oam brush through a blob1.

o paint on your palette and paint

once or twice on the palette (or scrap

paper or abric) to make sure the

layer o paint is thin and smooth.

Take your screen, lay it on a piece o2.

tissue paper, and, grasping the brush

very low on the handle, swipe it

over the screen. Two or 3 swipes willusually print the entire screen, but I

preer to print just bits and pieces o

each screen on each piece o tissue

paper.

I dont clean the screen or the brush

between colors, but try to work rom the

lightest colors o paint to the darkest.

When you are done with a screen, lay it

immediately in a small dishpan or sink

with a couple o inches o water in it.

You can then continue painting without

having to stop and clean your screens.

markersWriting always adds a layer o

inormation and mystery to a collage,

so sometime in the process o painting

I add a layer o writing using markers.I do this even i I have stamped or

screenprinted words previously

because, as in carving your own stamps,

handwriting adds a personal and unique

look to your artwork.

Start with a great big marker such as

a Super Sharpie, since we are thinking

big and swoopy in our actions here. I

like writing that can almost be read.

To achieve this, write quickly and

continuously, letting the marker fow

over the paper. Forget about being

concise and neat and dont worry about

the content.

Think about your topic and just start

writing; emphasize the downward loops

o the letters p and , the upward loops o

the letters d and b, and keep the letters

either very tight together or very ar

apart. Again, there is no need to strive

or a beautiul composition here; youare creating raw materials to use in your

collages.

Above let: Screenprinting on tissue with black and red.

Above right: Handwriting can personalize a piece. Allow it to fow across the page.

In this sample black script is over-written in the opposite direction with red.



iw P LLc


14/17

directionsCut a piece o mat board to1.

212" 31

2" or the ATC and 4" 6"

or the abric postcard.

Put a glob o Sobo Glue on a piece2.

o waxed paper. For an easy start to

Virginias abric postcard Tree, Wood, Paper.

materials

Mat board

Sobo Glue

1" inexpensive, natural bristlepaintbrush

Rotary cutter

Sel-sealing cutting mat

Paint or gold lea marker

Prepared tissue papers

resources

block printing tools and materials

speedballart.com800-898-7224

dickblick.com800-828-4548

Thermoax machine and supplies

welshproducts.com800-745-3255

ebay.com

your ATC or abric postcard, coat the

ront o the mat board completely

with glue using the 1" brush. Adhere

a large piece o your printed tissue

paper to cover the ront o the mat

board completely.

Smooth down the tissue paper3.

and then turn the mat board over

and, using the rotary cutter on the

sel-healing mat, trim the edges o

the tissue paper even with the mat

board.

Add additional layers o tissue paper4.

to the mat board by coating the back

o small pieces o tissue paper with

glue and placing them on top o the

previous layer.

Finish by using a paint or gold lea5.

marker to color the edges o the ATC

or abric postcard.

www.virginiaspiegel.com

artist trading card or fber art postcard



iw P LLc


15/17

materials

Recycled items to use as rollers:anything cylindrical (such as hardcardboard paper towel tubes ora plastic soda bottle) or wheelshaped (round with a fat edge)

Found objects to use as patternmakers, such as heavy lace, string,

or open-weave abricFun oam (unky oam), availablein sheets

Scissorslarge and small (Forsmall ddly bits, curvy nail scissorswork well.)

All-purpose adhesive such asUHU (It must be a strong glue,or the shapes will come o whenwashed.)

Crat knie

Pinking shears/decorative edge

crat scissors

Revolving punch pliers or dierentsize holes

Roller paintacrylic, poster, inkpads, etc.

Background paintsacrylic wash,watercolor, Brusho (pigmentpowder), dye solution, abricpaints, etc.

Paintbrushes and/or paint rollers

Paper and/or abric to print on

Tape or pins

Plastic to protect work surace

roll out thebackgroundsmake your own rollingstamps for paper and fabric

ihave been making fat stamps or some time, but the rolling ones are airlynew to me. It started when I bought a cheap set o tiny rolling stamps orchildren. I thought I might be able to alter them by xing my own designs on

them, but I admit I ailed. However, it did get my creative juices rolling, and

I came up with ideas using recycled items, bits and pieces rom my treasure

drawers (junk), and un oam. Be prepared to get your ngers dirty...and be

warned: it can become addictive.

directionsun oam

Measure the amount o oam you1.

will need by wrapping it around

your selected roller and marking

it. When measuring the width, be

sure to leave a space at each end o

the roller or your ngers. Measurethe circumerence and

cut. Double check to be

sure the oam ts the

roller beore doing

anything else, and

make adjustments as

necessary.

note: Fun oam is very easy to cut. Stripso un oam can be cut with pinking shears,a crat knie, or ancy crat scissors, andholes can be made with punch pliers.

Draw your design directly onto the2.

oam, or draw it on paper rst and

then copy it onto the oam. For a

repeating pattern the design will

need to matchat the same

place, top and



iw P LLc


16/17

ideas forrollers& patternsrollers: plastic bottles; denturetablet tubes; wine corks (rubberyones); thick, strong cardboard romrolls o tape; cylindrical polystyrene;containers rom gravy granulesand salt; empty thread spools; toyrolling pins; sponge crat rollerswith handles; spongy tube pipeinsulation; wooden dowels; tins;empty aerosol cans

patterns: lace and trim (the

thicker type works best), zippers,curtain heading tape, netting oundon the back o small ceramic tiles,patterned textured abric such asdish cloths, wallpaper, sinamaymesh or other open-weave abric,jute, cord, string, purchased oamshapes, knitting, doilies (crochetrather than paper)

bottom, where the ends meet. To

do this, old over the 2 ends or hold

the oam in place around the roller,

matching the edges together, and

mark the oam where the pattern

needs to join. Place a join in the

most suitable place. Some patterns

dont need to repeat, they look ne as

blocks o pattern.

Glue the oam to the roller, matching3.

where required. Allow to dry.

Cover your fat printing surace with4.

plastic, then tape your abric or paper

to it.

Using a brush, apply color to the5.

patterned area on the roller or just

to selected parts. (I your design is

large, a paint roller will give youmore even coverage or applying

paint.)

Start rolling at one end o your6.

abric or paper and work toward the

other end. Some o the rollers can

be used like a rolling pin. Most need

to be guided with your ngers, quite

rmly: with each hand, use your

index nger above, middle nger to

the side, and your thumb guiding

rom the back. I there is no space on

the edge or your ngers, you may

have to place them on the painted

area. It is quite messy and sometimes

nger marks are let in the painted

area, but these look like part o the

pattern when a topcoat o color is

applied. I the roller is hollow in the

center, you can guide it by inserting

your ngers there.

Ater rolling is completed, and the7.paint or ink has dried, a colored

wash can be applied over the top.

Alternatively you could start with a

colorwash beore you do any rolling

on o color.

For an all-over pattern, roll rom end8.

to end with the stripes o pattern

side by side until the

sheet (abric or

paper) is lled.

Most rollers can9.

be rinsed under

the tap ater use.

I it is a cardboard

roller, just wipe it

with a damp cloth.

textilepatterns

You can use lace, trims,

textured abrics, cord,

knitting samples, etc.,

or even embossed

wallpaper.

Look at the lace (or1.

other patterned material) to

determine how big the repeat is

and nd a roller that it will t. (I

not 1 repeat, try 2, 3, or 4 repeats.)

Wrap the lace around your selected2.

roller and mark where it should be

cut.

Cut it to size and recheck that it ts3.

beore gluing it to the chosen roller.

Use acrylic paint to make your rst4.print, and then let the roller dry with

the paint let on. Once dry, the paint

will act as a coating on the textile and

the roller can then be washed ater

the next use. This only works on a

non-porous roller.



iw P LLc


17/17

tipsAcrylic paints can be used with thestamps, but i youre printing onabric, use abric paint, silk paints,or dyes or the background colors.Acrylics can leave the abric quite

sti. Thickened dyes are anotheralternative.

I some areas dont print well,you can cut the best areas out orcollage, or disguise the bad bitswith more stamping on top.

The paint will last longer on thebigger rollers as they cover a largerarea. The paint will become lighterthe arther you roll, but there aresome nice eects when the paint is

quite light. Apply more paint to theroller i it becomes too aint, even iits halway across the page.

Experiment on scrap paper to checkthe amount o paint required or

your chosen roller and eect. Addwater to the paint as required; itmay need to be a little runnier orabric.

Build up layers o pattern by usingone roller on top o another aterallowing the rst one to dry.

I you really dont want to get painton your ngers, make all yourrollers using kids crat rollers withhandles. Remove the sponge andreplace it with un oam, buildingup the layers to make it atter andrmer, but dont overlap the oam.Decorative paint rollers, wallpaperseam rollers, or lint rollers couldalso be an option, although Ihavent tried theseyet. Or, justwear gloves when you paint.

Some o the rollers leave a betterimpression than others. Forinstance, a pattern made in unoam using punch pliers can createa pattern that looks more like lacethan real lace.

Some rollers will last longer thanothers. Use them as long aspossible and then discard.

I you want a section withoutpatterning, mask the area withpaper beore rolling.

Roll some patterns with a deeppaint color, allow them to dry, andthen scan them into the computer.They make wonderul backgroundsor your digital work.

note: Knitting becomes soggy whenwashed and takes too long to dry, so itsbetter to leave the paint to dry on the rollerater each use.

wine bottle corksCorks can be cut (careully) with a crat

knie. Simple marks can make a nice

pattern. A simple, long, thin triangle

rom the edge is an example.

Rolling a pattern with a cork is time

consuming as the cork is small

so you will have to roll it many times.

Also, corks cannot hold a lot o paint

so you will probably have to apply

paint or every roll.

I you want a bigger roller, glue unky

oam onto the cork. Let the edges o the

ends meet, but dont overlap them. (I

used this system on an old crat sponge

roller: I removed the sponge and glued

un oam in its place. I used 2 layers o

oam plus a layer with a oam pattern

3 layers in

total.)

spongy tubepipe insulationThis is really easy to cut with a crat

knie and it is easy to use.

Draw your design on the tube with a1.

marker.

Careully carve out the pattern areas2.

with a crat knie.

Apply paint and roll as above. These3.

tubes can be rinsed under tap water

ater use.

linsart.co.uk

4 Printmaking Technique Workshops for Mixed-media Artpresented by clothpaperscissors.com

CPS Freemium Printmaking v3

Documents

Transcript of CPS Freemium Printmaking v3