Two coloured masked monoprints
Using positive and negative masks to create two coloured prints..and more…
Returning to my cartwheeling girl I began to create my two coloured prints using contrasting colours.
I still don’t understand why I get a blotchy effect on the paper, I thought originally it might be water or dust, even air, but I’ve been extra careful. I did notice with the red ink at one stage that the ink on the plate kept ‘popping open’ to reveal the glass behind. Am I using the wrong ink? I only have Caligo Safe Wash Relief Inks. Have I not rolled it out enough. Also I now realise that I need more than two rollers. So, in time for the next project I need to get more supplies in.
Back to my prints, not the best of alignment, I don’t think that its the registration of the paper, more the placement of the positive mask in the correct position on the plate that’s foxing me. It’s all a bit guesswork. In addition I have lots of white area but the negative mask appears very skinny in places as if it was cut separately from the stencil. Maybe the gap is to small to pick up the ink, does my image need to be larger? it’s currently on A4 paper size.
I have learnt from the middle image that stronger colours should be printed over the lighter colours for greater contrast.
This print has been lifted from the yellow and then the red plate after the mask has been removed, the way that the prints are misaligned give a sense of movement.
I had recently attended a day workshop with the theme of extracting Shape and Form in Art-Deco. With this in mind I went back to my sketchbook and drew basic shapes based on the cartwheeling girl.
Based on this sketch the plate has been inked with sweeping brush strokes as a background and then the masks added at the bottom. Lots of movement.
Bubble wrap as been added to give texture and the final print made with damp paper after the masks have been lifted. Of interest is the almost boat like shape in the middle, this is the image from a piece of tape that was used to repair a hole in the mask. Re-imagine, this is now a coastal scene with boats and windsurfers.
Still frustrated with the amount of ink that I was (wasn’t) picking up through the mask I made two larger masks.
Annoyingly funny! Not only are my masks out of alignment but my paper registration is miles out. Still time to play and I decided to back draw into the gaps in the mask on the 2nd print (R) and I like the resulting texture that is added to the print.
Continuing with the back drawing and some lovely brushwork for the background (secret ingredient – dip brush into fabric softener before dipping in the ink!) and at last, alignment is spot on. Yippee! 🙂
Oooops! now I could say this was deliberate misalignment, but it wasn’t, my registration is totally out but actually I think that it gives a great image of movement and energy with a multitude of unplanned shades of the colours used.
This print was looking great until I decided to have one more go and add another layer, unfortunately the plate was too wet, lesson here is ‘to know when to stop!’
Oh I’m having fun, messy and frustrating, but fun!
Here, I have taken my flower sketch and applied my masks to a background that’s had ink removed from the plate with bubble wrap and netting. After my initial positive and negative prints were lifted (3 centre flowers) extra detail was added by inking the mask and carefully placing it on the print. The result is a softer image. On the small flower, 4th from left, the ghosted over printing has added fine detail.
Now ready to finish I quickly made four back drawn prints from the remaining ink and plates. The flowers and girl have been drawn with a wide plastic clothes peg, I’m not sure about the flowers, too much ink or to dark! I do like the textured raggedness of the background around the girl. The upside down cartwheel fauna and flora was drawn blind with a knitting needle and the personal objects have been drawn with a glue spreader. For these last two prints I used very quick, quite fluid strokes. The tools look they are moving around the page and having a conversation.
Review project 3 – introducing two or more colours and my bad registration has allowed me to think about my choice of sketches and re-invent them to include movement and energy in my prints and rescue my work from frustrating disaster.
BILLYDOOPRINT1 