Printmaking Process

 

The images are found as I drive the back roads or take a short walk into an area. A quick small sketch is made with notes of the various colors. This becomes my reference when I create the print.

 

The monotypes are unique, one of a kind prints, which are created using three layers of ink. Printmaking is a transfer process where the pressure of the press transfers the ink from the plate onto the paper.

 

I first make a value collage using pieces of black, dark gray, and light gray paper. The purpose is to establish the size and location of the major areas of the image. Next a drawing is made on paper from the sketch to define the shapes in a rectangle which matches the size of the acrylic plates. The printmaking process reverses what is on the right on the plate to the left on the paper. To overcome this effect the drawing is placed on a light table and the shapes are redrawn in reverse. This is the side I use going forward.

 

Finally choosing from many swatches of color I plan the color palette starting with the background tint. Now I mix the inks to create the desired colors. The background color is rolled on to the first acrylic plate. The Rives BFK paper is soaked, blotted, and then placed on top of this plate and printed.

 

Next the reversed drawing is placed under the second plate to direct the location and shapes of the inks that are being are brushed and rolled to establish large areas of the image. And then printed again. Additional layers are then developed on a third plate and printed to create the detail in the final work.

 

The print is then pinned to the wall and evaluated. In response the colors and the drawing will be modified. A second print is then made. More changes are made as a third and fourth print are created. Thus each print is unique.