stencil print

I had been hearing about the Xcut X-Press craft machine from Annie Day and the Printmaking sisters in Australia. They use this small embossing craft machine to make beautiful waterless lithography prints, etching prints and lino cut prints.

I know I prefer the immediacy of monoprinting with the gelatin plate. I really like the non-toxic water based inks that I use, but I still wanted to check out this small, inexpensive “printing press.”

And I am glad that I did. For about $130.00 I now have a little press for making experimental prints. I have tried printing:

• foam core intaglio etching
• foam relief plate
• paper stencil
• used Akua intaglio ink
• tried water soluble pastels
• water based speedball block printing inks

I am going to play around with some collagraph plates. And see what happens.

The tree print above was made from a cut paper card that I found at Extras for Creative Reuse, the local recycling center for artists, teachers and other creative people.

I inked the delicate paper card with speedball block printing ink and ran is through my new little press. I was happy with the print on the right, even though the ink coverage was a little uneven. The card is delicate and will probably not last too long, but I liked figuring out how to use the “tools” and water based inks that I have around.

This is a quick print that I did with an etched foam core plate. I made this at the Book Arts course at USM last summer. It is a piece or foam core coated with gloss medium. Then you just draw into it with and etching needle, you can pull off the first layer of paper as well.

The plate is pretty worn, but I was happy with the quick prints that I made on rice paper and masa paper. I used Akua intaglio inks for that process.

Happy Printing!

If you are a cat lover, then you could turn a photo of your cat into a stencil. Look for a photo that has interesting shapes and strong negative spaces.

I don’t have a cat or many personal photos of cats, so I went to a copyright free source online Pixabay. I looked for some interesting cat silhouettes. Then I tweaked a drawing of a profile image of a cat.

Be careful to keep the lines and angles that express the attitude of your animal.

Then I printed a few quick impressions on some gelatin prints. I hope to make some ornaments for an upcoming sale.

If you would like a stencil making tutorial sign  up below and get the FREE origami box and Joy stencil tutorial.

Today I modified a stencil that I used a few years ago. I reduced the size and tweaked the shape to fit on the circular wooden ornament.

I am using the traditional “hole” stencil, so I had to build a bridge to the space between the arm and the face. Usually you want to build bridges in a place that is a natural break in the design.

I printed several impressions of the angel on some gelatin prints. And they printed up quite nicely. My first one was a bit heavy handed with the paint, so the edges were a bit jagged.

I think that I will paint and texturize some of the wooden discs and stencil print directly on them with the angel. It is a bit easier that way.

Want the FREE tutorial to make the JOY ornament? Sign up below and I will send you the link.

Today day is day 18 of my 30 day challenge to #SEEdrawPrint. I did not see any reindeer flying over head, but I like the magic of the holiday season, so I searched for some inspiration.

I did some sketches and transferred the shaped silhouette to a manilla folder. I cut out the “hole” stencil and the masking stencil. That way I can use both pieces to create some holiday cards. I will use the cut out masking stencil with the gelatin plate.

When cutting stencils always use a fresh sharp blade and cut out the tiny details first. Cutting stencils is not as hard as it may seem and it allows you to make one of a kind personal images.

I like the texture and colors of the gelatin plate monotype background that I chose for the print above. I gathered 4 or 5 printed papers and added the reindeer silhouette. This way I can see what colors and textures to use for a future set of prints.

Do you have a few background papers that you could add a stenciled image to and create some cards or prints?

Today screen printing was a challenge. The images were not printing clearly, so after lots of trial and error I learned that a check list of factors would be helpful. So factors that can affect a hand pulled impressions:

• condition of the screen
• printing surface
• consistency of the ink
• type of ink
• room temperature
• type of squeegee
• type of paper or fabric that I am printing on

Most of the time the screen printing process is smooth, but if you run into troubles go through the check list above and see if you can isolate the factor that is creating the problem.

If you want some support in learning to screen print, join the next session of Pulling Screen Prints, the online printmaking class. Register now. Read the details here.

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