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Basic Technique
Place the acrylic board over a sheet
of bond paper (so you know what size your palette is).
Dab or swirl 2 or 3 colors of pigment ink on the acrylic board
in a random pattern.
Take a cosmetic sponge (one for each color on your palette) and
spread (dab) the pigment inks over the surface of the board (covering
an area that is the size of the bond paper underneath) so you
have a thin layer of ink covering the entire surface. Your
ink should be thick enough so that white areas do not show through
but not too thick to appear "gloppy". The design
you create with the inks on the board is part of the fun of this
process.
Once your palette is covered with your ink design, you can use
rubber stamps (bold line or solid stamps work best) or "combing"
tools to create patterns in the ink. If you use rubber
stamps, stamp your image once with a slight twisting motion in
the ink, and then stamp off on a clean sheet of bond paper.
Repeat this step until you have the pattern you want in the ink.
Note: if you do not stamp off the ink each time you stamp
an image, you will not get a clear impression the next time and
you will smear your inks together on the palette.
You can use your "stamped off" paper in your final
project or make a matching envelope out of it, etc. If
you use "combing" tools to create your pattern, your
finished sheet will have the appearance of handmade paste paper.
Lay a sheet of bond paper (any color) onto the inked board and
brayer across the back of the entire paper several times.
If you do not want the back of your paper dirtied, then lay a
second sheet of bond paper on top of the first and brayer over
the top sheet. Peel your paper off the board and look to
see what you have!
Repeat step 5 with another sheet of bond paper to get a slightly
lighter version of your first print. If you have originally
applied the inks in a thin layer, you should be able to get three
prints off of one inking. By using different colors of
bond paper for each print, your prints all end up being different.
(In fact, the color of bond paper you print on can change the
whole look of your print in my opinion).
When ready to make another set of papers, just start with step
2 and repeat the process. You do not need to clean your
board between inkings as there is not enough ink left on it to
interfere with your new colors. When you're done, you can
clean your board with water or baby wipes.
Once you have the basic process established, you can get more
creative… try sprinkling Powdered Pearls, Pearl Ex or Faerie Dust onto your palette in step 3
to add shimmer to your final print. I also like to sprinkle
embossing powder on my first print and heat set it to add some
texture. The ink is still wet enough on the first print
after step 6 for the powder to adhere to it. You can also try
printing onto heavier weight paper and/or even textured paper
(if I use textured paper, I usually don't create a pattern with
the stamps or "combs" as the texture provides enough
pattern in my opinion).
Note: the papers that come out of this process are very
dramatic…don't be surprised if your initial reaction is
"Yuck!!" (I know mine was!). Just remember, you
will be using just a small portion of the paper in your final
composition and that really makes a difference.
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Sample on bright yellow paper. |
Sample on buff colored paper. |
Sample of "combed print". |
Sample on tan colored paper. |
Sample on white paper. |
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