This is a pre-scheduled post until I can get back online. I sincerely apologize for not visiting, but I lost my video card and learned there is no card, because it is now on the motherboard. That means I must buy a new computer, which I fear wiil need to wait till after the holidays have passed. So forgive me if I don't visiit. I simply won't have access to a computer or the Internet for awhile. I have scheduled this and my Tea Tuesday post. Other than that, you will not hear from me again until I can get back online.
A couple of weeks ago I created a half-baked
tutorial on monoprinting, but unfortunately, left out many of the steps I took to create the pieces. At that time, I used fabric, but it's the same technique whether you use fabric or paper.
Unlike my previous post which didn't include masks, this time I began by stamping two masks, cutting them slightly smaller than the stamps, and adding Wacky Tac, which is my favorite repositionable glue, to the reverse side. Once the masks were dry, I gathered the remainder of the materials I needed to monoprint the front side of the tip-in.
Materials (clockwise from far back):
Large envelope to cover the wet paint
Staz-on ink
Clear acrylic block
Two brayers, one rubber for spreading the paint on the plate, one of your choice that will remain clean
Clear acrylic stamping plate (if using glass, be sure to cover sharp edges and corners)
Masks
Two pieces of paper cut to size
Rubber stamp of your choice
Low tack tape
Several jars of fluid acrylic (I used blue and silver in my art) or paint of your choice
I began by placing a sheet of watercolor paper cut to size under the acrylic plate. I then laid down two pieces of low tack tape as registration lines. Once the paint is on the plate, it will be impossible to see where the paint should go, so it is often best to have some guidelines for the paint. That way, it doesn't spread out willy-nilly over the plate. Be aware, even though it's difficult to see at this point,
the paper is under the plate.
Using Staz-on, or a similar solvent based ink, stamp your design on the page.
I specifically stamped the masks a different color, so you could see what was a mask and what was the actual stamped image. I adhered the masks after the Wacky Tak had dried.
Again, it's a bit difficult to see what is going on, but I have now added a bit of blue paint to the plate, which I intend to spread around with my brayer. The sheet of watercolor paper is still under the acrylic plate and will stay there throughout the process. There will never be any paint applied to this piece because it is just a registration guideline showing where the printable paper should go.
I started with the dark blue acrylic,
then added the silver on the plate and mixed the two using my brayer.
I created a few squiggles in the paint using one of the squeegee tools. I also made indentations in the paint using the plastic circle I have grown so fond of.
I then laid my paper on the plate, aligning it to the registration marks I made using the tape.
After the paper was in place, I laid the envelope over the paper and began to press and make the monoprint.
What surprised me after I had printed the monoprint and removed the envelope, was how nice and neat the back side stayed. No mess at all!
Unfortunately, I think I allowed the paint to dry too much, because I barely got any paint on the print. Yes, one of the masks remained on the plate when I removed the print.
Hmmm! Could have been better, but I'm not too disappointed.
Next I decided to add more paint to the plate without removing the previous paint.
I know now that I probably should have cleaned the plate before I added more paint, but I was anxious to try another technique and this one had me waiting for the paint to dry overnight.
Of course, I felt I had to leave a mark in the paint with my rubber stamp. Little did I realize this stamp would not be visible in the end.
After the paint had dried on the plate overnight, I cut a piece of clear book cover. Now I should know better than to use this stuff because it is so old that most of its "stickiness" was lost years ago. But of course I forgot and jumped in running full speed ahead.
I carefully removed the backing from the book covering, as
you can see in the photo. The sticky covering is now attempting to stick to the dried paint. This is when it was good to have those registration lines on the plate.
This technique might have worked had I used a clear covering that actually stuck to something. As it was, I got marginal coverage and limited success, even after returning the cover to the plate and pressing into the paint again and again.
To compensate for this failure, I spread embossing powder all over the sticky side of the covering and heated away.
Two sides, two attempts at different monoprints. Two times the mess. Two times these could have been better. Two times I learned and documented what I did wrong and what I did right.
The final sticky piece, which was no longer sticky, was glued to part of a map, one that my friend Halle sent me. The irony of this was this color tip-in is for
Halle. Can you guess the color of her tip-ins?
I actually tried to utilize all the aspects of the challenge with this quiltlet. Something old: background fabric I overdyed using Staz-on reinkers. Something new: fabric I purchased or received from a friend, who I ended up making this quiltlet for. Something borrowed: the technique, which I hope to show in a tutorial right after the first of the year. Something blue: do I actually have to explain that one?
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