My way of doing things
There must be hundreds of different ways to create art through printmaking. They are all individual and personal to each printmaker. One hopes eventually, they all deliver you work you're reasonably happy with. More importantly, none of them are wrong.
Here's the way that's working best for me currently
Drawing
I really enjoy drawing! There’s something magical about being outside, armed with my knackered old folding chair, a few basic materials and a thermos. It’s a great way of spending time with other artists, working side by side in companionable silence or sharing thoughts and ideas. ​No agenda, no rules and crucially, no expectations.
Colour choice & inking up
Although I generally adopt a pretty intuitive approach, I may already have a palette in mind, possibly colours from a recent walk or photo I’ve taken. If not, then mixing colours is an important and time consuming part of the process.
I'll experiment with extender to find the right viscosity to control how thinning the ink allows the light through.
Mark making
As an abstract artist, mark making is my vocabulary. I use a variety of tools and found items both in my sketchbooks and on my plate. Using various brushes, sticks, rags and cleaning solution I remove and add ~ gradually finding my way. Then, eventually, I'm ready to print.
Printing
My favoured method is Monoprint or monotype, which means my plate goes through the press once only. This results in unique prints as individual as paintings. You will see when my works are titled and signed, they are also marked 1/1.
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Sometimes I'll make collographs or etchings which are methods of producing multiples and are then editioned and marked accordingly, but my first love will always be the 'one off' print
After the pull
Sometimes, a print will come off the press, and it'll feel complete. But most of the time I will continue working into the image.
I enjoy making my own collage paper, but I also have a library of printed and textured collage papers, sourced from anywhere I can find them. I also use a range of acrylic pens for line work and every now and then, to try and find the end point, I'll try gold leaf.
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Knowing when a piece is finished is a tough skill to master, and after more than 30 years, it still doesn't come easily.
