Collagraph Printmaking with Scrap Mat Board and Construction Paper – Morocco
Here is another scrap mat board and construction paper collagraph print, using the same methods I posted in previous printmaking posts (like this one here). There are some step by step process photos to help you build a collagraph plate below.
The reference photo for this collagraph print was taken with a cell phone in a suburb of Los Angeles – at the Brand Library in Glendale. The white, keyhole-shaped Moroccan architecture of the building stands out against the dark oak tree and scrub hillside it’s nestled against. I hope you get a chance to visit there.

Construction Paper on Collagraph Plates
The substrate of this collagraph plate is a scrap piece of mat board. You may be able to get sheets of this material from the recycling bin at frame shops, or you can order a packet of it from amazon – like this.
In the photo above, I’m cutting and adhering kid-grade construction paper (this stuff) in layers with Liquitex High Gloss Varnish on the scrap mat board.
The construction paper will dry hard and glossy on the mat board, making the whole plate feel like plastic, which facilitates the inking and wiping steps. Coating the entire plate, front, back and edges, with the Gloss Varnish will also make it tough enough to withstand the pressure of the press.


Printing the Collagraph Intaglio or Relief Style
Once the gloss medium on the plate is dry, it can be inked with intaglio printmaking ink and wiped. That process leaves traces of ink along all the curbs of cut out construction paper. Ink also rests inside any line work incised with an exacto (the pattern on the floor, etc.).
The pressure of the press will push soaked and blotted printmaking paper (Strathmore makes a good paper for this type of print) into those recessed areas to pull up the ink (see below).


Intaglio Collagraph with Construction Paper
The inked plate is laid face up on the press bed, and a soaked and blotted sheet of printmaking paper is laid on top of the inked plate. That paper will get pushed hard into all the little crevices and curbs of the plate, picking up the ink that’s left in the recessed areas.
Then, you’ll get to re-ink the plate, and make an edition of 10 (or more) of these prints. But wait – there’s more! You can also paint each print, any way you’d like. How fun is that? (Yes, I thought so too.) 🙂
Are you ready to try some collagraph printmaking? Do it. Grab some art supplies, and make something.
Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next post –
Belinda


Art Quote
I’ve been looking at what I painted last winter & the previous summer & they have made me very sad – I actually suffer when I look at them. They are so far from what I thought they were – poor & thin, labored & bad. Nothing I have begun shows yet the slightest promise & there are such a lot of them lying about my room. It is notably a chamber of horrible stupidities…
Dennis Miller Bunker 1889
Great post! The carborundum aquatint is a nice touch. Does this require an etching press to print? Is it possible to print with a baren, wooden spoon, or a block printing lever press?
Hi Ben, Thanks for the feedback. An etching press would give the best results with this, but you can simulate the pressure of an etching press with a craft stenciling or embossing machine. See Colin Blanchard’s post about this: https://www.colinblanchard.com/blog/further-thoughts-on-the-big-shot-pro It’s a smaller footprint and much lower cost than an etching press. Barring that, it might be worth the time to make an experimental collagraph plate with mat board, construction paper and various layers of carborundum in a grid to ink and print on your lever-press. It could work, especially if you “lift” your plate with an extra layer or two of matboard cut to the same size as your collagraph.
Super image, and sad quote. It’s awful for an artist to feel that way.
Love your work.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoBarbara