Collagraph Print from Scrap Mat Board with Colored Pencil

During a hike on Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Ventura, California, I met an Island Fox on the trail. (You can read about these little foxes here.)

Island Foxes are tiny and cute – about the size of a cat. I’m inspired by the reversal of their near extinction to make a collagraph print from scrap mat board – with a little colored pencil enhancement. Here are some of the process photos from printing a little island fox collagraph in my art studio.

An Island Fox being released as part of a rehabilitation program on Santa Cruz Island (photo: National Wildlife Federation)

Using a number eleven utility knife to cut *very shallow* lines into the verso of a scrap sheet of mat board. (You can get the *knife here*, and the *mat board here*.)

First time collagraph creators take note here: I’m peeling the uppermost layer of the back of the mat board away – nothing deeper than the top layer of paper to expose the fuzzy cotton center. (And I’m using the back since it’s smooth and untextured.)

Collagraph Print from Mat Board Tip

If you’re building a collagraph plate from scrap mat board, you can have the option to print it *both* relief style, and intaglio style. Plan to make all your cuts super shallow.

Relief printing from this collagraph plate means you’re inking and printing from the uppermost surface – the flat, uncut area of the design.

Intaglio means you’re inking, wiping and then printing from the ink left embedded in the recessed lines you’ve carved into the surface.

You only need a slight trench beneath the printing surface, so carve slow and shallow. That indentation will hold ink, especially so because peeling the smooth upper surface exposes the pulp of the cotton filler in the mat board. The rough texture in your peeled away shapes will hold ink where you want it, and your knife work will simulate a drawn line in your design.

Collagraph printing is so flexible, you can do both relief and intaglio in two different colors; ink and wipe your plate to leave one color in your incised line work, and then either roll a new color on your relief area with a brayer, or apply it a la poupe with daubers or brushes (more on that process here). Two color printing is very accessible this way.

Little fox sketches and the scrap mat board collagraph plate in process on the right. You can see my skinny, cut and peeled mat board material on the cutting mat above the sketches.

After the scrap mat board collagraph plate was carved, I sealed the front, back and edges with two coats of **Liquitex Acrylic Gloss** to block the paper from absorbing printmaking ink. I want the ink to lay on the plate, stay wet, and then release from it to adhere to printmaking paper, so a good, shiny sealer on the plate material is crucial.

Collagraph print of an island fox, made with a single color of ink, printed both in relief and intaglio — A single color print from the mat board collagraph plate. This was printed with a combination intaglio (pushing ink down into the carved line work) and relief (scumbling ink on the uppermost surface of the plate.) You can see a few skipped ink areas in the line work; the paper didn’t make contact with the ink because I carved a little too deep in some areas.

The more you print the mat board collagraph, the more “saturated” your inks get in your resulting prints. Even though you’ve sealed the plate, the ink somehow builds up, and the prints get richer and more textured and interesting.

The mat board collagraph plate was inked with a dauber in the a la toupee method here with a few different colors.

After the ink was dry, I layered some colored pencil on top, which is so much fun. If you’ve never tried that, I highly recommend it.

The finished print: *Arches cover printmaking paper*, Cranfield Intaglio *Inks*, and assorted *colored pencils*.

Here is a tutorial for printing a collagraph plate more dynamically, using a single color

There’s a trend towards cozy, old fashioned “Grandma” Hobbies among all demographics these days. Most of us who dabble in creative pursuits already understand the calming influence of working with your hands, and this article about the mental health benefits of doing that is inspiring.

I had a discussion – actually, it was more of a debate – with an artist friend who claims to have lost her ability to make art from nothing more than time away from her art supplies. I don’t for a minute believe long breaks from art affect creative people in a negative way. I wrote an essay about that, using my own experience as an example, and you can read that here if you need a little boost.

Handprinted is a UK printmaking supply resource with workshops, a retail outlet and a lovely blog and newsletter I subscribe to. They also have a whole library of short, informative printmaking related video tutorials. If you’re new to printmaking, have a browse through their library here.

And speaking of using your hands, being creative, and playing with anything on hand, Scottish Writer, Director and Animator Ainsley Henderson created this beautiful, charming, and very inspiring short animation with dried flowers, bits of broken electronics, sticks and wood.

Island Fox, Collagraph Print with Colored Pencil (*Available in my Etsy Shop*)

Lapel pin that reads Brave Enough to be bad at something new — This is my new studio apron lapel pin. Very fitting, don’t you think? (You can get one **here**.)

Marching Towards Productivity

I’ve mentioned before that creativity has seasons for some folks. I’m more productive in the studio in winter, when there are less outdoor, family filled, kids out of school gatherings. Plus, swimming and gardening always lure me outside. But – I’m foot-stomping determined to make a lot of things this season, even if I’m outdoors a lot.

I’ve re-stocked my paint and sketch tote bag for couch time art making in the evenings (are you doing this too?) I’m also still enamored with the slow stitching movement. Lately, I’m in a deep dive to invent creatures (see below) with layered craft felt and embroidery floss.

What’re you going to tackle this season? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next post –

Belinda

P.S. This month marks the 20th Anniversary of this blog. If you’re not on my mailing list (you can jump on that here), read this newsletter about my 20 year bloggy milestone.

Part of my felt and floss menagerie; A felty cat serving chocolate chip cookies.

Art Quote

The only way to truly succeed is to embrace failure. Passion for your work is a little bit of discovery, followed by a lot of development, and then a lifetime of deepening.

Angela Duckworth – Grit

Kirsten

06/21/2025 at 6:07 pm

Sometimes my brain says I should move to England because they are more inclined to printmaking.
Where do you shop for printmaking supplies?

Belinda Del Pesco
06/23/2025 at 11:05 am

Hi Kirsten, I buy all my printmaking supplies online. No local resources here, so I use Amazon, McClains, Dick Blick, Utrecht, and Takach for all my goodies. 🙂

Collagraph Print from Scrap Mat Board with Colored Pencil