Collagraph

Collagraph Print from Mat Board with Akua Inks Here is a small Collagraph Print from Mat Board with Akua Inks. I printed this last Sunday as part of a demonstration for my Mastrius group. (Our next session is Sunday, April 9th at 10:00am Pacific Time, and we’re going over gelli plate drawing transfers. Want to …

Collagraph Print from Mat Board with Akua Inks Read More »

Collagraph using Recycled Cardboard Printed Intaglio Style without a Press While we were all staying in, I posted a series of printmaking experiments using common items from around the house. I never posted this one – a Collagraph using Recycled Cardboard Printed Intaglio Style without a Press. Recycled Packaging Prints without a Press Roundup YouTube …

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Color Tetra Pak Collagraph Print I veered off the Mokulito (Wood Litho) printmaking trail to take a little hike with Tetra Pak prints this week. If you’re not familiar, Tetra Pak is the material used to package boxed soup, wine, almond milk, and the like. The foil and plastic lining in Tetrapak containers wipes clear …

Color Tetrapak Collagraph Print Read More »

Carborundum Collagraph Print This carborundum collagraph print was made with mat board, acrylic gloss, and carborundum (fine sandpaper grit). The plate was inked and wiped to print intaglio style (from the recessed areas of the plate, rather than relief style – from the uppermost surface). Wiping ink from a gloss-sealed matboard plate featuring wide, shallow …

Carborundum Collagraph Print Read More »

Can You add Watercolor to Collagraph Prints? Yes, you can, as long as the ink you used to print your collagraph dries permanent, and the paper you printed it on can handle wet media. (Here’s a post that covers the caveats of wet media on ink and printmaking papers.) (You can test a small swatch …

Adding Watercolor to Collagraph Prints Read More »

Acrylic Gloss Varnish Sealer on Mat Board Collagraphs When you make a collagraph plate from mat board (also known as mount board), the front, back, and edges of the board should be sealed. Moisture from printmaking inks and modifiers would soak the mat board plate into cotton pulp. The sealed printable surface should be a …

Making a Collagraph from Mat Board with Acrylic Gloss Varnish Read More »

Make a Collagraph Print from Mat Board Have you made a collagraph print from mat board, and printed it in the a la toupee method, intaglio style? A La Poupée Inking After laying out ink colors (see above) I plan to use on the plate to print the edition, I’m using rolled felt daubers (or …

Make a Collagraph Print from Mat Board – First Swim Read More »

Print a Collagraph Using a la Poupee for Full Color This is a mat board collagraph (also known as press board or mont board), printed in full color in one pass through the press. If you’ve never used the a la poupee method of inking your plate, I hope you’ll give it a go. Here …

Printing a Collagraph with Full Color Using a la Poupee Read More »

Making Art from Stuff at Home After printing drypoint etchings from recycled plastic food containers (see drypoints from plastic in this series), I’m experimenting with other household materials. In this post, a recycled paper food carton will be used to make a collagraph print. Let’s head into the kitchen! Printing Collagraphs with What You Have …

Collagraph Prints from Recycled Paper Food Cartons Read More »

Printing a Mat Board Collagraph in the Intaglio Style Collagraph printmaking can arise from something as simple as finding a small, recyclable scrap of mat board. On the way to the trash bin, I pivoted left to my work table, and made a quick sketch of my studio assistant, Scout. He was, as usual, napping …

Small Mat Board Collagraph Print of a Cat Sleeping Read More »

The Art of Wiping an Intaglio Plate Inking and wiping an intaglio print is almost an art. Watching a master printmaker ink and wipe an etching plate is similar to watching hands dance. The muscle memory of the printmaker’s hand movements is fluid and graceful, but deliberate. If you’re new to printmaking, it all looks …

How to Ink a Collagraph Print Read More »

What is a Glue Collagraph? A glue collagraph is a printmaking plate made from a stiff base, like mat board, with a printable design applied to the board with dimensional glue. Here are some examples: Collagraphs are Chameleons of Printmaking Traditional collagraphs are often built in an additive process – with papers, fabric, thread or …

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How to Make a Collagraph Portrait Want a creative project to try at your kitchen table? Here’s how to make a collagraph print portrait, step by step. The collagraph examples in this post were all made from scrap mat board. Mat board is also known as mount board in England and passe-partout in France. You’ll …

Collagraph Print Portraits of People and Pets Read More »

How to Make a Collagraph using Carborundum This collagraph was build on the back of a piece of mat board. Wanna build one too? (If you’re new around here, and you’ve never seen a mat board collagraph, here is a playlist of tutorials on my YouTube channel to help you get started.) Read on…. How …

How to Make a Mat Board Collagraph Plate using Carborundum Read More »

Experiments in the Art Studio Experiments in the studio are important, because that’s what we should be doing with art supplies, right?  We keep things fresh and full of wonder by pushing past our comfort zone in art-making. Testing new approaches shouldn’t scare you, because this is just art. If you mess up, you can …

Printing with Drypoint and Collagraph on the Same Print Read More »

Making a Mat Board Collagraph Plate Let’s make a collagraph printmaking plate from a scrap piece of mat board! I’ve got some process photos, blog posts and video tutorials for you. To source the mat board, you can order it on amazon here, or visit your local art-framer. Ask if you can pilfer the scraps …

Mat Board Collagraph Print: Stackable Naps Read More »

Colored Pencils on a Collagraph of a Great Dane Colored pencils provide immediate, no fuss, easy-peasey art making on the fly. Even if you’re traveling, it doesn’t take much to pull out a handful of colored pencils and a sketchbook to make something fun and meditative. In lieu of a sketchbook, I worked on a …

Collagraph of a Great Dane (and post fire coping) Read More »

Checking In How are you doing this week? We’re all hiking through the woods together towards the end of the year.  This last stretch is equal parts lovely – because we spend time with people we love, and harried – because the To-Do list is three stories tall.  I’m a squirrel, searching for a magical …

Island Fox Collagraph Print and the Thomas Fire Read More »

Making Art with Other People Make art more often by joining a group, taking a class or scheduling your creative time with fellow artists. A schedule makes you accountable, and anticipation from art-minded friends expecting you to show up can be the right kick in the pants to Get Things Done. So Many Artists tell me …

Collagraph: Scouting for Tulip Petals (& Art Groups on Facebook) Read More »

Making Art Inspired by Life Happening Around You This mat board collagraph started as a doodle on a scrap piece of paper. You don’t have to look far to find Mat Board Collagraph Printmaking Design ideas. Your own life is full of them. I’m surrounded by young women with babies, meandering through different chapters of …

Mat Board Collagraph Printmaking Design Ideas Read More »

Collagraph Printmaking Still Life from Mat Board I stayed at The Old Mill Inn – a Bed & Breakfast in Hatfield, Massachusetts a few years ago to attend a wedding. The Mill and the landscape around it is rich with painting and drawing inspiration, so I snapped reference photos as often as I blinked.   This little sink …

Collagraph Printmaking – a Still Life of a Sink Read More »

What is a Collagraph? A collagraph is a type of printmaking, traditionally made from a collaged printmaking plate. If you’ve wondered how to make a collagraph – especially from mat board – here are the basic instructions, with a tutorial video! Shapes and textures are layered on a matrix or plate (usually metal, masonite or …

How to make a Collagraph Print Read More »

I spent a few days this week hanging art, and unpacking the last parts of my studio that have been in boxes since moving from the desert to the coast over the summer. As much as I loved seeing those previously inaccessible art supplies, I also realized I haven’t missed some of them, and I’ve …

Collagraph: Morocco (& de-cluttering the art studio) Read More »

I’m matting and framing watercolors and printmaking for the Artwalk in San Diego’s Little Italy coming up in a little over two weeks. If you’re nearby, be sure to stop at my booth (#192) on Beech Street between Columbia and State to say hello. Every year, I meet a gaggle of bloggers and blog followers, and it’s …

Collagraph: First Swim Read More »