Adding Watercolor to Woodcut Prints

Adding Watercolor to Woodcuts

Have you ever considered adding watercolor to your linocuts, and wood block prints?

If you print in single colors, you can add full color to a block print after the ink dries. Use dry media like colored pencils, or pastels – or use wet media like watercolors.

But successfully adding wet media will depends on the ink you printed with, so read on.

See some examples of relief prints with watercolor added in this post, and this one.

Not All Inks can be Painted

One thing to be aware of if you use water-washable inks. Some of them dry nice and fast, but they’ll re-wet if you try to paint them with watercolors. This is the case with Speedball Relief ink. You can still add dry media, like colored pencils, but wet media will re-wet the inks too.

I’ve had great experiences printing with Akua Intaglio inks (listed below), thickened just a bit with MagMix to print relief blocks. They dry quickly, and will not re-wet.

A Note about Absorption

Be sure to use printmaking paper that doesn’t have external sizing, as it will prohibit yur inks from drying. Akua inks need to absorb into the paper to dry.

The sizing in watercolor paper helps hold wet pigments in place so they don’t bleed all over the cotton fibers.

Imagine painting a watercolor on a paper towel. You’d have no control over the placement of your pigments, since they’d travel through the cotton fibers, willy nilly. (see above)

Sizing in watercolor paper holds the cotton together and blocks the pigments from sinking into the pulp, so your colors are illuminated from underneath with that bright, untouched paper.

Hand Colored Printmaking

I hope you give hand coloring your woodblock prints a try. It’s a beautiful way to make each print in your edition even more unique and customized. You can change your colors and lean your palette in a variety of pigments appropriate for moods, or seasons.

If you have any questions about painting your prints with watercolor, please leave a note in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by today, and I’ll see you in the next post!

Belinda

P.S. As described in my last post, you can subscribe to get each new post as soon as it’s published here. It’s free.

Printmaking Supplies

Check the links below for a few of the art supplies I use frequently so you can experiment in the studio too:

4 inch soft rubber brayer http://amzn.to/1vOHPzY Artist Tape http://amzn.to/1QNWoJT Foam/Gator Board support http://amzn.to/1QNVH3o unmounted linoleum http://amzn.to/1zYtUp9 metal ruler with cork back http://amzn.to/1ATQx1f assorted tip black & gray markers http://amzn.to/11USY59 drawing pencils http://amzn.to/1DgCVM7 bench hook & inking plate http://amzn.to/15zPU0j non-skid http://amzn.to/1ggYcsv flexcut micro set knives http://amzn.to/1xH7Egz power grip carving knives http://amzn.to/1rvgb3W bfk rives printmaking paper http://amzn.to/1yMFTtc spatula for mixing/laying out ink http://amzn.to/1sevJsW Akua Ink starter set http://amzn.to/1MXiA0J Akua MagMix (modifier to thicken the ink) http://amzn.to/1MXiQNm Akua Transparent Base http://amzn.to/1MXiLZR storage jars for leftover ink http://amzn.to/1MXiTst rubber gloves http://amzn.to/1bNmWvu apron http://amzn.to/1fWXkIh watercolors http://amzn.to/1MpkThN Rosemary Sable Blend Brushes http://bit.ly/1CCxBXF

Art Reference Books

Colored Pencil Painting Bible http://amzn.to/1HZ9GhV Watercolor Painter’s Pocket Palette (great color mixing book) http://amzn.to/1TSFuwe Making Color Sing (great color mixing book) http://amzn.to/1KlFanX Painting the Things you Love (great watercolor glazing book) http://amzn.to/1KlFenX Breaking the Rules of Watercolor (older book, but still chock full of good lessons) http://amzn.to/1RSNuzG

Art Quote

Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate.

William Arthur Ward