Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Monotype experiments

I  had been thinking about how Caran D'Ache Neo Colour II Water soluble crayons would go printmaking. I have used them happily with calligraphy and pattern making, but wondered how well they would transfer an image.

I went about it by making a thick blend of the crayons on a piece of Perspex, blending colours and laying them on fairly thickly.


I then used a skewer to pull away some of the crayon; planning for white space to be printed.


I turned it over to see if it would print OK as an image. When I am in the groove and diving in like I was here; I sometimes (?often) forget that the image will be reversed, so I really did need to check if I could live with the way it would be. It was fine.

I love how the light above the phone reflects and makes it appear as if there is a big half moon in the sky as well.


Then I wet some really heavy 600gsm watercolour paper and ran it through the press.  The moisture in the paper definitely pulled the crayons over and transferred pretty well.  Had I done it on lighter paper I am sure it would have looked quite different; although I liked the rough and ready nature of the print.


What was left on the plate after making the print.


I think there is something in these crayons and will try to do some more work with them. They will probably always be a bit naive I think, and often rough and ready; but they might make great backgrounds for some letterpress words.

9 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this ... I'm reminded that I need to experiment more with some of my stash

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    1. It is always good to think about experimenting with stashes Liz! This one popped into my head with a "I wonder what..." and I really like the possibilities. Now to make time for more play...go well.

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  2. did you pull a second print on a finer paper?

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    1. Alas no Mo - am of course kicking myself now...but I will definitely play again and go for a finer softer paper and see what transfers...

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  3. The thing I like about printmaking is that there's always something new to try. This crayon mono print is definitely on my 'must have a go at' list

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    1. It was such a surprise Jac - I use them for other things but then thought well,they're water soluble and you can draw with them and then its just like water-based ink in a way and well...let's see!

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  4. ..and of course, if you have a screen, these crayons can be drawn directly to it and then the colour can be released with a squeegee and print medium! It's a very loose and intuitive way to work as the results have that edge of unpredictability about them!

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    1. Oooh now that sounds like even more fun Lesley! Will go rummage through my drawers...

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  5. I like a product which does more than one thing. I have these, recently tried using stencils, where lay down the colour first, place stencil on top, amd then lift/remove colour with a baby wipe.

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.