Meet-up #4

• Tape down some newspaper sheets to protect your working area. • Put a single sheet of printer paper inside your plastic document and tape it down.

This will act as your printer plate. • You may also wish to tape your palette next to your plate.

Step 2: Take a print

• Squeeze some paint onto your palette and using a sponge, brush or piece of cardboard, apply it to your plastic printing plate. You can use 1 colour or mix several into a gradient. • Place a piece of printer paper directly onto the paint, and pull it away. • The paint will transfer onto your paper to create a print.

Prints from the group 1. Direct tracing

Place a sheet of paper on top of an inked plate and draw directly onto the back of the paper. The marks you make will pick up the ink to make a bold line. This technique can be used to trace the outline of a photograph or picture. Cover the entire plate with a thin layer of paint, then shape your image by removing some of the pigment with brushes, rags, sticks, or other tools. You can also use cut out shapes to block the ink from being transferred.

2. Additive

Here, the image is created by adding or building up pigment onto the plate. For example, you can use organic or manmade materials like leaves or bubble wrap to add textures to your plate that will transfer onto your paper. 3. Subtractive

Tips and tricks

• Give your prints a sharp or textured edge by cutting or tearing a frame from a cereal box and placing it between your plate and the paper you’re printing onto. • Create stencils from images cut from magazines or drawings to add interest to your prints. • Build up a background of textures and print multiple layers on a single sheet of paper. • Make a stamp from cardboard to introduce repeat patterns. • Cut out shapes from printed textures to create a one of a kind collage.