Encaustic Printmaking

My interest  in encaustic printmaking was prompted by several presentations I attended at the 2010 International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, NJ.  These sessions gave me a sense of what's possible, but you really get a handle on it  when you start to create yourself.  It  is one fantastic freeing activity.  The range  of effects you can create is quite broad.  I am interested in the process not to create finished prints but to create "papers" that I can later collage into my mixed media encaustic works.

 I use the aluminum palette available from R&F Paints. You set the temperature at roughly 165 degrees and clear everything off the palette.You are not limited by the size of the palette because you can use a spot printing technique.You also don't have to fuse with a heat gun because you are working with the paper directly onto the palette and the encaustic is heated/fused as you go.

Encaustic ( beeswax, damar resin, pigment) in a solid form is used to apply colour to the "plate"/palette causing it to  melt on contact.  You can lay down bold bands of colour, draw and use subtractive approaches e.g., wipeout, use stencils, masks or stamps and build images in multiple layers. Overprinting produces layered depth.and you can also draw on the print with a variety of mediums like oil pastel, graphite, charcoal etc.   Clear encaustic medium can be used to make thinner paper translucent which is a technique I am attracted to because it allows light to show through the paper. This is most effective when  you have lots of white spaces/paper showing through  This is highly desirable when you want to use the papers in mixed media work.

Once  created the prints are easy to handle and store because the wax is absorbed in the paper and  they can even be rolled. So here's a sampling of what I produced.  Unfortunately I did not take step by step photos of my day.  I will create a tutorial at a later date.

Wipe Out

 

I began by messing about with wiping out using different tools. You begin by laying down a bed of encaustic on the palette using any pattern you want.  I like to keep to 3 or less. Once that's done you can wipe out to create patterns in the colour. You can use all kinds of implements to wipe out - commercial wipe out tools, credit cards, foam core, slivers of erasers, wheels of  toy cars, rotary wheels, make up applicators, silicone brushes from the kitchen, bottle caps, cookie cutters,  etc.  Each makes its own distinctive mark.  I learned you have to constantly wipe your wipe out tool or you get a lot of colour transfer.  Of course, sometimes this is just what the doctor ordered.


 Wipe Out and Stamping

Layered print, purple is simple pick up ghost print (what was left on the palette after taking one print)with some wiping out with an eraser.  Second (yellow)  was created with a stamp made by gluing textured wallpaper onto an MDF block and pressing it into a yellow puddle of encaustic and stamping onto the first layer (paper is on the palette when you do this). It worked like a charm.

 Stamping Positive and Negative

Level 1: A ghost image (background colour) from a previous print picked up on sumi paper. Then the circles were applied by laying bubble wrap into a paint puddle and then over printing the ghost image

This is a print of what was left on the palette after the previous print was made.  The bottom is over printing done in the same way as the previous print. I'm not claiming this is great art... but I now know how to achieve certain effects and I'm very excited about tearing these into different pieces and using them in an encaustic painting. 

More complex prints still using bubble wrap to stamp the paper .  You can see over stamping with silver on the top one. 

The final one is showing a little more finess in the use of the bubble wrap. I guess you could call these layered monotypes because there will only be one created.

There's more to come from my initial session.  I'm feeling quite liberated by these processes and can't wait to create more work.

Strappo

 In the midst of my ArtFix studio residency, I went outside my four walls to take a  workshop from my friend and fellow instructor Carol Bajen-Gahm at her Torbay Bight Studio. Usually I teach encaustic with Carol , but this time I was  learning the ins and outs of strappo. 

It was a fabulous two days and I created four pieces of work, some more successful than others. The strappo technique was new to me, but it will be one I'll definitely use in the future.   I would describe it as a combination of painting and printmaking which fits into the category of monotype except it is done with acrylics not oils.  Intrigued?  

The Process

 You begin with a sheet of clean  glass  the size determined by finished work dimensions. You can do  a conventional painting or a mixed media work. Straight painting is  the easiest to demonstrate/explain, so I will stick with that for my first post on this topic. As a result of my explorations I learned the following:

My Observations

- the glass should be free of any dirt or grease; a good cleaning is in order;

- the paint slides around on the glass and you can see the brushstrokes;
- the softer, smoother your brush, the better coverage you get;
- don't fight your natural application tendency (mine has a watercolour look);
- check periodically to see what the image looks like through the glass- this is how the finished print will look;  

 

 Louise Sutton checks out her progress.

- apply  one thin coat of paint, let dry and then reinforce with a second coat if you want solid coverage;
 

- work with the light coverage and add a second layer of another colour to make the image look "deeper"/more dimensional ;  (I used a blue green as my second backing  coat).  You could still see through sections of it after the second coat.  I decided to see what would happen in the end.

- if you dislike what you create, use a blade or the handle of your brush or thin slivers of wood to remove parts;

The original idea for frothy water against the rocks was a failure. You have to blend as you go because what dries in the first layer is what you get.  You don't have the option of laying in rough areas and refining by building up which is how I paint in acrylics.  I was ready to give up on this one when Louise said, "Scrape back". I broke up all the solid bits of white and changed the season to spring when we get a lot of lose ice in the harbour by my summer house.

This is more like it.

When your painting is dry apply two coats of acrylic gesso to the back of it to thicken the acrylic skin.  Let dry between each coat. 

The final step was to apply a  coat of gesso to the  back of the painting and to a sheet of printmaking paper or 90 lb. watercolour paper.  Put the paper( still wet) on top of the wet gesso on the painting and roll with a brayer. Put the sandwich under weights and let dry thoroughly. If you want to frame the work as a print make sure the paper you are attaching has enough border. 


When dry, (leave overnight) use a razor blade to trim the dried ooze from the gesso  and if you are going to mount the image on a cradled panel (my choice) then also cut off the excess paper that hangs over the edge. 

Use a wet Q-tip to moisten the corners and the top edge of the "sandwich".  Use a razor blade to gently loosen the top edge away from the glass.  Slowly begin to lift the acrylic skin from the glass using your fingers close to the glass rather than pulling higher up.  

In the pictures below I am almost at the end of the "pull".  This is often the part that can stick and pull away from the paper especially if the gesso has seeped into a crack and attaches itself to the glass. 

Almost there and it is stuck with gesso.  I had to get a blade to "persuade" it to separate .

 When you have a section that sticks you can correct the area with a mixture of paint and gloss gel.  I hate the long green line in the rocks lower right.  I'll have to doctor that up a bit.

Harold Garde developed/named this technique. I also discovered that the strappo technique was originally used to preserve frescos .  Check out this video.  I found it fascinating.

A strappo image has a surface that is unique in its tactile and visual qualities. This method expands the print makers choices. It has proven useful, adding to the range of techniques available for an artist's visual expression."

                           - Harold Garde

Next post:  Attaching to a cradled panel and an acrylic pour

Introducing Anita Singh

Please check out the exciting work of my friend, Anita Singh ,who will be one of the instructiors in a printmaking and encaustic workshop I will attend at the end of August. I've always been attracted to Anita's work especially her monotypes. With their high colour, cell like structures and split imagery, they invite you to come closer and take a good look. I love the way she weaves close-up views with landscape. Anita is also one of the artists at The Leyton Gallery of Fine Art where I show my work.

The art of monotype - 2

This is my second installment on monotype- the third if you count my previous post about how I use monotypes in my mixed media work. Periodically I like to provide practical information on techniques that I feel competent to discuss. I enjoy finding detailed, first hand accounts by artists when I am researching something new. See the previous post for Part 1.

Now that I've discussed what a monotype is, material options and the creation of a plate, I'm on to the next step...

How is the image transferred?
Many artists create monotypes in a printmaking studio but that is not necessary. I have a heavy stainless roller (85 pounds) that a friend made for me. I use this on the top of a chest of drawers that is just the right height for rolling. I've also used a wooden pastry roller to get a transfer and even the back of a wooden spoon for smaller pieces. They all work, but for the spoon and the pastry roller I apply my weight to the process. On top of my "table" I have a piece of vinyl floor covering back side up (no embossed patterns) and on top of this I have a sheet of lightweight paper that I can change if it gets dirty.

I lay the plate, right side up of course, on top of the vinyl and paper and apply the soaked watercolour paper that has been blotted of excess water on top of the plate. I lightly smooth it out with my hand and then place another sheet of absorbent paper on top of this. Then I roll over the top, usually rolling twice with my heavy roller or the pastry roller. With the wooden spoon I methodically burnish the whole surface of the paper.

I take a careful peek by lifting a corner to see how things are transferring. If I feel I need to go over it once more I will drop the edge of the paper and roll again. When you pull the print there may be areas that have a heavy application of paint. I use an exacto blade or regular blade to scrape off the excess.

If there's still paint left on my plate I usually try to capture a ghost image from the plate by using a lighter paper (90 lb. hot press or rice paper). This cognate or ghost is created in the same way described above. Sometimes the ghost is even more interesting that the original.

This monotype was created by painting the background on a plexiglas plate with oil paint. Then various abstract shapes were cut from transparency film and laid on the background. The print is pulled and then the stencil pieces are removed. The area behind the stencils is white. The stencil pieces are then laid paint side down on the white spaces and rolled out again.

This is the ghost image crated from the paint left on the plate after the monotype above was created. In this case I like the ghost print better than the monotype. The abstract images were created in the same way by flipping the stencil, paint side down onto the reserved white areas.



How are the prints dried?
I place the print between two sheets of newsprint and sandwich this between two sheets of plywood. If I have several prints I just add another piece of plywood to the layers. I then place a heavy weight (once I used my portable sewing machine, but now I have the heavy flat top of a metal bench my husband cast off). I change the newsprint for several days until the print is completely dry.

Then it is time to decide on the success of your monotype. Sometimes I embellish monotypes using acrylic or pastels. Other times I make am image transfer of parts of unsuccessful ones to include in mixed media work. Other times I may collage what I consider the successful aspect of a work into another work or there is always the reject drawer. Perhaps time will provide a new way to look at the work.

Tips when using oil paint for montotypes:

• Dip your brush in oil to dress it and then blot quickly on paper towel to remove excess oil (water if you are using water soluble oils). Don't forget to continually dab into the oil as you change colours/clean your brush. Too much oil will create thin applications of paint that will give a "watercolour" look to your transfer.
  
• Use several brushes to avoid cleaning or making mud.
• If you make a mistake scrape that part off with mat board or other stiff cardboard. Old credit cards make great scrapers too. Cut cardboard in various sizes that work with the scale of your painting.
  
• Concentrate on simplicity - you don't have to say everything, leave something to the viewer.
  
• Avoid layering colours because you will only get the top colour transferring. Anything underneath will be diluted or lost entirely.
• Subtle painting does not translate well in monotype. You need big jumps in value.
  

You may enjoy reviewing this material in video with additional information provided here and there. Arthur Secunda provides an informative account of monotype in this nine minute video.

These are my top three picks for print resources on monotype:

Monotype: Mediums and Methods for Painterly Printmaking, Julia Ayres
I consider this the "bible" of the monotype process. It has never let me down when I've had questions that needed answers.




Making Monotypes Using a Gelatin Plate: Printmaking without a Press, Nancy Marculewicz
If you want to try working on a softer plate this is the book to move your along.




Singular Impressions : The Monotype in America, Joann Moser
This book is a survey of over one hundred artists who work in many different media but who have all tried monotype. I like the range of artists and variety of work highlighted.

The art of monotype - 1

Lupins (2004) 10 x 18, monotype

I love monotype for its unpredictability and spontaneity. It moved me away from being uptight and controlling when I created work. (You may be thinking that Lupins is pretty up tight, but believe me it is loose compared to what I was creating at that point in my career.) For me monotype was the first step in a long line of explorations that brought me to a place in art where I am quite comfortable not knowing how something is going to turn out.

Many of my monotypes were created several years ago and I am now using parts of them or image transfers of them in new mixed media works as you can see illustrated in the previous post. You can create monotypes with simple tools at home or in a fully stocked printmaking shop. I've answered some basic questions about how I create monotypes.

What is a monotype?
A monotype is the simplest form of printmaking, requiring only pigments, a surface (plate) on which to apply them, paper and some form of pressure, e.g., an etching or litho press, or hand pressure with a rolling pin, brayer, flat spoon or your hand. The process allows you to create a one of a kind print.


Is this a new process?
The first monotype was attributed to Giovanni Beneddetto Castiglione who lived from 1616 to 1670. Other well known artists including William Blake, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt and Paul Gauguin and numerous other artists experimented with monotype.

What materials have artists used for plates?
The plate can be any material that is flat and will release the paint easily. Many artists prefer plexiglas, but mylar, sealed multimedia board or cardboard, varnished wood or copper or zinc plates all work. For a really interesting experience try gelatin plates. This a great video by Linda Germain.

What media can be used?
I am most familiar with oils, water soluble oils, and oil based inks. I've had less success with acrylic and watercolour transfers. Other artists have created great transfers with water based media but I haven't found the magic formula for them.

How do I prepare the paper?
I prefer hot press watercolour papers , 140 lb. weight. Because watercolour paper has sizing it needs to be soaked well and blotted dry before using so that the paint won't sit on top of the paper. Most sized papers need to be soaked for up to an hour before using. When the paper is removed from the bath, blot it dry with a paper towel or shop towel until the paper has a matt finish.

If you are using unsized paper you just need to spray it rather than soak it. Once sprayed, it can be placed between two sheets of plastic (e.g., heavy plastic bag cut up into sheets, to keep the paper moist and to evenly distribute the moisture over the paper.

Rice paper or other thin papers can be used without wetting. You can also get interesting effects by transferring to dry or very rough papers. Experimentation is the order of the day.

How is paint/ink applied?
I use oil paint for my monotypes. There are basically two methods of applying paint, one is additive and the other is subtractive.

The subtractive method is know as "working from a dark field". The plate is covered with a medium and then portions are removed by scratching, scraping with a tool, cardboard, sponges, an gloved finger, etc. to create an image.

The additive method is known as "working into a light field" because the painting is developed on a clean surface. With this approach a sketch can be placed behind the plexiglas to guide the work. When applying paint use a thin, even application, otherwise you will get smearing or blobs when you transfer. Both methods can be combined to produce one piece.

I like to achieve a watercolour effect with my monotypes so I use sunflower oil to dress my brush frequently. I stay away from all solvents when using oil paint.

Stay tuned for part two....

Once a monotype

"Never throw anything you create away, not matter how dismal it appears at the time." One of my first instructors drilled this advice into our heads. I didn't know what I would do with all my rejects in my reject drawers, I just kept saving. Now eight years later I'm so glad I blindly followed her advice. Your "rejects" are your learning experiences, they chart in a concrete way how you moved through your development just as much as those works you consider successful. They often mark a crossroads in your development, places where you branched off for awhile or took completely alternate paths. They provide opportunities for journal entries about your practice or they become the journal entries of the "what not to do's" or the ideas about new places to go.

Now that I work mostly in mixed media, I go to the reject drawer constantly and find precious bits of work that I collage directly or colour copy and create image transfers. I also take whole works and rework them in another medium.

Movement of Life, 8 x 10, mixed media

I showed this image before but didn't discuss how it came to be. I took several months to explore using plant matter to create monotypes. It's very simple. You cover your plate (plexiglas in my case) with a background colour (oil or oil inks) and then place leaves, grasses or petals onto the plate in a pleasing composition. Place your soaked and blotted watercolour paper on top of the plate and roll out with a roller or run through a printing press. My roller, made my a machinist friend, is 85 pounds and does a great job. I have been just as successful leaning into my wooden pastry roller to get good transfers. If I'm using plant material, the only change I made with the pastry roller is using thinner paper (rice paper or less than 140 lb. watercolour paper).

When I pull the print, where the plant material was, is white negative space. The fern leaf above was a failed monotype I created in 2004 using this process, that I cut in three pieces and collaged into this new composition. The next image began in the same way but had additions.


You can see the white areas where the leaves were. I then took the leaves (which had all the oil paint from the background) and laid them on top of the negative space to to create a hint of their presence.

Growth, 2007, 8 x 8, mixed media

The background of this mixed media work was a monotype I created by placing the inked images of the leaves from the previous experiment on top of the original plate (oil side up) and added a new light weight sheet of cold press watercolour paper . When rolled I got a hazy background from the original plate and nice crisp leaves because they still had lots of paint on them. To finish Growth (also referring to my growth as an artist) I reinforced sections with acrylic paint and applied fiberous papers to finish it off.

You might enjoy seeing this video by Mary Margaret Briggs who uses a similar process. I live the organic shapes and simplicity of her work. I found this artist this year when I was researching artists who use gardens as inspiration in their art work.

Spring

Sprout, 10 x 14, monotype

Spring finally seems to have found Newfoundland. I thought this lively monotype matched my mood today. I would like to say I created it recently, but I've been busy working with grade 5 students on an art project in a local school. Today is my last day so hopefully there'll soon be something new to share.

For those of you who may not know this process, stay tuned. I'm preparing a detailed post about it. It was this process that helped me decide I could be an artist in 2001. I've been teaching my granddaughter the two year old version with fingerpaint.

What's on my wall?

One of my favourite things about visiting is checking out what people have on their walls. Other artists must have this same curiosity because several people have asked me in the last month what kind of art I have in my home. This is the first sneak peek at the walls of my home.



For my first installment I'm highlighting a piece of art I have a personal connection to because it was created during a painting holiday I took in France in 2001. France II by Elena Popova, a Newfoundland artist, is a monotype on paper (25 x 50inches) composed of six separate panels, each is a response to some aspect of a two weeks stay in the French countryside . Elena creates lush, colourful work that is full of energy and excitement. It was creating monotypes with Elena in France that convinced me I wanted to be an artist. Not only does this piece remind me of the great time we had in France, it is also a constant reminder of the right choice I made for my second career.

photo by: Brenda Stevenson

Elena at work outside Ilse Hughes house in L'lirondelle, France . Elena uses oil paint on plexiglas and often uses her hands or other inplements to etch into a painted ground. Once the plate is completed it is put through a printing press to create a one of a kind print - a monotype.

photo by: Brenda Stevenson

These are the two works Elena created during her two week stay. The first piece above is called France I and someone else is lucky enough to own it.

Here is where France II lives. I depend on the art on my walls to add colour to my otherwise bland colour schemes.



This is another piece I have by Elena. It is 9 x 14 and hangs in my downstairs hallway. I bought it at an auction to raise money for the Red Cross. The colours are even more vibrant than those depicted here. It is under glass and difficult to photograph. It is the perfect picture for spring.

Elena currently has a solo exhibition at Red Ochre Gallery in St. John's. Check out the work.

Pivotal point

A painting by Susan Abbott on A Painter's Year this morning brought me back to the beginning of my art career, that difficult time when I wondered if I wanted to take a leap at middle age and really shake things up. Questions were running rampant in my mind the summer of 2001 while I was on a "painting" holiday in France. Interestingly enough, because I had done very little painting up to that point, it was really an "exploration of painting" holiday. Two friends and I stayed at a farmhouse owned by Newfoundland artist, Ilse Hughes, who provided room and board and instruction for a two week block.



Two other Newfoundland artists, sculptor, Luben Boykov and painter, Elena Popova were also on site and provided instruction. Elena works in monotype and I loved the vibrancy and spontanity of this printmaking process which allowed me to create art that was quite different from any I had created before. On my fourth monotype, standing in a sunflower field near the farmhouse, painting oil on plexiglass, I decided to be an artist. Why don't I look happier?