Experimenting with Mix Media: Mono printing

Welcome to my first blog post! I’m going to be showing my experience using printmaking techniques for the first time.

Materials:

Starting out, I researched the ideal materials. The most basic materials include a printing plate, rubber brayer, and some paint/ink. The most commonly recommended printing plate is the Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate, however, it can be quite costly. Instead, I settled for a 99 cent acrylic sheet which served its purpose. For rubber brayers, I purchased a Speedball Pop-in Soft Rubber Brayer for $11 which worked excellently and was very easily cleaned. I also picked up a cheap foam brayer from Hobby Lobby for $4 as a back-up (this did have very bad reviews online, but I decided to buy in case I may need an extra). Lastly, I attempted to use oil paints(Winsor & Newton) as a substitute for printmaking ink because it was the only paint I had on hand. I mixed the oil paint with refined linseed oil to achieve a thinner texture.

Here’s everything I used:
surfaces	Acrylic Sheet
	Card Stock
	Oil Painting Paper (Arches)
tools	Rubber Brayer
	old gift card, toothpick, cotton bud (for making textures)
mediums	Oil Paints
	Refined Linseed Oil

Note: Printmaking undoubtedly comes with frustrations in the beginning. But I especially made my experience a difficult one by my unconventional choice of paint. I suggest sticking with traditional printmaking ink or acrylic as a starting point. I have yet to retry this process with either of these.

Tip: If you use oil paint on a wooden surface like I did, cover and protect your surface well. Keep the air well circulated.

I tried 3 methods of mono printing: 1. additive 2. subtractive 3. using stencils