A Different Idea - For Me!

First stencil with image underneath

I have decided to try something different. When I am designing a print, I always have a good idea of just what the color scheme should be. I am thinking of another reduction print; the design will be almost abstract. I will try printing it in different colors.

 

First color printed

I can't seem to get away from representative images. The design on the left is of a blossom and its leaves, a nice dark and light composition, almost like a quilt pattern. I pasted up four of the images with the lighter blossoms in the center. Then I took  drawing fluid and painted the complete square. I left a good quarter of an inch all around the image. After the drawing fluid was dry I spread screen filler over the entire screen, let it dry and washed out the drawing fluid. Then I painted just a tiny dab of filler on the spots in the small ring around the center of the blossoms. After this was thoroughly dry, I mixed some ink and started printing. The first color that I printed was a medium green. I printed 20 of these on Stonehenge 100% rag paper that I had cut to size with my paper cutter. Some of it is white and some is Fawn. Then, I had to clean all of the ink from the screen and let it dry again before I could print the other colors. Luckily it is dry and hot outside - I took the clean screen outside, onto the deck to dry. Then I mixed a turquoise-blue color. I use a lot of the Dick Blick Inks. In the past, I always used Speedball - but I find the the Blick inks work just as well. I do revert to Speedball for transparent base, overprint varnish and wonderful iridescent colors like the purple that is shown here.