Watercolour+Monoprints

=Watercolour Monoprints for the ISA Pro D Day=

Supplies:
1. Printing plates: plexiglass plates 3/8inches, if you have a limited budget - photocopy transparency sheets, ideal to have 3 plates 2. Gum Arabic or dish detergent 3. Watercolour paints 4. Caran D'ache watercolour crayons (you can use other brands, but this is by far the best) 5. Watercolour pencil crayons 6. Printmaking paper 22x30 Rives BFK 250gsm, if you have a limited budget - 22x30 Rising Stonehedge 250gsm 7. Blotter paper 24x38, if you have a limited budget - good no newsprint paper 8. Rubbermate tub for soaking paper 9. Vellum for printing press alignment 10. Hair dryer 11. Printing press

Steps for preparing your printmaking plates:
1. Must prepare the surface with 60, 120 and 220 sandpaper (in this order), make sure the entire surface is rough. 2. Drop a dime size of gum arabic or dish detergent on your plate, use a soft dry cloth or kleenex to spread it all over the plates. Make sure the entire surface is covered. Repeat for all the plates you are using. 3. The advantage of having 3 plates is that you can layer your images and colours on top of one another. Have this in mind when you are working on your image design. 4. If you are you photocopy, printer images place them underneath the plate and you are ready to begin the creative and fun painting and drawing part. 5. As you work on each plate using your images and supplies think about w/c crayon lines going on top of a w/c wash etc... Work on your base plate first with the top plate being last. W/c washes are often used on the base plate and second plate while drawing techniques are used on the second and top plate. 6. Once your creative work is done, make sure that all plates are dry. You can speed up the process by using a hair drying on the low setting. Don't place it too close to the plates, it can melt it!!

Steps for preparing your printmaking paper:
1. If your plates are 8 1/2x11 in size fold and tear your 22x30 paper into quarters so that you get 4 sheets of 11x15 2. Pre soak your paper half a hour before you print (make sure that the paper is fully emerged). 3. When you are ready with your plate lined up on the printing press bed you can blot your paper (handle your paper by holding it from corner to corner). 4. Place down onto press bed lowering top corner first until the entire sheet of paper is laying flat.

Steps for preparing your printmaking press:
1. Make sure your blanket(s) is evenly placed on the press bed. 2. Roll up the blanket so that it rolls over the roller. Using a blank plate adjust your press so that it runs smoothly over the plate (blanket rolled down). The turning wheel should turn smoothly with a bit of tightness, but not so tight that it doesn't turn smoothly. Make sure you adjust both sides so that it is even. 3. On a large enough paper make a stencil for the plate and paper size, place it on the press bed, then place the vellum on top (use masking tape to stick down). 4. Line up your plate to the stencil, if you have 3 plates remember to place your base plate down first. 5. Line up your paper to the stencil, lowering your top corner first down to the bottom corner. Place the the blanket(s) down. 6. Turn your wheel firmly through with the paper caught on the other side (once it feels close roll up your blanket so you can see). You want your plate to be free so you can change it. 7. Repeat #6 for your 3rd plate. This is your final plate so you can turn the wheel until it releases both the plate and paper. Again, pick up your paper from corner to corner, place it in between the blotting paper with books stacked to top as weights.