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  • July 20, 2017 at 10:18 am #995218
    zippie
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        Hi Folks,

        Well, I’ve been doing a lot of reading and researching and seem to just be getting more confused.

        I’m primarily an oil painter but want to try some monoprinting–I’ve never done any printing before.

        I’m trying to choose between three “inks” and some papers and would really appreciate just some general advise. I only need adequate quality to see if I like the process, not looking for the best of the best.

        I’ll be doing monotypes by hand on a glass plate, including some trace monotypes. I’ll probably be adding other media like light watercolor and pastel to the print. Looking for a good solid and crisp black. I also have on hand some Fabriano Artistico 140lb CP watercolor paper–would this be acceptable?

        So far I have narrowed it down to these three:

        Akua Intaglio–carbon black
        Caligo– black
        Golden Open acrylics–carbon black

        Papers I’m considering are:

        Fabriano Rosapina
        Fabriano Unica
        BFK Rives 115 gsm
        Masa

        I should add that I don’t mind ordering a sheet of each paper or even each ink to sample, and maybe that is the best idea, but I would love to know if there is an obvious “dog” on the list I should stay away from.

        Thank you so much! I really appreciate any input!

        onward!

        "There are no wrong notes; some are just more right than others."- Thelonius Monk

        July 20, 2017 at 11:07 am #1271414
        IanBertram
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            Ibelieve you can also get a medium to add to oil paints to make it suitable for printing. Never used it so can’t advise further, but might be worth a try if you have already invested in oil paints – at least until you decide if you want to go further with printmaking.

            As for papers, I tend to use at least 200gsm weight, but that is with a press. Lighter weights might be better iof you are hand burnishing.

            Ian
            Website - https://ianbertramartist.uk
            Instagram: - https://www.instagram.com/ianbertramuk/
            Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/ianbertramartist/

            July 20, 2017 at 1:11 pm #1271416
            zippie
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                Thanks Ian!

                I think I’d rather stay away from oils because it complicates the paper choice. I’d have to either gesso the paper or use canvas paper which I’m not too fond of. I would like to try to get the actual experience of using inks etc.

                Any other good contenders missing from that list? Thanks!!!

                "There are no wrong notes; some are just more right than others."- Thelonius Monk

                July 22, 2017 at 5:14 pm #1271417
                zippie
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                    Well, I figured i’d just follow up in case anyone else is interested. I wound up ordering the Caligo safe wash black ink and the Fabriano Unica. Figured I’d start out modestly, get a feel for it and go from there. They were both on sale and had good reviews.

                    Ian, thanks again for the suggestion on oils. I did look into the mediums for oils but it was kinda confusing so I thought I’d just start with ink; it seemed simpler and then I’ll have something to compare the rest to.

                    The Unica paper is about 250gsm so I am hoping that will be light enough to work by hand.

                    Glad to hear any suggestions!

                    Onward…

                    "There are no wrong notes; some are just more right than others."- Thelonius Monk

                    July 24, 2017 at 11:31 am #1271415
                    IanBertram
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                        The artist friend who used oils with the medium used exactly the same paper as her other printing, so no special prep required. She doesn’t have a press, so to her mind it was simpler than buying a separate set of inks.

                        From my experience you shouldn’t have a problem with that weight of paper and monoprinting by hand. In the past I’ve just burnished it down with the heel of my hand or used a clean roller over the back of the paper. I like the imperfections of hand printing to be honest.

                        I haven’t tried drawing onto the back of the paper though, but I’ve seen some great effects that way.

                        Best of luck with your experiments

                        Ian
                        Website - https://ianbertramartist.uk
                        Instagram: - https://www.instagram.com/ianbertramuk/
                        Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/ianbertramartist/

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