Home Forums Explore Media Printmaking best inks for layering monoprinting and intaglio

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  • #995019

    I’m using caligo intaglio for experimenting with monoprinting and intaglio.
    I’m overprinting a coloured background with black, but the black ink isn’t very sharp due to all the colour underneath. I’m wondering if oil based inks (usual type, not the safewash) would work better? Also would it work with safewash as the background and non-safewash oil based for the final black? Or would they not be compatable?

    Thanks.

    PS sorry this is similar to an earlier question I asked on inks – I should have carried on with the last thread.

    #1268331
    contumacious
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        I think you will need a very opaque ink to cover well. Maybe a block printing ink might work better. You could mull in some mars or ivory black pigment to increase opacity of your Caligo. For what its worth I had to give up on Caligo, it would never dry fully for me.

        I haven’t used them yet but I am going to give the Akua inks a try soon.

        #1268328

        Hi thanks for your reply.
        I think I’m going to give up on Caligo too. The same here, it never seems to fully dry. For me, Caligo works well on it’s own for a single colour e.g drypoint. It also worked ok for a one press monoprint, but as soon as I try to put through the press again with more colour or black it doesn’t work well at all.

        #1268327
        bridog
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            Hi there
            sorry piping in a bit late on your query
            I have found printing the monoprint using Akua intaglio works better. I would thin the ink first with a drop of Akau clear blending medium.

            I then printed the intaglio plate with Caligo safewash wiped into the lines over the monoprint. The results were quite acceptable with the black Caligo ink resisting the influence of akua so the black read as black and not diluted by the wet akua ink.
            Perhaps the difference in oils used to make the inks is what helped?

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            #1268329

            Sorry only just caught up with this.
            Thanks for help. I will take a look at Akua as they keep getting mentioned. I guess there’s really no substitute for the sharpness/boldness of ‘real’ oil based inks. I just prefer the washable ones as I’m messy and I like that they are easier to clean up and don’t have to use white spirit.

            #1268330

            I bought some oil based inks which are vibrant but are very messy to use as I am a bit mad and slapdash! I went back to Caligo and I am getting good results. Simply I’m using a little less ink, but also I am rubbing a page of newsprint flat on the surface of plate to get rid of some ink. So the ink drys, which I had a problem with before and the black is nice and black.

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