Making prints from perspex - Printmaking

by Juliet G. Ament
(UK)

Mixed Media Art Questions for Milliande

Making Prints from Perspex - Printmaking

I recently saw some beautifully sharp, detailed prints apparently done from perspex. Since then I have been scratching away and using a drill with different results, my lino cut and woodcut tools don't work.

Have you any advice?

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Hi

and thanks for your questions ...

I use Perspex for a printmaking technique called " Drypoint Printing"

Here is the way I do It
~ take a perspex sheet and cut to size ( perspex is a type of see through plastic about 2 mm thick often sold in building merchants

~ I use a tool called a drypoint needle to engrave a pattern into the perspex .. drypoint needles come in various qualities that ease the application .. the best quality drypoint needle will have a diamond tip

~ the pattern needs to be engraved quite deeply and it will create a raised outline called a burr

~ as the perspex is seethrough one could trace a sketch through the perspex

~ after the design has been engraved printmaking ink is used to drive it into the engraved line

~ I use oilbased printmaking ink and push it deep into the engraved lines

~ after that any excess is wiped off with scrim -- a type of cloth that has an edge that allows the oil based printmaking ink to be wiped off and/or manipulated for leaving a background

~ after the drypoint plate has been prepared ..in order to print it one needs a printing press as the pressure needed to print into the paper is quite high

~ a sheet of paper is prepared by soaking it in water for a few minutes to loosen the fibres ... then it is blotted off in between to sheets of blotting paper ... put into the printing press on top of the drypoint plate

~ put through the press and you get a beautiful edged drypoint print

~ with a perspex plate - the burr is quite soft and one can get between 4-6 good prints before it disintegrates ... versus using a zinc or copper plate to engrave onto that would provide more prints

Hope this helps as a little intro to Drypoint printmaking

Id did make a video about it sometime ...do check my youtube channel for it :-)
...milliande

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