A Note on the Use of Gouache

I have been using tube watercolors for a few of my prints and have some gouache left over from a class a few years ago. The gouache is a more opaque type of watercolor, and is usually not used with much water. I figured I would try a print with gouache to see how it worked out. It didn't seem to make too much of a difference in terms of color, but I did find out that the brush strokes were more visible than I would have liked, leaving the image choppier than desired. Nice effect, but not what I was looking for....

 You can see the brush stokes well with the light behind the plate, and these transfered.

 You can also see how opaque the paint is if you change the lighting.


Batfish

The product after the printing, but I may end up changing it some by working over top.


Batfish (ghost)

Ghost print still has the brush strokes, but it still looks too choppy.

Test Prints

So, I am working on figuring out the best technique. Some of these are more detailed than others, but some were just fast prints. All of these so far are tests, but a few of these may make it into the show, so who knows.


Scapula, spine and ribs of an agouti, 16"x 16"

  This was the first big print that I tried, and you can see that I went over it with colored pencil and graphite. Much of the pencil follows the brush strokes, but the large semicircles was experimental. There are parts of this print I like, like the leg bone and bottom ribs, as well as the drip effect, but I believe that the spine and the knobs on the vertebrae above the scapula are overkill.


Skull and spine of a potbellied pig (3) 4 1/2" x 7"

 This is the third test print for the potbellied pig.  This one isn't finished, but you can see on the right where I started adding the graphite detail.


Skull and spine of potbellied pig (2), 4 1/2" x 7"

This was the second print of the potbellied pig. I used more pigment to get deeper colors and smoothed the transitions with graphite.



Tail and top fin of batfish, 4 1/2" x 7"

  This is the secont print where I used more than one plate. The red lines were drawn on one plate and some of the color added on top, and the other plate had color and the purple splashes over the blue.


Tail and top fin of batfish (ghost), 4 1/2" x 7"

  This was the same as the previous print, but was the ghost print. The same plates are used without cleaning them and the left over pigment will transfer, leaving a lighter print.

Skull and spine of a potbellied pig (1) 4 1/2" x 7"

This is the first print of the potbellied pig, but also the very first print I did in this series. Most of the prints I use for the show will end up looking more like this one, using some of the elements from my other test prints. I think this had been one of the most successful prints, but I also spent more time think about this one. As soon as the semester begins, I will have more studio time, so now I am prepping my plates and ideas.



Spine and shoulders of an iguana 2 1/4"x 3 1/5"



I used three plates on this print and it was the first I attempted with multiple plates. The first plate had blue streaks, seen mostly in the bottom left. The second had the yellow background and the light blues on the bones. The third had the  watercolor pencil lines and the darker blues, as well as the green background. Some of the registration of the plates is messed up, as you can see along the edges where they don't meet up well, but overall, not bad.

The Start

So, I am starting this blog to keep myself in check on my art work and writing. Comment and make suggestions as you want. This is sort of so I have a journal-ish thing to work on and to keep up to date. Below is a copy of my essay for my senior art project. It will give you the basic idea of my project and the process. It hasn’t been revised, so understand that parts of it might be a bit fuddled. Later, I will be adding parts of a story, trying put up a new bit every week or so, like a serial, so if you like it, come back.

The skeleton is evident in much of the life on earth. It is practical, allowing our muscles to latch onto something in order to move. It supports us, carrying our weight about our daily lives. It is unseen, yet the key structural component of our body. The skeletal system is also universal for its basic structure carries throughout much of the animal kingdom. We know what a jawbone looks like, know that short thin bones are fingers or toes, and know that thick, long bones all have the same basic principle of shape to form arms and legs.

I find the shapes interesting, complex in their simplicity. A single bone is of no use, until put together into the system. I also find it interesting that bones are generally depicted as grotesque, and their unique shapes are generally overlooked. Skeletons are cryptic and many people are freaked out by them. Death is sadness and decay precedes the natural finding of a bare bone. In nature, bones are only seen after death, and maybe that is why they are seen in this way.

The process I use for my pieces involves monotype printmaking with watercolors and traditional drawing techniques. Printmaking is a catchall term for any technique used to make a print off of a plate, usually involving a form of ink or paint. There are various types of printmaking, with two major categories, monotypes and monoprints. In processes that multiple versions of the same plate can be created without reworking the plate, monoprints are the outcome. Plates that print monoprints have been altered, either by building upon the plate, or carving away. The raised, or recessed, markings create the image. Since it is permanent damage to the plate, the image can be reproduced, like a stamp. With monotypes, the plate isn’t marked in any way, but may be painted on, and the paint itself is what creates the image.

I start with a sketch of my subject, the same size as my plate, a sheet of plexiglass, which has been sanded and the edges beveled. This helps hold the watercolor onto the plate because it seeps into the grooves cause by the sanding. While the sanded plexiglass looks like it is frosted, there is still a good deal of visibility through it. Because of this, I place my sketch underneath of it and work in that fashion. I start applying the watercolors using various techniques.

The majority of my medium is in the form of watercolor pencils. With these I can apply in a variety of ways. I can draw directly on the surface of the plate, or use a brush and apply it in that manner. I can also lay water down on the plate and draw with in the water, which helps to break up the pencil lines, but also takes longer to dry. After the plate dries, it is ready for printing.

This technique uses an intaglio press, which uses extreme force to push the plate and paper together, allowing the watercolor pigments to transfer. The paper must be thick, and able to hold water. Specific papers are made for printmaking of this type, and prior to printing, must be prepped. In printmaking, the artist will generally not cut paper for a smooth straight edge, but will rip it along a straight edge, creating a ragged edge. Depending on the size of the plate, the paper is ripped to a particular size, usually having a two inch border. For printing, the paper is soaked in a bin of water for at least two minutes, and can be soaked for up to five for this technique. This opens the fibers of the paper, leaving it more susceptible to holding in the ink.

The paper, after it has soaked long enough, is taken out and the excess water is removed. First, it is held until it stops dripping and is then placed on a blotter sheet, a type of paper similar to watercolor paper, which holds water well. Another sheet of this paper is placed on top and the remaining excess water is squeegeed out of the printing paper by rubbing, while applying pressure. The plate is then placed on the press and the paper on top of it, trying to place it as close to the center as possible, so the print isn’t crooked. Newsprint is placed over the paper, and then the presses blanket. The blanket is a thin sheet of wool, which is used to help protect both the plate and the press from scratching or denting each other. It acts as a cushion while the press applied the needed force of pressure to the plate. Because the paper is wet, it reactivates the watercolor, allowing the transfer. Dry paper wouldn’t get an image from the plate.

The paper after printing is still wet and must be allowed to dry, so it is put on the drying rack. A ghost print can be pulled off the plate, with a new sheet of paper, but it will not be as vibrant or clear, since most of the watercolor pigment already transferred. This ghost print is not considered a second print, since the same effect cannot be produced. The plate is cleaned and then can be used again for a new image.

After drying the print, I work over them with colored pencil, graphite and ink. I allow the image the watercolor produced to dictate some of the work I do on them. I enhance the brush strokes and emphasize the elements presented, allowing the process of creating the image to add more character. I am not trying to create the exactness of a proportional bone, but more of a quality of shape, utilizing the unique shape of the bones to create more of an essence. Color also plays a role in the image, allowing the shape to become more visually stimulating.  My images are based on full skeletons, allowing intricate working of their systems to be viewed.