Mixed Media: Customizing a 1-Color Linocut
I’ve always really liked the visual style you get from linocuts and wood-block prints, but I wanted to play with adding color to my print in ways other than carving additional blocks. Here are a couple of my experiments and how they turned out.
Prepping the Linoleum
To get started, I checked out Ignite’s 16+ Relief-Cut Printmaking Kit. Then I drew the design I wanted onto the surface of the linoleum. To help me visualize the areas that have not been cut away, I added a thin layer of watered-down paint onto the surface. The areas left the color of the paint wash would be the part that is printed with ink later on.
I made some prints using printmaking ink in the color Van Dyke Brown after getting my designed carved. I really like this color as the base because it visually reads as black without being overwhelmingly intense.
Color Experiments
Now that I had my prints, it was time to play with color! In order to retain the printmaking quality of linocut that I was seeking, I needed to use art media that have transparent qualities to them. I selected a few choices and started experimenting.
Alcohol Markers
Alcohol markers were my favorite medium to work with on this project. After some quick color-blocking, the scene really comes to life. I don’t have to worry about covering up the print details since the alcohol markers are transparent. The main thing to keep in mind is to pick light colors. The darkness of the print may make the alcohol marker ink color appear darker than you might expect.
Watercolor
Watercolors work well too! It’s a bit slower of a process as you build up the colors, but I did enjoy the watercolor style in combination with the linocut print.
Colored Pencils
Lastly, here is an example where I used colored pencils. Colored pencils are a bit more opaque so they cover up some of the fine details from the print, but I was still satisfied with the end result. Because I had used Van Dyke Brown as the base print layer, I was able to use a black colored pencil in this instance to add more darkness to increase the dramatic effect.
I hope this inspires you to come in and try combining a few of our kits to experiment with your own mixed media projects. Help inspire others by sharing your creations on the Ignite Community Discussion Board. Happy Making!
