COLLAGE IS KING

  All of these prints are "collage" printed. My favorite method is an amalgamation of 4 different papers, colors or processes, cut out and then reassembled as a print. Because all the prints are from the same block, edges and shapes would match perfectly from any of them. This adds wonderful composite capablities.

  The board is inked and printed differently 4 times. The first print is inked in light multi-color mixtures. Brayers of different colors are rolled over the surface. The colors blend by accident or intent, depending on the application. Paper is placed over the inked surface, rubbed with fingers or lightly with a spoon. The print is lifted up periodically to check for missed areas. When done, the print is pulled and left to dry.

  The board is wiped lightly in-between each printing with paper towels or blotted with newspaper. The board cannot be washed. The second inking involves some selected solid colors of the first print. The rest of the board will have darker colors and applied mixed or solid as desired.

  The 3rd print is on printed wallpaper. Ink colors are related to it and accentuate or contrast those colors.

  The last inking is on a colored background. This paper may also be collaged with tissue paper colors or left plain. The last inking has the darkest blends--2 or 3 mixed on the board or one hue with an added blend, like blue/black.

  The very stubtle pastel colors in this background contrast nicely with the strong foreground dark reds and green.

  The 2nd print was used as the background, and the others prints were added to it. One additional paper was added--white tissue paper in the center and lower right area. Since it is so transparent, tissue colors can be laid on top of the print and perfect edges cut to conform to the space desired for application.

  The "broken lines" in the background are the parts of ribs that were cut and removed or pressed down. Being lower, the brayer cannot impart color and those areas will be whatever color paper the paper is.

  The design, an abstract, suggests a tropical island to me. Mostly cut in curves, the 3 depths are well displayed.

  The 3 clowns on the left have a very nice mixture of "split images", where the same shape is constructed with 2 or more different papers. The wallpaper, a green print is in the center and lower right section. The darkest value was used quite sparingly as partial shape outlines.

  The multi-colored print on the right kept an honest reproduction of her original print, but also attached shapes from other prints to develop her composition further. The wall paper texture is in the middle section with a solid application on the right, and narrow rib strips on the left. There's another repeat of that paper elsewhere. Can you find it?

  Unlike the other prints, this one used the colored paper print as his background. The 4th and darkest print was cut and added to it for the majority of the foreground. Notice the smooth, empty areas in the middle? That's where a great deal of the board was totally removed.

  The top ribs are rhythmically texture-cut, the few right ones are scattered adjacent to the tree with many removed and some textured, and those on the bottom left form a rectangular pattern. The light wallpaper is a strong tree component and contrast.

  All designs were from beginning level students. The whole process is a good graphic arts introduction and collage experience and offers many surprising results quite inexpensively.

Note: All formats were box sides cut to 18" x24".