Art Techniques | 3 January 2017Printing In Repeat: Owl Stamps Share article facebook twitter google pinterest You can create tons of cool patterns with block printing techniques. Follow this simple technique from Block Print to learn how to print a standard repeat. TOOLS AND MATERIALS water-soluble printing inks inking platen palette knife brayer precut stamps gridded cutting mat transparent acrylic ruler newsprint or scrap paper printing paper Have your inks, inking platen, palette knife, brayer, and stamps close at hand. I recommend using a gridded cutting mat and a transparent ruler to check the spacing between repeats when you start. Once a few impressions are made, you can easily work by eye, if you prefer. Follow the directions for inking on page 24. Be sure to put only a small amount of ink on the platen and add more as you need it. Water-soluble ink dries quickly. Charge your brayer with thin, even applications of ink. Roll the ink onto the stamp several times for a thin-but-opaque application. Test print the stamp on newsprint after this first application of ink; the subsequent inking and printing of each impression will be much richer than the first impression. Printing a Standard Repeat The standard repeat is the simplest pattern to print. Each impression will be lined up vertically and horizontally like a grid. Before I start to print, I work out how many impressions I will be able to fit vertically and horizontally on the paper and how much space to leave between them. Line up your paper on the gridded cutting mat. If you are right handed, start at the top left corner, so you won’t accidentally smear the ink each time you print. Place the ruler where you want the bottom edge of the stamp to fall. Press the inked stamp down on the paper, applying firm, even pressure. Carefully remove the stamp from the paper, you may need to hold down the paper with your other hand. Repeat the inking and stamping process with each impression, using the ruler to measure the distance between the impressions. If the impres- sions begin to lose clarity, it might be because the stamp is overloaded with dried ink. You can remove the ink by washing and drying the stamp and waiting for it to dry, or by repeatedly stamping a scrap piece of paper until most of the ink is removed. Continue stamping in one direction using your ruler as a guide. When you have completed your row, move the ruler down to the next row. In a standard repeat, the second row will be directly below the first row. Buy from an Online Retailer US: Learn to create classic block print patterns for greeting cards, wallpaper, book illustrations and more with Andrea Lauren’s easy step-by-step instruction! Artist and Designer Lauren shows you simple techniques for creating your own printing blocks out of art-foam. With no cutting and chiseling, these art-foam blocks can be made into shapes and patterns using only scissors and a pencil. Use these printing blocks, or purchased stamps, to create repeat patterns or bundled groupings to get that classic block print look for wallpaper, book illustrations, framing prints, greeting cards, gift wrap, fabric prints, and so much more! Throughout the book, find inspiration from selected works of block print artists from around the world. The new, easy-to-use block printing materials are great for beginners and skilled artists alike. Make your mark with Block Print! Share article facebook twitter google pinterest If you have any comments on this article please contact us or get in touch via social media.
