Exercise 35:
EMBELLISHED BLOCK-PRINTED SHAPES WITH LINE WORK AND PAINT
IN THIS EXERCISE, YOU WILL USE A BLOCK-PRINTED SHAPE AS YOUR BASE ARTWORK, AND THEN EMBELLISH IT WITH GOUACHE AND GEL PEN TO ADD STYLE AND DIMENSION. PICK A DESIGN YOU CARVED IN A PREVIOUS EXERCISE OR CREATE A NEW ONE. I AM USING A FAVORITE NAUTICAL MOTIF, THE WHALE.
MATERIALS
Newspaper or large craft paper
Artist tape
White, gray, or tan smooth lightweight or heavy cardstock, Bristol, or watercolor paper
Scrap paper
Carved stamp from previous exercise (or to create a new one, see here)
Ink pad, black or white depending on paper color
Palette
Black or white gouache
Inexpensive brush for mixing
Brushes (I used a round brush.)
Black or white paint pen, marker, or gel pen
VARIATION
1. Cover your work space with newspaper or large craft paper.
2. Secure the art paper to your work space using tape. Have scrap paper handy for test prints.
3. After first testing your stamp to make sure the impression is how you intend it to be, place the stamp on your art paper and apply pressure with your palm for small stamps. For larger stamps, I use a piece of plexiglass to apply even pressure. You can also use a book, if needed. Stamp your design(s) using the ink pad, reapplying ink to the block if you choose to print your design to fill a page. Let it dry thoroughly. (See A.)
4. Study your work and find areas you wish to embellish with marks.
5. Mix the gouache on a palette and, along with the paint pens or other marking tools, paint and mark both the printed and the negative spaces. (See B.)
VARIATION
