First you need a firm base & then stick away.....I used masking tape, lace, fabric, pva glue etc
You then cover the whole piece with diluted pva glue & then a clear varnish.
Then the messy bit!
It needs to be completely covered in ink, (if you miss just the slightest bit the space will show as white on the actual print, so not good.).& then wiped off. It sounds pointless I know but you want a the ink to be in the spaces only. Some others at uni did some beautiful work but missed some space & so their prints were a disappointment.
Think of a potato print reversed. Instead of the surface holding the ink, you want the indent, the background, ink covered.
Once everything is dry you place it face down on a damp (so it doesn't rip & molds over the surface easier) piece of think paper & then put it through the press.
The press at uni is similar to a mangle, but keeps the paper flat, kinda like a printer....
The result is this!
I love the outcome, but feel the lace had too much ink, so I repressed it....
The lace is much better in this one, but I prefer the first print.
This is the stamp (can't remember what you call it) after it was pressed. It's quite pretty in its own right!
Plus I came up with a cunning plan.....my Mum has always suggested using my crochet in my paintings & while doing the prints I thought why couldn't I use my crochet it self as a stamp???
So over the past few days I've been hooking away, so watch this space!
