Book Beetle
Ashley DeVan
Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw GA
acrylic paint
6" x 4.25"
2020
I chose to create my print using an old unused book. After coming up with my design for the print and planning out the different layers I started by sketching the first layer onto a page of the book. Then I used an x-acto knife to cut out the areas and shapes that I wanted to print. After this, using the stencil I had just created I continued to cut through the pages below to create several copies of the stencil to use if need be. Using the spine of the book to assist in registering, I placed the paper I am printing behind the stencil page. I used masking tape to hold the paper in place. Lacking any color ink I used acrylic paint instead. In place of a squeegee or rubber brayer I used a foam brayer/roller to push the paint through the stencil onto the paper. Once a solid layer was created I undid the tape from the paper and set it aside to dry. I then repeated these steps for each layer until finished. Depending on the amount of paint used, thin areas of the stencil would sometimes tear or seep through the back on the edges of the stencil. If this occurred I would simply move onto using the next stencil copy I had made of that layer. I also used tape to reinforce some parts that I thought were especially thin and was worried they may tear, such as in my last layer. Despite this I feel it held up pretty well. The only other challenge was registration which could easily be solved with a more consistent method, such as using transfer paper to more accurately transfer my design for each layer before carving.
Book Beetle
Ashley DeVan
Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw GA
acrylic paint
6" x 4.25"
2020
I chose to create my print using an old unused book. After coming up with my design for the print and planning out the different layers I started by sketching the first layer onto a page of the book. Then I used an x-acto knife to cut out the areas and shapes that I wanted to print. After this, using the stencil I had just created I continued to cut through the pages below to create several copies of the stencil to use if need be. Using the spine of the book to assist in registering, I placed the paper I am printing behind the stencil page. I used masking tape to hold the paper in place. Lacking any color ink I used acrylic paint instead. In place of a squeegee or rubber brayer I used a foam brayer/roller to push the paint through the stencil onto the paper. Once a solid layer was created I undid the tape from the paper and set it aside to dry. I then repeated these steps for each layer until finished. Depending on the amount of paint used, thin areas of the stencil would sometimes tear or seep through the back on the edges of the stencil. If this occurred I would simply move onto using the next stencil copy I had made of that layer. I also used tape to reinforce some parts that I thought were especially thin and was worried they may tear, such as in my last layer. Despite this I feel it held up pretty well. The only other challenge was registration which could easily be solved with a more consistent method, such as using transfer paper to more accurately transfer my design for each layer before carving.