Roller Derby Queen: Collograph

Greetings gentle readers,
Sorry to have abandoned you for so long.

It has been requested that I post a collograph with a bit of 'how to' to the blog. These prints, Roller Derby Queen Series, are collographs printed with etching ink on Arches Cover paper. The image size is 4" x 12" on a 7 1/2" x 15" piece of paper. These prints and other collographs are available for sale here.

Collographs are a simple yet surprisingly sophisticated printmaking technique:

1) Select a substrate to use as the 'plate' (cardboard, masonite or my choice - matboard)


2) Create an image by cutting paper, string, etc. and glueing them down in layers with gloss medium and varnish to the substrate.


3) Once the image is laid out and glued down, coat the entire plate (front and back) with more medium/varnish to seal the plate.

4) The plate is then inked and wiped. The entire plate is covered in ink and then carefully wiped with a cheescloth like material to remove ink from the top flat surfaces and rub ink into all the edges, nooks and crannies. Any place the plate holds ink will create the defining lines of the image. The plate can also be 'top rolled' with another color ink before printing (the hot pink print was inked this way).

5) The plate is then placed on the press, covered with a sheet of paper and run through the press. Presto!


After letting the prints dry, they can be colored with watercolor, pastel, colored pencil,etc. to achieve unique finishes. The first image at the top of this post was watercolored after printing. If you have any questions about this technique, feel free to ask.