The normal journey for a print created on paper is for it to be dried flat and framed. Once printed it is not usually cut up, re-wetted and used for collage. The inks are chosen purely for how they perform during the process and the artist’s personal preference. However I create printed papers for collage and I use a wide variety of processes, inks and paints to do so. I go on to use these papers to create collages on paper and panels with a range of adhesives from gloss medium to encaustic medium (molten wax) As such I need to be confident that they will perform well, in particular they will neither bleed colour or delaminate.

I have spent decades testing and using products and in my forthcoming book Printmaking for Collage I discuss the materials and processes I use. However, I felt my experiments and test results are better placed in a blog to illustrate, demystify and inform artists. It is based on my own research and experience of creating papers for collage but I’m grateful to all the technicians who have answered my endless questions, and to the artists who follow my journey.

Not all paints or printing inks are suitable to be used with all types of adhesive. The most common problems when using hand printed papers for collage are:

1. A water-based printing ink bleeds colour when adhered with a water-based adhesive.
2. An oil-based printing ink bleeds colour when embedded with a solvent based product or encaustic medium (molten wax)

The photo below shows the range of inks (a generic term that includes paint) I used for this test. It also shows the variety of density achieved. Any blotchy-ness, fingerprints or stray ink is down to me, not the ink! As you can see some paints or inks provided a better print than others. Interestingly the cheapest water-based ink was the Essdee, and it performed as well as other more expensive inks.

The paints and printing inks I used are as follows.

Water-based

• A – Lefranc bourgeois
• B – Speedball block printing ink
• C-  Essdee block printing ink
• D – Akua Intaglio*

Water-based (polymer binders)

• E – Permaset Screen Printing*
• F – Speedball Screen printing*
• G – Golden Open acrylic*

Oil-based

• H – Caligo Relief
• I – Speedball fabric
• J – Oil paint + Schminke medium
• K – Oil paint + Cold Wax Medium
• L – Hawthorn Open

I chose to create relief prints for this test. The intaglio process has far fewer options for ink, the only water based ink suitable is Akua or Gooden Open. Intaglio uses only small amounts of ink and very little is left on the surface of the paper. As a result the intaglio inks rarely bleed colour. The relief processes I use include monotype, foam, clay, lino and card. They all leave paint or ink on the surface of the paper.

Method

I relief printed each ink/paint by rolling out onto a slab, adding thickener if required and rolling it onto a card mask. I printed on tea bag paper, my preferred paper for collage. I used a baren for pressure, but I could have run the inked mask and paper through a press.

Drying

I left the papers for two weeks before the test. Most water-based inks and paints would dry within 48 hours, but Akua intaglio and oil-based inks take longer.

NOTE: Cold wax medium is solvent based, using this paper with encaustic medium before the solvent has fully evaporated is not advised as it will release fumes. Most artists advise against using CWM with encaustic, Gamblin recommends leaving papers at least two weeks before using.

Once dry I sorted the papers by group and cut each paper into four sections.

Testing

I used watercolour paper as a substrate, and the products I used with each were as follows:

• Golden gloss medium. Alternatives: gel medium or pva (Lineco or Jade 403)
• Nori Paste. Alternatives: methyl cellulose paste, wheat or rice paste
• Cold Wax Medium (CWM). I used Gamblin but Dorlands is similar.
• Encaustic medium. I use R&F.

It’s important to note that there is a difference between adhering and embedding. Adhering involves attaching an object to the surface of another, keeping it mostly external and distinct, while embedding fixes an object firmly within a surrounding material, Adhesion is surface-level, whereas embedding is volumetric. I like my papers to absorb as much as possible so the surrounding area becomes transparent so even with water based adhesives I embed by applying it under and over. Using CWM and encaustic it is always an embedding process.

The paper used also plays a part. In my earlier blog I discuss the papers I use. However I recently tested papers for transparency using  CWM and encaustic. As expected those papers that are coated to make them strong: Vakly examination paper, Deli paper, Wet Strength Tissue are less receptive to both CWM or encaustic.

Application

Gloss medium and Nori paste: Brushed onto the substrate. The printed paper laid on top and more medium/paste brushed over.
CWM: Spread onto the substrate with a plastic spreader. The printed paper laid on top and more CWM spread over. It takes two weeks to cure.
Encaustic medium: molten medium brushed onto the substrate. The printed paper laid on top and pushed down. A layer of wax applied on top and fused with a heat gun. Whilst dry on cooling it takes a few weeks to cure.

Water-based

As expected all of these products bled when water based adhesives were used. Akua intaglio will eventually dry water resistant but two weeks is not long enough. You can seal these papers to prevent bleed, see below.

They all performed well with the CWM and encaustic although the Akua will bleed a little if too much heat is applied.

Water-based (polymer binders)

As all three products contain a binder, they were waterproof once dry. The screen inks were heat set with an iron.

All three performed well with CWM and Encaustic medium. As a general rule acrylics should not be used with encaustic, but as Jeff Hirst once told me not all acrylics are equal, some dry matt and others can be modified to do so. However I would not advise using CWM or Encaustic over an acrylic painting. That would be in the realms of adhesion rather than embedding. We are embedding lightweight collage papers that have very little paint applied. In my experience as long as the printed area is not slick or glossy, the paint dries matt, and the paper is still absorbent, they perform well.

With encaustic it is easy to test a piece: an unsuitable paper will curl up and resist being adhered.

Oil-based

As expected there was no bleed when water based adhesives were used. However a few areas smudged. The rule of thumb is not to use acrylic with oil or wax. However as long as the printed area is not thick with ink, and the paper remains matt/absorbent they perform well. 

The oil based inks I use are water miscible, and can reactivate when water-based adhesives are applied. The trick is to not overwork them, or to seal them before using them for collage.

Wax and oil are happy bedfellows but with the CWM it’s important to not overwork the medium as the solvent it contains can reactivate the oil based inks. The fusing process for encaustic needs a gentle touch, too much heat and the oil based products will bleed into the wax. 

Conclusion

I hope that helps anyone in a similar situation to create collage papers they are happy with, and that perform how you want them to when collaged.

What do I use? That depends on the process: For relief printing I use either Golden Open or Caligo. For monotype I use Golden Open or oil paint mixed with a medium. For intaglio I use Akua as the consistency is perfect.

I always recommend before you rush out to buy any new inks or adhesives see what you have, see how they can work together. It may mean a few need sealing. There are a lot of ways to do that but the following is my preferred method.

Sealing water based prints

I have found the best way to prevent papers bleeding colour is to encase them in gloss medium, under and over using a gel plate. A silicone kitchen mat will perform equally well. Make sure you leave it undisturbed until dry. Once dry these papers can be used for collage but they will be unsuitable to use with CWM or Encaustic medium due to their glossy surface.

If you want to know more about using Cold Wax Medium for collage I am teaching a class on this years Painting With Fire

Some artists coat papers for encaustic and cold wax with Liquitex Clear Gesso to get a good bond. Whilst this is an acrylic product it is rough and toothy when dry and provides a mechanical bond.

Encaustic gesso is another acrylic based product that is very matt. It can be used as a paint and tinted with liquid acrylics.

*thickened with Magnesium Carbonate. Susan Rostow’s video on mixing Akua Intaglio for relief is useful.