Basic techniques for handprinting in colour

Basic techniques for handprinting in colour

The bold graphic qualities normally associated with relief printing - lino and wood - are well suited to high contrast images in black and white. This can also be a bit of a safe zone. Colour can add a great deal to an image, whether as a small splash or a large dose. It can completely redefine the work, or just add a new dimension, but in developing a print it is good to explore colour to assess all options.

There are many ways of incorporating colour into a relief print and these can be quite basic. More advanced techniques such as multi-blocks (different coloured areas are printed from different blocks), jigsaws (cutting the block into areas for different colours and reassembling for print) and reduction (carving areas away between printing in different colours) require a fair bit of planning in design. The best places to start playing with colour are through paper, ink and colouring by hand.

A good way to start experimenting is with paper. Many people feel safest using black ink perhaps because black on white is familiar. Working on a coloured background, whether a subtle neutral or pastel, or a vibrant spectrum can maintain contrast and the graphic impact through limited colour scheme. 

Printing without a press as I do means thinner, lightweight (low gsm) papers preferable to some of the heavier high quality papers if an even distribution of ink in the print is wanted rather than a fainter, sketchier image. This expands paper choice. Quality rice papers, brown paper, stationery, craft and coloured inkjet printer papers can all be used as substitutes to white with varying impact. Patterned origami and scrapbooking papers can work well as long as they allow enough contrast for the print to be seen well against it - this goes for the detail of the pattern as well as the depth of colour. Look for a matte finish on the paper, as ink will not distribute or adhere well on shiny gloss.

Black ink on various coloured papers with some hand colouring.

Printing in coloured ink can change the whole feel of a design. Block inks come in a range of colours which can be mixed within brands as well as used as they are. Sometimes the pigments used in the primaries don't produce clear secondary colours true to the spectrum, but this may not matter. White inks are also available and are interesting to use on black paper producing a negative. Mixed with spectrum colours they can add opacity as well as producing a lighter tint.

Small test pieces printing in different colours  on different papers with some hand coloured elements.

While coloured inks can be used in conjunction with coloured paper, inks can also be layered. An easy starting point is to print in colour from an uncarved block of the same or slightly smaller size than that of the carved image. The image can be printed over this once dry. Trials of different colour combinations will provide a reference for later prints as the transparency of different inks will produce results you may want to replicate later.

Basic and intermediate samples from workshop participants clockwise from top left: white over green ink, black on white paper with the addition of chine colle (collage piece added at time of printing) providing the red of a waratah, white on black paper, white on black with hand colouring in pencil, a carved block inked with a black and white blend or rainbow roll.

Hand colouring a print is simply colouring it in. This is the easiest way of incorporating many colours and adding dimension through blending and shading, although it may not be the easiest to replicate when producing multiples of the same. Watercolour, drawing inks and coloured pencils are all suitable, but it is good to test wet media on papers first as some, especially if lightweight will warp and buckle. This is also a great way to explore ideas that can be worked into an image through using multiple blocks or more advanced techniques.

Any of these easy methods can be used in combination and experimenting widely will reveal what does and doesn't work well according to each project. Be daring!

Combined techniques with green ink on brown paper and hand colouring. The black and white elements were printed separately and collaged later.