Uses for ‘failed’ prints.

No-one can produce perfect prints first time so what happens to all those trial pieces?  The ones where the colour chosen really wasn’t right or the registration was off-kilter.  Even the ones where the main image was perfect but the inking on the fringes was less than adequate.  My printing class tutor had a good idea.

We tore BFK Reeves paper into 4 strips lengthways and folded each into a concertina.  Everyone scoured their discarded prints and cut or tore them to fit the panels.  The prints were laid out and we chose randomly, afixing them to our booklets as we went.  These were then passed around and each person signed and dated their contribution.  What a great way to finish the year, a reminder of all my classmates, and a sample of different printing styles as a bonus.

Here’s a close up of my finished one.

You could do this with any technique: marbling, stitching, screen printing, drawing, painting, stamping, dyed fabrics or anything else you can think of.  The fun is receiving pieces from others as you never know what you will end up with.

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