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Studio Work Notes: Metallic Inks
 Why
oh why, firstly you ask, would anyone want to use such things when printmaking?
Here are some wonderful effects unatainable with any other printmakignstuffs
and reasons why:
- Available in silver, gold, bronze, and graphite for unbelievable
effects
- They shimmer and shine in the moonlight, or sunlight, or artificial
fluorescent light...
- When mixed with other non-metallic inks, they give tiny little
speckles of light to the image
- They appeal to the masses
- Your prints will look guilded when printed with an excess of ink,
click on the image to see its enlargement in detail
- There are actual metal particles in there, thus giving your artwork
more "weight"
- They shimmer--oops, let's get to the specifics on how to use these
inks, shall we?
Nature of metallic inks
As I mentioned, metallic inks have actual metallic particles
in them. No, probably not "real" gold, although it sure looks like it!
The better quality ink, the better quality of metal particle and therefore
the more even and shiny the ink. They are available in silver, bronze,
copper, and graphite. I place graphite in this category, not because it
is a metal, but because it behaves much like its cousins the true metallic
inks.
They are all much thicker than your standard color inks, they will
feel dry and "solid." Although they are available in lithograph and
etching inks mostly, you can easily modify them for relief work using
one of the additives below.
Special problems for printmakers
| Nature of the beast |
Problem |
Solution! |
| Dry, more so than most inks |
Ink will soon dry on your roller/brayer and or slab, apron, hair... |
Use additives like miracle gel or plate oils or other relief inks |
| Not available in relief ink |
Too thick and "pasty" to use out of the can |
Modify tack and consistency with plate oils |
| Metal particles will "sink" in their medium |
The block will soon be "gummed" up with metal particles and some
detail and edges will be lost |
Clean block completely every so many prints (usually around 10);
I use mineral oil |
| Thick with pigment and metal |
May give undesired blotchy effects |
Use additives to thin. OR! use thick to achieve a guilded look
to prints, almost like a gold-leaf effect. |
| When thinned with additives they become too transparent |
Not enough coverage and may have oily blotches |
Yah! Use the thicker oils (#5 through #7) as additives. Less oil
will mean less transparency.
Also, may have to print twice to achieve coverage in some cases. |
| Will dry in the can faster than other inks |
Many "goobers" and "ickies" will appear on your slab. Those are
technical terms for the chunks of dried ink that appear in the cans. |
Transfer ink to plastic container and cover with water. Alternatively,
have palette knife handy and pull out those goobers by their ears
before they get on your block. |
Additives to Tame Them and
Uses for Metallic Inks
 Burnt
plate oil is nothing but linseed oil boiled to various consistencies. It
is available in as many thicknesses as you possibly want to experiment with.
I have found success in modifying my inks with:
- Standard Relief Transparent Medium will give the inks the consistency
needed but tends to remain too "sticky" for my taste. If I use transparent
medium, I also use Miracle Gel to reduce the tack. Inks also retain
their fast dryness, which can become annoying. However, when a thicker
ink is desired, as when printing an engraving, this is the way to go.
Out Early was printed with copper/bronze
mixed with burnt umber in a rainbow roll.
- #3 Plate Oil is used to achieve a very thin layer of ink. It will
be very runny and transparent, so I usually have to print twice to achieve
coverage. Also use #3 oil to "thin down" graphite ink, which feels more
like a chunk of clay than printing ink. Golden
Boy & Silver Girl was printed with gold and graphite/silver mixed
with #3 Plate Oil.
- #5 and #7 Plate Oils are used to achieve a thicker consistency
but effectively "float" the metal particles so that the ink will flow
properly. Use the thicker oil to achieve a guilded effect or when doing
rainbow rolls to mix the ink well on the slab. Dale
Vuelta was printed with all three metallic inks.
- Any color or black ink makes an excellent "mixer" for metallic
inks. The effect varies depending on the proportion of metallic to standard
ink is used. Even a tiny bit of copper will give a burnt sienna a mysterious
sheen under the lights. The Outsider
was printed with copper ink, burnt sienna, and #3 plate oil.
- Finally, use them straight out for a dry guilded effect. Best
results are achieved on very soft papers, which will absorb the ink
medium and leave the metal particles to shine on the surface. The
above print, Leapers, was printed with a rainbow roll of straight copper
and burnt umber.
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