Inks for Linocut, Etching, Waterless Lithography, Letterpress, Small Offset, Relief Printing, Woodblock, Monotype, Intaglio and Dry Point
Angus Scott has been making ink for printmakers such as Roz Kean, Gary Shinfield, Brian Robinson
Basic Colours
Fine Art Inks are made up of the Basic Pantone Colours which are Warm Red, Yellow, Rubine Red, Rhodamine Red, Purple, Reflex Blue, Process Blue (Cyan) Green, Black, 032 Red, Violet and Orange. This palette of colours was designed to give pure pigmented colours straight from the tube/tin along with an extremely large range of colour mixing capabilities which affords the user unparalleled intensity.
Additional Inks are Opaque White, Tint Base (transparent white) and Ink Modifiers such as Smooth Wipe (a gelled tack reducer) and Add Tack (tack increaser)
Studio Colours
The idea of a range of Studio Colours came from Annie Day of Printmaking Sisters when she asked me if I could produce a range of hues that equalled some of the colours used by Artists, such as Pynes Grey, the Ochres and so on. From this was developed the Studio range, the colours of Australia, which includes, Stormy Grey, the equivalent to Paynes Grey, Umber Glow, similar to Raw Umber, Gloden Sands, Red Rock, similar to Burnt Sienna, Wollemi Pine Green and Gum Leaf Green similar to Olive Green, Terra Firma (dry land), similar to Indian Red.
All inks are basically made from modified tree/vegetable resin to this is added pigments which exhibit much higher colour strengths than any other brands on the market.
Of recent times an ink has be formulated using Red Ochre Pigment obtained from the Kimberely Region, which has been used for millennia in cave and bark painting by the Worrorra, Ngarinyin and Wunumbal people. The ink has been tested and exhibits exceptional quality. (however rather expensive)
Colour Notes
The basic colour types are Primary, Secondary and Tertiary
Primary: The Primary colours are Red, Green and Blue
Secondary: Are colours that are mixed from two Primary colours. Example- Red +Green=Brown
Tertiary: Are colours obtained by mixing a Primary and a Secondary colour.
Modifiers
For Etching and Intaglio add “Smooth Wipe” to aid wiping back.
For Waterless Lithography use “Add Tack” to tighten your ink when needed.
“Tint Base” also known as Transparent White will add transparency for all print applications.
Opaque White completely blocks out the background. It can be used to achieve a pastel colours. Note* when mixing always add colours to opaque white.
Wash-up– Use any light oil, such as vegetable and or a water miscible wash
Fine Art Inks are equivalent to any imported vegetable, mineral or rubber-based products, yet at a competitive price.
Generally priced $33 -$37 /120gm tube, see below
Contact Angus Scott m: +61 416 007 367 e: fiascott@bigpond.com
PS: note from Angus to Roz
For many years ink chemists have been plagued with the problem of a chemical reaction with black pigment and the carrier,(resin).
So, Process Black and Pantone Black are the same product. Dense Black is Process Black or Pantone Black with the addition of 4% of each Reflex Blue and Process Blue.
I supply some major printers with many kilos of Black in Tins (6 & 8 Tins per order) They do use the ink rather fast so this is not so much of a problem.
If they have part tins, they use a product called Stop Set in a pressure can.
This is what commercial Lithographic printers use to spray their Ink Ducts at night, so the ink does not form a skin.
Mal Graphics sells this product.
Back to the problem: In addition to skinning the Black ink can develop a thixotropic state and the ink can become lumpy.
Solutions:1. Yes, Smooth Wipe will help.
2. Spray the surface with Stop Set
3. The best way to overcome this problem is to have the ink in Tubes. This way the surface of the ink is not exposed to air/oxygen.
I will replace your black with say three tubes of black at no cost.
In addition, my suggestion is for printmakers to use Stop Set if purchasing ink in tins.
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