Late last year I bought a Gocco printer. I had wanted one for ages and when the rather talented Mel from Inkmeup bought one and blogged about it, I decided to get one. I bought a second hand PG10 from the lovely Liz at Dreaming Spirals. However, as with most things in my life, it took a while to get around to actually designing some art and printing.
I went through my sketchbooks and found a design I liked, drew it out in pencil and then overdrew using the carbon ink pen provided, it came out rather well. Having produced my art I was ready to Gocco. I decided to get my husband Luke to help, was this a mistake? Well, yes and no. It was helpful to have someone help me make sense of the Japanese manual and watch the Etsy Labs tutorial, work out the process etc, and somehow we muddled through, albiet with a bit of arguing. We got the screen fired ok, and were then ready to ink and print. Was it messy? **ck yes! The black ink I used had separated and applying it to the screen was haphazard to say the least. Keeping it off the rug required some skill (and a good deal of barracking from the OH). However, I got there in the end and managed to produce some nice prints. Sadly, due to my excessive inking, the screen did not survive and I had to throw it away. So, the prints from this run really are the only ones that will be produced from that design. I printed onto a selection of different papers and card, mostly Khadi paper, some Conte paper and a few pieces of watercolour paper.
Things I learnt were: keep the design simple and central when using a Gocco for the first time. Smooth paper and card prints better, at least until you have become adept at using the printer, and understand exactly how much pressure to apply holding the printer closed and for how long. Lastly, (this one courtesy of Mel), before applying the ink, rather than squeezing from the tube directly onto the screen, squeeze some ink into a plastic container, stir the ink thoroughly and then apply to the screen using the small pallette knife provided.
Here are some shots of the prints I made, plus a couple of me amidst the carnage.
And here is the carnage of my living room.
If you are interested in purchasing any original pieces, postcards and prints then please visit my ART SHOP.