I have been making four-color risograph prints for many years. This is my first official risograph print set of three small wall art prints.
My process often starts by making collages with photographs from National Geographic magazines. After I’ve made a collage that I like, I scan it and separate the four different colors layers to mimic CYMK printing for risograph.
Risograph Art and Motherhood
I feel especially proud of myself for making this riso print set a reality because I became a mother in March 2020. Just as the Covid-19 pandemic was getting started in the United States, I gave birth to my first child. Thus, making art has been a challenge.
When I became a mother, my whole world changed and my identity as an artist shifted. For many years, I identified so strongly with being an artist. That is why it was so difficult for me when I entered took on a new identity of being a mom. Especially during the early months of motherhood, when my whole world revolved around making sure my son was feed (at all hours of the day and night), I felt like it was so difficult to make art.
In fact, during 2020 and a large portion of 2021, I made no art. In addition to the sleep deprivation and stress that came from new motherhood during a global pandemic, this felt like a huge blow to my identity and my ego. As I reflect on this difficult time in my life, I now understand these three items to be supremely important to my mental health and art making.
- A equanimous acceptance that my practice will slow down or even stop for a while
- The thoughtfulness to prioritize my rest and well-being above all else
- A hopeful and patient spirit that everything changes
Risograph Printing for Moms – An Easy Way to Make Art
Now that my son is two-years-old, I finally I have the time and energy to refocus on my art practice. Finding the space between motherhood and art making has been a tenuous balancing act, but I’ve found a happy medium recently.
Only recently have I had the energy and time to start making art again – thanks to riso printing. While breast feeding late at night, my brain was swirling with these complicated video projects that I wanted to pursue. However, I realized that filming, editing and publishing these videos was way too much for me to handle.
So I turned to my first love – illustration and printmaking. These art making methods are so accessible and easy even for a tired mom to do so I ended up immersing myself completely in the process. At first, I felt like it was a copout, but I realized that it was actually a powerful way for me to take care of my creative health. As someone who is constantly trying to outdo myself, I have realized that there is nothing wrong with pursuing ‘easier’ art making, especially when raising a child.
I know that someday I will return to the world of making videos and other more complex art projects. But for the time being, I am really enjoying being a printmaker and mom.
What is Special about Risograph Printing
Risograph printing is very accessible to artists of all levels. If you’re interested in what is special about risograph printing, it is important to know a little bit about the history of the RISO printer and its process.
The risograph printing process is like screen printing,b ut with the convenience of a photo copier. In fact, the risograph printer looks a lot like bulky office printer. Risograph printers produce vivid colors which cannot be reproduced in other printers and makes unique textures. Risograph printing offers slight variations with each print because the printing process is still a very analog process in which as the paper moves through the machine and different color layers are printed, there are slight misalignments. This is perfect imperfection is what people tend to love most about this printing process.
Here are the top reasons why risograph printing is special:
- Accessibility to artists of all levels
- Affordability to create multiple prints for posters, art, books and pamphlets
- Bright and vivid colors that can’t be reproduced on conventional printers
- Unique color layering
How to you Make a Risograph Print?
To make a risograph print, you will first need to find a risograph printer. Here is a list of 51 risograph studios across the world. Do you see any that are near you?
Here are the risograph studios that I have worked from:
Once you have a risograph studio in mind (or if you have you own Risograph printer, you lucky duck), you will need to have something to print. Here are some great items to make on a risograph printer:
- limited edition art prints
- small run books and zines
- posters
- pamphlets
I am an art printmaker, but I have also published small-run books as well on risograph printers. However, for the sake of this article, I will give you a quick rundown of the risograph printing process for art prints:
- Create your masters (generally these should be black and white because the machine will create a screen of your image)
- Place you master on the glass bed of the risograph printer facing down (keep note of which direction your master is facing if you are printing multiple layers)
- Create the screen master
- Choose a color
- Print!
Again, this is a very watered down version of how you can make you first riso print. If you want a more detailed understanding of this process, you should definitely take a workshop at one of the risograph studios list4ed above.
Risograph Prints for Sale
There are many talented risograph print artists in the word and I am just one of them! Risograph printing is a perfectly imperfect art making process so please support these artists by purchasing a print and leaving a positive review of their work.
Here are my newest risograph prints that I have printed this year.
Thank you for reading and please let me know if this article has helped you in any way! As always, you can find my risograph prints on Etsy.