Using Sand Blasting Film for Relief Print

I used sandblasting film for making a relief plate and I printed yesterday--it worked beautifully. (More about film here.)

The film has a sticky back and so I placed it on a piece of 3mm scrap of Sintra (plastic coated foam core). I transferred my image by rubbing the back of my drawing--even the laser printed words transferred quite nicely.

I outlined everything with a thin Sharpie marker, knowing I'd accidentally rub charcoal and words off accidentally during the course of any cutting.

Next comes the cutting. I just used an Xacto blade, being sure to grab a fresh blade when I came to cutting out the letters.

The letters seemed a little wobbly (I should have slightly sanded and degreased my plate before sticking film on maybe...) so I coated the base of the letters with liquid gel. They will not be shifting.

So when I printed yesterday, I used a mask made out of orange poster board to prevent any ink in the low areas. Good idea.

Here's the diagram overprinted on one of Carolyn Kimball's prints.

Next comes the bees.