Pin Prick Portrait Development 5: Colour

Ink pad used to 'push' ink through holes in the original image (top), creating a coloured impression on paper beneath

Where ink was applied to pin prick stencil and the resulting image

Stencil seen from reverse with colour visible within the holes

I wondered if coloured ink or paint would pass through the holes in the same way that light passes through, so I decided to experiment with pushing colour through the pin pricks to create an impression on a piece of paper beneath.  Using a commercial ink pad to dab colour through the holes worked well because I was able to exert enough force to push it through.  I used a simplified image here, but it would be interesting to experiment with a more complex image.

Pin prick version of a monoprint composition created previously

Dilute acrylic wash brushed over

Reverse of the pin prick composition (top) and composition created by paint passing through the holes (bottom)

I thought a looser, more watery consistency would pass more easily through the holes, but I found the coverage to be patchy and that in places blotches formed.  I think that for it to be more successful it either needed crisp dots as in the ink version above, or a more consistent blending / merging of the paint as in a watercolour painting.

Undiluted acrylic 'bounced' through the holes using a brush to force more paint through (same paper)

Resulting image - stencil top and resulting composition bottom

Finished composition

I tried a thicker consistency of acrylic, but again achieved a patchy coverage, with thicker patches of paint in some areas and points where the paint had missed entirely.  I think that ink seems to be better for this purpose, which is after all a kind of printing.

I do, however, think that the more complex composition has been successful, with the layering giving the impression of a crowd of people and the use of dense and sparse pin pricking giving the impression of tonal value.