This demo at the 2026 Mid America Print Council Conference will cover silk aquatint, a painterly collagraph technique that combines a delicate layering to build up value, reminiscent of watercolor, with a mesh covered plate that is inked up and printed. Named after the traditional etching process of aquatint, silk aquatint similarly gives artists the ability to create subtle tonal gradations between rich darks and bright whites. These plates are inked up like intaglio plates and have a remarkable ability to reproduce each expressive brush stroke. By prepping various states of the silk aquatint matrix ahead of time, I will demonstrate adhering mesh to a plastic plate, the beginning of the painting process, and pulling a proof print.  

Silk aquatint has wonderful potential not only an accessible bridge between painting and printmaking, but also for adapting to the requirement or desire for a “green”, solvent-free workspace. As part of my demo, I will talk about how this process was a versatile solution for teaching printmaking to both teens and adults in classrooms with little ventilation. In terms of material impact on the planet, the primary byproduct of the process is water with acrylic paint residue. To conclude the demo, I will demonstrate the process of acrylic flocculation for filtering out acrylic paint particulates as a solid, keeping them from entering the waterways.