Three ways to use Relief Plates

As a mixed printmaker,  I like to combine techniques to make unique prints. I also like to use non-toxic methods that do not require a printing press.

One way I use a relief plate is to lift ink off of the gelatin plate. It gives you a monochromatic impression on the plate, that can then be printed on to paper. In the print above, I used the relief plate to make the impression in the ink on the gelatin plate and then I printed the impression on to paper and collaged it into a small book.

The second way I like to use relief plates is to directly stamp a focal image on to a mixed media print. The black figure is a carve relief plate and was printed several times in 2 different directions to create the focus of this print.

The third way is to repeated print the plate to create a patterned background, or a textural layer.  In the fabric print above, I used 9 different relief plates to create this textile print. There are 3 layers of printing, a yellow, an orange and the dark orange on top that unifies the whole print.

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