Sometimes we grow in directions and then stall out in a funk.
When that happens to me, I like to go back to my source of inspiration – playing with printmaking. I turn to play to move beyond the rules and should “do’s”.
I give myself the space to play with out any expectations, and then I can usually break out of the funk and move on with a few new ideas.
Three ways to play with printmaking
One – Ten sheets of paper – I pull out 10 ten sheets of paper and just print with abandon. I get a couple of stencils and stamping tools and just print. No goal of making beautiful prints – just get into the process
Two – Use “stencils” from the waste basket. This one can be quite surprising. It is fun to play with scrapes from a collage project. I get inspired to work in new abstract ways.
The print above is a combination of ideas one and two. First I printed 10 sheets with the “found” stencils from a collage project and then I cropped and collaged the prints into a larger print. And I am pretty pleased with the outcome.
Three – Print with a kid. And follow the uninhibited and fearless way of printing. Kids will just do it, use too much ink, layer with abandon and go through tons of paper.