Mixed Media Printmaking Blog

Things I have learned lately – Making ART

drawings, inspiration, mark making tools / Linda Germain / April 19, 2021

I recently participated in Karen Abend’s Sketchbook Revival. It was a free event with 28 generous teachers sharing ideas for making art in our sketchbooks.

I also did a class with Lewis Rossignol through Carla Sonheim Presents.

So I have taken in a lot of information and ideas about using a sketchbook. And I am starting to appreciate my style of drawing and mark making.

Let me share a few ideas that motivate me:

From Danny Gregory – Use up those art supplies – don’t let them be precious
From Carla Sonheim – Look more at the things I want to draw – notice the shapes, lines, etc
John Muir Laws – Count and observe and record like a scientist, in a curious way.
Play with sticks and ink from Helen Wells
I am willing to sit and listen for my daily message and write it in my sketchbook – thanks to Jessica Swift.
I love to “mess up” my sketchbook as encouraged by Lewis Rossignol.

If you are looking for support and encouragement and an online printmaking class, then check out the current classes.

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Build your design skills – gelatin printmaking

Gelatin plate print, masking stencils, techniques, tools / Linda Germain / April 14, 2021

Gelatin printmaking is fast and gives you immediate feedback about composition and design skills. That is one reason that I love the process.

Art school teaches us to make thumbnail drawings and plan our composition first. I just don’t have the patience for that approach.

I like the trial and error approach of making lots of prints. And over time my design skills have grown and I had fun in the process. And I want to share that approach and what I have learned with you in the online printmaking workshops.

We will create growth and success by:

Getting to know your masking stencils and how to get strong impressions
Limiting the colors so we can create prints with a strong range of value
Using a small standard size paper to get a dynamic division of space

These boundaries will give you the structure to support new understanding of the tools and how the impressions are created. This should create success and happiness!

I hope you will check out the online printmaking classes.

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The woods as my inspiration

handmade books, mixed media printmaking, stencils / Linda Germain / April 12, 2021

I have been taking daily walks in the woods by the lake. I take photos but they don’t really capture the connection that I feel.

Yesterday, I decided to play with printing trees with torn paper stencils and the gelatin plate. Torn paper has a wonderful ragged and organic edge.

I wanted to create an abstract and somewhat natural feel to the printed woods scapes.

I experimented with speedball water based block printing ink and a little bit of acrylic. The first impression gave me the very dark background with white tree shapes. The second impression produced lovely light spot trees, similar to a birch tree.

I was having fun, but I wanted to create more range of value and some darker tree shapes. The printing session was a bit up and down with being pleased with the prints and being frustrated. That is usual for me.

I printed a second day and was pleased with some of the prints. I glued several into an accordion book and then did some collage and doodling.

Even though they are just torn paper stencils, I think I will save them for another day of printing.

Check out current classes.

Happy Printing!

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Play with Printmaking

inspiration, mark making tools, tools / Linda Germain / April 7, 2021

Things can get serious. So that is why I routinely remind myself to put some play back into my printmaking.

Sometimes I get hung up on results, process or materials.

To get a lighter fresh approach I:

Try a new technique – tiny eraser stamps above
Use simple or new tool – rusted paper below
Use my ten pieces of paper idea

If you have a child or grandchild to print with that can be a great way to loosen up and play.

It takes time to really let yourself get into the play mode. Sometimes I need to make a mess and a bunch of ugly prints along the way.

Yet, in the end something new usually emerges.

I hope I have encouraged you to put some play into your printmaking today. Enjoy!

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Scraps collage – so much fun!

altered books, artist book, book arts / Linda Germain / March 15, 2021

One way to get your creative juices flowing and quiet the inner critic is to work on several small pieces at once.

Another way to keep the creativity flowing to to layer and respond with minimal marks.

I did these scraps collages with bits and pieces of book pages and part in my online class, Books as ART Materials.

I approach the project with an attitude of playful discovery. I work up about 12 4″ square pieces in layers.

Sometimes a get a few striking collages. But I am always developing my design and composition skills.

Give it a try at the end of the day, gather the bits of waste from your work bench, add scribbles, text or coffee stains and see what happens.

If you would like to explore using Books as ART Materials, then join us in the upcoming class. Read all the details on the workshop page.

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