Ways to motivate

inspiration / /

I have to breathe fresh energy into my practice every day. Things that help:

Get Outside

shadows to inspire stencils

Today, I walked my usual woods walk, but I started from a different point and it changed the experience. I also allowed myself to photograph shadow in the path.

I am hoping that these shadow photos inspire:

photograph shadows for making stencils

Take a Class

This always gets my creative juices flowing. Recently, I took the Make It Move class with Kara Kramer and Carla Sonheim Presents. We played with making simple animations. It was fun and got me excited about playing with colorful paper.

This is one of my short animations:

If you can’t take a class, find a YouTube video and try a new skill or technique. Pick something that you would not normally do.

Clear Your Design Wall

Every so often I take all the art work off my studio wall. It is like a fresh start. Then I can pick new inspiration to pin up.

studio wall

Then slowly add bits of inspiration or new work.

MORE ways to energize your practice:

  1. Make a mess
  2. Use old tools in a new way
  3. Purge unloved work
  4. Play new kind of music
  5. Move your workbench

Hope you are happily creating in your studio space!

Ways to motivate Read More »

Plates as Puzzle pieces

relief prints / /

Working and printing at home or in a small studio is easy when using soft foam plates. I can pile prints in small spaces and spread tools out on a couple of tables.

foam plate prints

I love using recycled produce containers and small consistent sizes to make plates that can fit together some what like a puzzle.

piece many small relief plates

Soft foam plates create muted and changeable impression. They can be layered an overlapped to introduce variety into the piece.

combine plates to make larger prints

If you are looking for a low tech way to print on paper or fabric and create one of a kind impressions, then foam plate printing may be a good option for you.

draw lines in the foam plates

The basic technique is to make recessed lines in the foam and then ink and print the high parts of the plate. Simple pens and pencils can be used to make the marks. But you can get creative with found objects and masking stencils to expand the mark making vocabulary.

relief printed fabric

Join us in the upcoming class, Soft Plate Relief Printing, read all the details on the workshop page.

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Print patterns on fabric with foam plates

foam plate printmaking / /

I was inspired by the geometric patterns of African mud cloth in this pillow project.

hand printed fabric

I made a few small 2″ x 4″ soft foam plates and played with creating pleasing patterns. I printed on linens and napkins from the thrift store.

foam printing plates

I found that I liked the simple designs best and to leave a little space between impression gave the eye a place to rest. These foam printing plates are made from recycled styrofoam produce trays.

Heat set hand printed fabric

I heat set the printed fabric with an iron. I use the hottest possible temperature and use a thin cloth in between the iron and printed fabric. The longer you can wait to wash the more permanent it becomes as well.

relief printed pillow

If you would like to make a bunch of foam plates and play with printing on paper or fabric, then join us in Soft Plate Relief Printing, the online class starting soon. Get all the details on the printmaking workshop page.

relief printed fabric quilt

I was ambitious and made this ocean inspired quilt from a stack of relief printed swatches. FUN!

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Line drawings and Relief prints

foam plate printmaking / /

The soft plate relief printing class available now. This low tech method is an easy way to make printing plate from bold line drawing.

soft foam relief printing plates

The idea is to make recessed lines in the plates. Ink sits on the high spots of the surface and the lines print in white.

soft relief plate for printmaking

You can use a variety of tools to make the lines in the soft foam plate:

  • pens and pencils
  • nails
  • embossing tools and
  • sturdy found objects like twigs

different styles of marks with soft foam relief plates

Different tools will create marks with different characteristic. Finding new mark making tools is part of the fun of this method of printmaking without a press.

different line characteristic foam printing plates

You can combine these small plate into prints of varying sizes. I like to make plates that can fit together like a puzzle.

foam plate relief print

If you are interested in learning to make and print with these foam plates, then join us in the online class, Soft Plate Relief Printing.

Line drawings and Relief prints Read More »

Gelatin printing and screen printing

artist book / /

I am in my studio and thinking about all the printmakers around the world who are printing too! It is Print Day in May 2020.

linda germain in her studio

I made a tiny 2020 relief stamp yesterday from a small chunk of an eraser. I think I will use it on some prints today.

2020 relief stamp

I had planned on making some 8″ x 10″ gelatin prints on this international day of printmaking. But I also made a stack of monotype printed pages that could be formed into a book.

monotype printed book pages

Change of plans! I am going to keep it loose and fun!

  • I over printed the pages with yellow and gold gelatin plate impressions
  • I used some thermofax screens and EZscreens to add more marks to the pages
  • I gelatin printed some new papers for the book covers

screen printed pages

Screen printed marks can add such detail. I am not sure how the book is going to come together. It is warm so the inks are drying quickly, so I think I could finish today.

monotype printed pages artist book

Printing a great way to spend the day.

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