Inspired by a piece of wire

foam plate printmaking / /

I found this piece of coated copper wire on the studio floor and liked how easy it was to bend into gentle shapes.

wire to make foam relief plates

The wire was easy to shape into spirals and wiggly lines. I used some recycled foam produce trays to make a few relief plates.

foam relief plates for printing

It is easy to press the wire shape into the foam with a little foot pressure. And before I knew it I had a stack of prints.

foam plate relief print by linda germain

It is fun to be in the studio experimenting with tools and making prints. It is a gift of time and discovery that is essential to the creative process.

Hope you get time to try it!

If you are interested in my other tools for foam plate relief printing, then read more in this blog post.

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Notan studies – light and dark balance

stencils / /

Notan is a Japanese term that means light and dark harmony.

It is a way of simplifying the image to only black and white to render the image as black and white shapes. There are no middle values and no color and textures.

notan study of vine

I used the threshold feature in photoshop to reduce this photograph of a vine to just the black and white shapes.

photo edited with threshold feature

This is another photo that was reduce to its light and dark values. This type of image is great for creating emulsion based screens for screen printing. I love to use the EZscreens for small projects.

high contrast image good for photo emulsion screen printing

High contrast photos work well with the threshold feature to create only black and white images, with no gray values. Then we can use the sun to harden the pre-coated screens and it short time have small screens for lots of mixed media projects.

EZscreens made from drawings and photos

Today I did a paper cutting notan study. I used a quick sketch that I had of a metal leaf sculpture. I drew the interconnected design on a small piece of black paper and then cut all the pieces out. The glued them like a reflection on to a larger piece of white paper.

cut paper notan study

I like the simple shapes. An I find that the limited black and white makes a strong impact. And it was easier than I thought to cut out and assemble. Try it!

Simple shapes make great stencils for gelatin printmaking too. If you need the long lasting recipe to make the gelatin and glycerin plate, the click here and get the video instructions.

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Gelatin Printing with division of space as guide

monotype print / /

I am always thinking about how the viewer would interact with my prints. I often want to draw her in for a closer look and to reveal subtle layers and marks.gelatin plate monotype by linda germain

First, I have to catch her attention. That is where the big design elements come in, like value and division of space.

gel print by linda germain

I sometimes talk to myself and say things like,

  • put the focus off center,
  • save some light whites
  • add a dark dark

mock cyanotype gelatin plate print by linda germain

I think that my focus for this year will be on simplifying my prints and embracing some of the the basic elements of design:

  • Value
  • Shape
  • line
  • texture and
  • space

If you are new to gelatin printmaking and would like to make a gelatin and glycerin plate for making monotypes without a press, then get the FREE recipe here.

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Mock Cyanotypes and broken bottles

Gelatin plate print / /

I am playing with cyan ink and some paper stencils of bottles to create some cyanotype like monotype prints.

gelatin plate monotype cyan

It is so addictive. I pull a stack of prints and then think of something else to try.

mock cyanotype print by linda germain

It is a back and forth of inking the plate and allowing the ink to build up and how to transfer it to the paper. I am using the speedball water based inks, so they stay alive and can be re-awakened with water and transferred with mere hand pressure.

bottle print by linda germain

Recently, I was inspired by the japanese ceramic technique, kintsugi. It is a lovely process that takes about a month to repair a bowl with a gold seam. So I “repaired” some paper cracks in my printed bottles with a bit of gold paint.

blue bottle print with Kintsugi like golden repair

If you want to make your own gelatin plate and play with printing your own cyanotype like prints, then get the FREE gelatin and glycerin plate recipe here.

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10 tools to use – Mixed Media Online Retreat

mixed media printmaking / /

Probably the most important “tool” that we will be using in the online mixed media retreat is the gift of time.


Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

And with the gift of time to explore mark making and book making, I am hoping that you will access a new visual language and jump start your art practice for 2020.

We will be using simple tools that you probably already have in your studio.

supplies for mixed media retreat

  1. Your walking shoes – we will start the day with a walk to fill the well and free the mind. I always go for a walk when I need a break from the studio. And I generally find treasure and inspiration on the way.
  2. A note book – writing, journaling and doodling are daily practices that feed your mark making habits, so let’s do it!
  3. Phone or camera is great for quick image capture and documentation
  4. Paper and prints that you already have will be worked into new forms. It is good if they are not so precious, but have some meaning to you.
  5. Scissors, glue and thread for reshaping and combining materials.
  6. Rusty things can be collected and used to distress paper in uncontrollable ways
  7. Matches and flames are another surprising way to manipulate prints into new forms
  8. Crayons are a wonderfully primitive way to layer rubbings and give new focus
  9. Clothespins and clips are great for separating wet pages while they dry.
  10. Gesso or white latex or acrylic paint can give any surface a fresh start

Class starts soon. Read all the details and join us. It will be a great way to jump start your art practice.

The idea of the class is to gather what you have and reshape your papers into new book forms and consider adding non-traditional marks to tell a new story.

artist books made in the mixed media retreat with Linda Germain

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