Mixed Media Printmaking Blog

Gelatin Printing with division of space as guide

monotype print / Linda Germain / January 14, 2020

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.

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

I sometimes talk to myself and say things like,

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

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 / Linda Germain / January 13, 2020

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

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

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.

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.

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 / Linda Germain / January 6, 2020

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.

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.
A note book – writing, journaling and doodling are daily practices that feed your mark making habits, so let’s do it!
Phone or camera is great for quick image capture and documentation
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.
Scissors, glue and thread for reshaping and combining materials.
Rusty things can be collected and used to distress paper in uncontrollable ways
Matches and flames are another surprising way to manipulate prints into new forms
Crayons are a wonderfully primitive way to layer rubbings and give new focus
Clothespins and clips are great for separating wet pages while they dry.
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.

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Papers and marks

rust prints / Linda Germain / January 2, 2020

Printmaking is all about making marks on paper. Often the desire is to make lots of the same mark.

Monoprinting is one of a kind printing. Sometimes the image is used over and over, but the resulting prints are unique. I love monoprinting and mixed media printmaking.

For example in the altered books above I used:

gelatin prints as collage
relief printed spirals and flowers
screen printed the blue spirograph image
letter press printed the PEACE
gesso transferred the reverse newsprint

In the image above, I rust printed the index cards and did a crayon rubbing of a found cap. I love how these low tech methods encourage me to see printmaking possibilities in almost everything.

I love to combine everyday items in a unique way, that then has the opportunity to be interpreted differently by the viewer.

In the Mixed Media Retreat, the online class, we will:

Learn new mark making techniques
Create several different books
Add these skills to the ones you already use
Combine to create unique visual stories
Listen to variety of artist’s talks
Be encouraged to walk and work daily on your practice.

READ all the details on the printmaking workshop page and join us today.

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Cleaning is part of making

studio / Linda Germain / December 27, 2019

I am almost afraid to admit that, I just came to the understanding that cleaning up my tools and workspace is part of the process of making.

I resist cleaning and some what resent the time that it takes to puts tools away and organize them. But this attitude is not helping me.

So I am trying to embrace the idea that “cleaning” time is just a valuable as the making time. Maybe I can even make it fun. 🙂 Maybe this new attitude will enhance both the making and the cleaning parts of the process.

I have been looking for inexpensive storage ideas. I found that disposable cake pans/covers work nicely for prints in progress. They are stackable, which means they take up less space.