Mixed Media Printmaking Blog

Ebb and flow of creating

inspiration / Linda Germain / July 16, 2024

It has been a good summer for small boat sailing, here in New England. There are a lot of factors that affect the decision to sail:

the wind speed and direction
the timing of the tides
and for me whether my brothers are willing to drag the boat over the beach to the shore.

Creating is like sailing. Some days are better than others, but even on a “bad” day I can find something good about it.

I do the best I can given the conditions. Sometimes:

It is hard to get started, but after I do start I find myself enjoying it
The conditions are not ideal, like the studio is 90 degrees, so I print in short bursts of time.
There could be factors beyond my control and I just need to take a day off from creating.

I have created little travel kits, so I can create at home, in my car, or at the beach. This way I increase my chances of finding the time and energy to create. I can roll with the ebb and flow of my energy.

My travel kits are nothing special, just a baggie of markers, a pen, some small stamps and a journal.

I have tried the more complex sketchbook kits, with watercolors and such, but they were too much for me and I never used them. We need to try lots of options and then do what works for each of us individually.

I find taking an art class can help with the ebb and flow of creation. I am following a couple of classes right now. I don’t always do the lessons as assigned. I try to take what is offered and tweak it to my style.

For example, the assignment was to collage in found images, as a background. I adjusted it and collaged in photocopies of my own images. This feels more meaningful to me.

So I encourage you to:

be open to the ebb and flow of making stuff
try a small travel kit specific to you
maybe take a class and tweak the lessons to your needs

If you like self paced online classes, then check out the classes I have to offer. Enjoy!

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Phone – studio tool

inspiration / Linda Germain / June 11, 2024

How many ways do you use your phone in your art practice? I know we are advised to limit screen time, but our phones have so many features that can be a challenge.

Maybe we could limit mindless screen time? Go back to rotary phones??

I use my phone:

to photograph art work and inspiration constantly
to shoot video of processes
to time exposures – cyanotypes
to listen to soothing music
as a timer to get things done
to create reminder lists
to make slideshows
to capture before and after clean studio pictures
to check the time or weather for making plans
to check out art friends social activities
find free clip art
Screenshots of internet ideas/instructions

With all of these uses, I can see why it is a challenge to reduce screen time. I am okay with many of those activities. And I know my black holes, Netflix, Youtube and Freevee.

I am giving up feeling bad about using my phone and will be looking for more creative uses for this studio tool. I invite you to try some gentleness around your phone use and art practice.

Check out the online classes available now.

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Simple tools – bold marks

artist book, book arts, combined techniques, foam plate printmaking / Linda Germain / May 31, 2024

I love to keep the printmaking process simple and non-toxic. That is one reason that I enjoy gelatin printmaking so much.

I also enjoy the easy printmaking process of relief printing. Sticky back foam and scissors make this even easier.

The simpler the design the more I like it. Stamp pads can be expensive and the ones I buy dry up too fast. I found a way to ink the foam plates with broad nib markers.

I can quickly print these stamps in books and on papers. I love that I can use limited supplies and have very little clean up. And because I am using water based markers to “ink” the foam stamps everything is dry very quickly.

I have made quite a stack of little foam stamps over the last few weeks. Some inspired by nature walks.

I think small is good for this process, because they are easy to ink and print. I have made a few that are about 6″ long and I think that is big enough.

Check out the self study printmaking classes that are available now.

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Exploring cyanotypes

monotype print, techniques / Linda Germain / May 23, 2024

I my Simplify – Gelatin Prints class, I teach a mock cyanotype technique.

I love the mixture of black and cyan ink. I think it produces some nice rich impressions. Delicate weeds and intricate cut glass are good tools for this process.

But today I made a few real cyanotype prints. I have been collecting inspiration online and have a list of approaches that I want to try. It does take some planning and preparation.

I mixed the chemicals 24 hours earlier.
Then I painted the mixture on to the papers
Wait for them to dry in a darkroom

Luckily, I had a bright sunny day. I started with few grasses and a test strip. I exposed a little more paper every minute, for a total of 5 minutes. The pale blue was exposed for 1 minute direct bright sun. And the dark blue at the bottom was exposed for 5 minutes

I had prepared a digital negative of a photograph. My printer is low on toner and the black areas were a bit transparent, so I underexposed the print so I would not lose all the detail. I am pretty pleased with the result.

The light is always changing and different tools block the light differently too. I really wanted to do a glass cast shadow. I first attempt fail, not enough shadow. As time passed the shadows got longer. Second try much better.

I even tried printing on a rock.

I will continue to play with the cyanotype process. If you would like to explore my mock cyanotype process, then check out the details of the class Simplify – Gelatin Printmaking.

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In and Out of the Studio

artist book, combined techniques, inspiration, monotype print / Linda Germain / May 15, 2024

I think time outside of the studio, feeds what is created in the studio. What is your experience?

I often see shadows and leaves on my morning walks that I use as reference in my gelatin printmaking. I collect weeds and grasses to use as masking stencils too.

Lately, I have been doing lots of line drawings of faces. Old photos have been the stimulus for some of these drawings. I have also been capturing new images of family members to use as reference.

Even an extended vacation could inspire a new series or process.

I just came back from Maine Media for a week long class, A Sense of Place with Isobel Lewis. I enjoyed exploring new book forms and printmaking methods.

If you are looking for a stay at home art vacation option, then check out the self study classes on my workshop page.

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