Mixed Media Printmaking Blog

Be inspired by your own work

inspiration / Linda Germain / September 11, 2019

As I sort through stuff in my studio, I have been pleasantly surprised by some of my older prints and drawings.

I was reminded of:

ways that I fearlessly used tools
how I explored and exhausted a subject matter
to try it and see what happens
use non-traditional papers
made lots of prints get a few that I loved

I found these gelatin prints and was reminded to work with an attitude of play and discovery.

Here I freely scribbled with pastels to unify and complete this little gelatin plate monotype print. I am looking forward to add some scribble and play back into my daily practice.

Here I was reminder to get my sewing machine out, pull out the thread and make some perforated prints. I love the texture and surprise that thew sewn mark makes on paper.

Here I thought about how much I like to simplify and make a few bold marks. And to even let the imperfection show through.

This gelatin plate monotype print was made on a stream of conscious style typed paper. Tells me to start playing with my old typewriter again.

I hope this encourages you to look through some of your older work with a sense of discovery.

Maybe you will how much your style has:

stayed the same
changed or developed.

Hopefully what you do find will make you smile.

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Let go of stuff you don’t use

studio / Linda Germain / September 3, 2019

Maybe it is the change of seasons, but I have had the urge to simplify my studio space. I have collected:

paints
pencils, pens
markers
cutting tools
mark making tools
stencils
brushes, sponges
books, papers
brayers and inks

I want to:

go through my stuff
keep what I love and use
let go of the rest, that includes the “should” keep and “might use someday”

Now it has taken years to collect all this stuff, so I am going to be patient and give myself plenty of time to sort through it and let go of what I no longer want.

As a mixed media artist, I go through phases and try out different techniques and tools. Some processes I like and keep and others while it was fun to try, I know it will not be part of my daily process.

I couple of ways I approach the process:

Sit in my studio and look around. Notice what inspired me and what drags me down.
Clean my main worktable. That gets me feeling good quickly
Sort and purge stuff that is stored under tables. This is the stuff that I have not used in a while, so it must not be that important to me. This also creates “new” space to store stuff that I do use.
Sort a little each day
Take breaks and acknowledge the process that I have made
Take pictures to document the process
Even 5 or 10 minutes of sorting will create improvement

I hope you find some of these ideas helpful. Enjoy your studio!!!

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Make the most of your drawings

monotype print, screen printing / Linda Germain / August 29, 2019

If you have been following me for a while, then you may know that I do not love to draw. And drawing is the basis for a lot of printmaking techniques.

So I am really excited when I can make a drawing live on in a new way by using it as a matrix for a printmaking process.

I am getting ready for the online printmaking class, Pulling Screen Prints. So I pulled out my box of tools and screens.

I have a few images/screens that I made more than 7 years ago.

Drawing fluid type screens are really not meant to be saved and used for long periods of time. But I made these on homemade screens, with canvas stretchers and Tulle for screen mesh.

Over the years I have collected screens of different qualities and sizes. Small screens are nice for random all over printing and are easy to store. Bigger screens are good for more exact printing and large runs of the same image.

Today I wanted to see if this giraffe image would still print. So I covered the areas of the screen that I did not need and pulled a couple of quick test prints.

I am pleased to say that the image is still printing nicely. So I am thinking that I might create some abstract background layers on a bunch of papers and then print the giraffe on top.

Emulsion type screens, like the EZscreen or thermofax screens are really great for converting drawings and photos into a long lasting screen for mixed media printmaking.

They are small and can be easily stored flat in folders.

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12 ways that I have used screen printing

screen printing / Linda Germain / August 27, 2019

Screen printing can be a way to print lots of similar impressions.

Here I used several small emulsion screens to print the fabric to make this handbag.

One holiday season I used a paper stencil to make these Christmas tree prints for bags for a craft fair and holiday cards.

Scarves are great projects for screen printing with small stencils. I used emulsion screens and paper stencils with embroidery hoops for these scarves.

I converted a photo into an emulsion screen and made holiday ornaments that featured an iconic bridge in our city.

I love this. I made a screen from my nephew’s drawing and was able to use the drawing to make cards.

In the past I have printed quick business cards with an emulsion based screen. I can use this screen for a lot of marketing materials and free give aways.

Here I used the same screen to make a stack of bookmarks for a book arts fair that I participated in.

I have use paper stencils and emulsion based screens to print napkins. These might be a nice idea for gifts.

I love converting my own photos or drawings into a screen that I can use over and over again for different purposes and surfaces. Below I made the screen from a photo that I took in 1978!

This one is from a drawing that I did.

Of course I add screen printed marks to gelatin prints, artist books and painted papers. The screen printed mark often gives the print pop or focus.

Most recently I gathered a few of my family members and we made a blanket of “love” and well wishes for my sister. We layered the blanket with 1oo’s of impressions from emulsion screens that I had made.

I am hoping that you are thinking about ways that you can use screen printing in your works.

Check out the current offerings on the printmaking workshop page.

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One Stencil many impressions – screen printing

screen printing / Linda Germain / August 21, 2019

Today I cut a paper stencil of a whale and printed many variations of that one stencil.

I used copy paper to make the stencil because it is easy to cut. If I like the design then I might cut another stencil out of Tyvek®. That way it will be reusable.

I printed the watery background first. I used transparent base to create the unpredictable swirls in the impression

I had fun dribbling the ink on to the screen to see what kind of impression I could get.

I tried leaving a horizon line, going beyond the blue and even other papers.

I like to approach screen printing with the idea of discovering what is possible. How can I combine materials and process to make a unique expression?

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