Mixed Media Printmaking Blog

Matisse says, “Creativity takes Courage.”

inspiration / Linda Germain / November 24, 2018

I think as artists we can forget how brave we are!

More quotes from Matisse can be found here.

So I encourage you to recognize how brave you are today! Take stock and make a list of your brave actions:

I am a brave artist when I:

suspend self judgement
put my work out there
ask for a sale
am willing to make ugly prints
set it aside and come back with fresh eyes
tear it up and repurpose a piece
take a class in a new media
combine techniques in my own way

Come on make your list!

Matisse says, “Creativity takes Courage.” Read More »

Use your phone to capture inspiration

inspiration / Linda Germain / November 23, 2018

Sometimes ideas and inspiration just come you. Use your phone to capture those thoughts.

The easiest way to capture ideas is to take a picture. Even if it is not a beautiful photo is can capture the essence as a reference for a stencil or a painting or art process.

Another way I use my phone is to write a note to myself. Then I can come back to the notes later.

A third way that I save inspiration is to record sounds. Sometimes I just want remember that feeling that is created by the crashing waves or babbling brook.

Then turn that inspiration into art making action.

Use your phone to capture inspiration Read More »

Use what you learn in class

monotype print / Linda Germain / November 21, 2018

I get super motivated by taking classes. I dive in and try to learn as much as I can. I must confess, I even pre-learn, research and test out techniques before class even starts.

This year I took a ModernMarbling class, with CynthiaMcGuirl.

Then I enjoyed a Japanese woodblock printing class this with artist and teacher Lisa Houck.

A dropped in on a couple of figure drawing sessions at Essex Art Center.

And most recently, I participated in the online class Translating Landscapes, with Antia Lehmann.

Sometimes that the prints that I make in these classes just get filed away or tossed durning my next purging session. But the process is what I keep.

The process of:

developing dynamic images
learning to think differently
fix problems/mistakes in new ways
identifying my strengths and interests

I hope to bring those ideas and more back to my own practice.

So as the most recently landscape class ends I played with new tools and the gelatin plate to make some abstract landscapes. I am pretty pleased.

If you are like me and need an art class, then check out the current online classes being offered.

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Make your own low tack tape

mark making tools / Linda Germain / November 20, 2018

One of my mottos is:

Use what you have.

I still have the urge to go out and buy new supplies. But sometimes I have the ability to resist that urge.

Recently I have been taping down paper for some watercolor play.

One of the projects called for very thin masking tape that could be removed from the paper without ripping the paper.

I had some cheap blue painters tape from the dollar tree store. So you know it is not as good as the 3M version.

The trick to making it less sticky is to stick it to your pants, apron or cutting mat a few times before you use to tape down your paper.

This method has been working for me for a couple of weeks. I even cut the 2″ tape into 1/4″ strips to do these thumbnail studies. I was surprised how easy it was.