Mixed Media Printmaking Blog

Playing with stencil images – Tyvek®

monotype print / Linda Germain / October 12, 2018

I like to start simple and then work up slight variations of the same print. These cards were printed with hand cut Tyvek® stencils and the homemade gelatin and glycerin plate.

Today I played with some Tyvek® stencils and the gelatin plate. I love the happy surprise of the black and gold print above.

With this process it is easy to make many prints quite quickly. One thing that I love is that I use just a few tools and this allows me to test and print slight variations.

If you are interested in learning more about this monotype printing process, then join us in the online printmaking workshop, Hand Printed Cards + gelatin plate.

This is a short weekend class focused on this specific technique, but will include many processes that you can use in a broader approach to gelatin printmaking.

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Hand Printing cards workshop – Tyvek® and the gelatin plate

monotype print / Linda Germain / October 10, 2018

Have you used Tyvek® to make stencils for your gelatin printing projects?

I am excited to introduce you to the benefits of Tyvek® as stencil material, in this weekend workshop, Hand Printed Cards.

Why Tyvek® for stencil making?

Tyvek® is strong, durable and waterproof. These are great qualities for stencil material. It is also easy to cut.

You can find Tyvek®:

recycle Tyvek® envelopes
purchase Tyvek® from Material Concepts
Try Jam paper from – Staples
“dumpster dive” at a local building site for scraps of house wrap

If you want to be inspired by a cut paper artist who uses Tyvek® – then check out the work of Beatric Coron.

What kind of stencil is it?

I have a special name for this kind of stencil – “a masking stencil with a frame.” I use these descriptive words to distinguish the stencil and the way that I use it to create a beautiful, multi-colored image.

My approach to printing with these stencils includes using the gelatin plate, which is soft and malleable and can transfer delicate details to the paper.

In the image above the lucious black in is under the stencil and the background colors are rolled over the stencil.

The thing that I love about the combination of the Tyvek® stencil, the gelatin plate and the speedball water based block printing ink is that it is very easy to make many beautiful, clean edged, completed prints very fast.

So if this sound interesting to you, then check out the details and join us in the online printmaking workshop, Hand Printed Cards + Tyvek® stencils + gelatin plate. Read the details on the workshop page.

Hand Printed Cards Class
Online printing workshop
November 2, 3, and 4, 2018
$50.00
Register on the workshop page

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Back to the source – play

inspiration / Linda Germain / October 1, 2018

Sometimes we grow in directions and then stall out in a funk.

When that happens to me, I like to go back to my source of inspiration – playing with printmaking. I turn to play to move beyond the rules and should “do’s”.

I give myself the space to play with out any expectations, and then I can usually break out of the funk and move on with a few new ideas.

Three ways to play with printmaking

One – Ten sheets of paper – I pull out 10 ten sheets of paper and just print with abandon. I get a couple of stencils and stamping tools and just print. No goal of making beautiful prints – just get into the process

Two – Use “stencils” from the waste basket. This one can be quite surprising. It is fun to play with scrapes from a collage project. I get inspired to work in new abstract ways.

The print above is a combination of ideas one and two. First I printed 10 sheets with the “found” stencils from a collage project and then I cropped and collaged the prints into a larger print. And I am pretty pleased with the outcome.

Three – Print with a kid. And follow the uninhibited and fearless way of printing. Kids will just do it, use too much ink, layer with abandon and go through tons of paper.

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Changing scale – printmaking

monotype print / Linda Germain / September 20, 2018

I have used processes that allow me to print in a small studio without a press, using non-toxic materials.

Now I am thinking about printing “BIG.”

That big is a relative term. I still have to be able to fit these prints on my table and use most of the tools that I already have. So for me, BIG is about 16″ x 20″

I am going to use the paper that I have in my studio, some mixed media paper, bristol, watercolor and printmaking papers. No need to keep saving these papers for a special project.

I chose 16″ x 20″ because it is still relatively easy to frame.

I made a few prints with a bunch of foam printing plates that I have and I was pleasantly surprised.

Stay tuned as the adventure into printing Bigger continues.

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Reverse engineer a relief print

relief prints / Linda Germain / September 13, 2018

Do you look at art and wonder how it was made?

I do.

It is easier to try to figure out the creation steps when I am familiar with the technique. So I can do it for printmaking processes much easier than say painting or sculpture.

It is fun to wonder about prints and pieces that truly inspire me to new action.

But with some types of mixed media printmaking there is an element of chance or serendipity.

Many types of printmaking involve planning layers in reverse and tight registration with crisp clean results. That is not my style.

I like to try it and see what happens. There is an element of trial and error. I often work on several prints at once, so I have a place for all the different kinds of marks.

I generally go from caution to chaos and around to completion eventually. With this type of experimental approach it is nearly impossible to reverse engineer a print. Often marks are one of a kind and part of an earlier impression.

For example:

This soft plate relief print has these steps:

print the orange plate
Print the yellow square plate
Add the plain blue rectangle
and the 2 steps that make the print
over print the yellow with a bit of orange
over print the blue with a masking stencil and white ink

The confusing thing about printmaking can be that it is an indirect method of art making and you often do not get to your end product with a direct line.

So if you can:

take what you know
be open to serendipity
learn from mistakes

then you will be a happy mixed media printmaker.

If you would like to explore soft plate relief printing, then join us in the next session.

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