foam plate printmaking

Gray scale values can be boring to study if you love color and texture and details.

But it is probably the most important element of design to understand and use in your art making.

With mixed media printmaking and lots of colors and layers, it is easy to end up with one middle value and not much contrast.

I always chant to myself:

• Save some very light whites or
• Add a dark black to make it pop

Another tool that I use is that I squint at the piece to see if I can see those extreme lights or darks. Or do I see only a middle range of values. Squinting is a quick way to simplify and see the extremes.

Try squinting a the pieces above or at some of your work and see what you notice about light to dark value changes.

Oh another fun way to increase you value seeing skills it to squint at masterpieces that you admire. Ask, do these masterpieces have a range of value from very light to very dark?

If you would like to explore printmaking – check out the current online printmaking classes.

I am excited about the soft plate relief printing class that starts soon.

I have started gathering all my inks, plates, papers and tools to play with printmaking. I often have to remind myself to keep it simple. It is so easy to want to put all that inspires me into one set of prints. But that usually ends up with an ugly mess.

Even with the print above, I had to rein myself in and keep it simple by:

• Limit the colors
• Repeat the circle motif
• And slightly modify the circle image to create just enough variety

I took a chance with the gold and I think it works. It adds a bit of variety and darker values.

If you would like to explore this low tech method of printing then check out the details on the printmaking workshop page and join us.

One way to get making some art is to just gather a few tools and just begin.

Less is more in this case. But if you have more tools and supplies than you actually need that is ok – just begin with what you already know.

You can even pull out an older print or picture as stimulation.

Then be willing to just play. That means:

1. Be willing to try new things
2. Make mistakes
3. Make ugly art
4. Be open to surprises
5. Do something you know and
6. Then let go of expectations
7. Oh!!! and let it be fun
8. Can you embrace the little kid in you?

This is one way to move beyond whatever is stopping you and start making!

TRY it!!

The soft plate relief plate workshop starts tomorrow. Join us today so you can start making unique prints tomorrow.

 

This process of printmaking without a press allows for:

• white line drawings
• abstract layering and
• immediate feedback
• safe non-toxic printing process

Check out the details and join us today.

Composition is important to the success of a piece of artwork. And yet sometimes the concept seems so hard to get a handle on. It is abstract and subjective.

Collage is one way that I create pleasing compositions from less than perfect prints.

Today, I am working with soft block plates. I pieced together some soft block relief prints and thought about the principles of repetition and variety. I put together several pieces of some original prints to make one pleasing relief print.

A couple of ways that I embrace the ideas of repetition and variety are:

• I allow myself to use simple circular shapes that I like
• I play with making those shapes with different tools
• I make a lot of prints and that way the elements reveal themselves

For example:

I like circles, so I use wire, caps, pencils and other tools to make circles with different quality of line. This way I repeat the simple shape and create variety by the different types of lines. This helps compose a pleasing print. It helps bring it together and make sense.

Want to learn more?

Check out current online classes.