gelatin plate care

I have been thinking of my readers and about the challenge it has been to find gelatin and glycerin these days. I always try to put myself in your shoes when it comes to exploring this art form.

Even in good times it was a challenge to find glycerin. These days you have to get it online and be very aware of how much you are getting and the cost. Some of the choices are very costly.

So I thought, let’s go back to the plate that requires just gelatin and water. And to my surprise there was no plain unflavored gelatin to be found at the local grocery stores.

So I carefully searched  online and found some reasonably priced. Again be careful, check prices and sizes.

I made a couple of plain gelatin and water plates.

The things I learned:

• My 12 year old gelatin might be less effective 🙂
• Make a small plate first to check the water/gelatin ratio
• 1 oz gelatin to 8 fluid oz seems to be a good ratio
• Microwave to dissolve lumps
• Pour through cheesecloth to catch foam
• If using high sided pan, put in refrigerator to harden
• Store in refrigerator in plastic bag

This is a small gelatin and water plate that I made a few weeks ago. The edges are drying up and getting hard.

The difference between the gelatin and water only plate and the glycerin, gelatin and water plate is:

• Gelatin & water only plate needs to be refrigerated
• Gelatin & water only plate can be more fragile
• Gelatin & water only plate lasts about a month
• Gelatin & water only plate is cheaper to make
• Gelatin & water only plate can be moist or watery when you first take it out.
• Tips on making a small gelatin and water plate – here

The big reason I used to make the gelatin and water only plate was because it was very inexpensive, less than $10. That may not be the case right now.

Depending on your goals and the types of impressions that you like to make one of the commercially produced mineral oil based gel plates may be another choice for you right now.

If you need the recipe for making the Glycerin, gelatin and water plate, get them here. The recipe that includes glycerin is very durable and long lasting.

If you want to make the gelatin and glycerin plate for monotype printmaking, then you will need to find about 12 oz of glycerin.

It was always a little bit of a challenge to find it, but recently it has  become a little harder to find.

Here in the US you can find it:

• Big Walmart stores in the first aid section near the calamine lotion. (Some of the smaller stores have stopped carrying it)
• CVS, Walgreen and like pharmacies may have glycerin. I find these stores to be more expensive
• Hobby Lobby, Joan’s Fabric and A. C. Moore and similar craft stores sometimes have glycerin in the baking/wedding section

Of course you can find 100% glycerin online and there you may find the cheapest prices. You do not need a lot unless you plan to make a lot of printing plates.

So give yourself a little extra time to find glycerin. Often the sales clerks will not know if they have it or were to find it. You may need a little persistence.

I think the effort of making the glycerin and gelatin plate is worth it. I find that I like the way the homemade plate holds and transfers ink to make delicate textured impressions.

If you are interested in exploring gelatin printmaking using ink, paper and the homemade plate then join us for Make Monotypes, the online printmaking class.

Next Class starts Jan 7th, 2019.

I remember that some “dyes” as opposed to inks and paints can stain the homemade gelatin plate. It does not affect the subsequent prints but some sometimes it can be visually distracting.

Today I was using one of my Tyvek® stencils and noticed that it left a stain on the gelatin plate like a line drawing. I could not figure out why??

Then I realized that it was from the pen that I used to draw my image on to the Tyvek®. I am not sure if I used a Sharpie or a Crayola marker. But what ever it was, it must use a dye based pigment.

I now use the Crayola marker to do my drawing and then I wash it off before printing. And no more staining of the gelatin plate.

FYI – the very pinky magenta speedball water based block printing ink often stains the homemade gelatin printing plate. Again it will not affect your prints. It just may be distracting.

If you would like help exploring gelatin printmaking with the homemade plate, then check out the current printmaking classes being offered.

I have several gelatin plates frozen in the freezer at my studio. They have been there for a couple of years now.

Since I have been using the new recipe that includes glycerin, I don’t have to make new plates very often. Today I will learn if they can be reconstituted after being in the freezer for such a long time.

• I used the double boiler type set up to thaw and melt the frozen chunks of gelatin.
• I added a little water to the mix
• Leveled my cookie sheet and
• Poured the melted mixture through a tarlatan into the pan

Since I have to wait for the homemade gelatin plate to harden, I may experiment with the commercially made Gelli plate.

If you would like to learn how to make the glycerin and gelatin plate and then have four weeks of lessons and support then join us in the next session of Make Monotypes – registration opens September 14th and class starts October 5th. Read the details here.