Gelatin plate print

Embrace your mistakes

Gelatin plate print, monotype print / /

Mistakes can be frustrating if you are working hard and put a lot of time and energy into a print. But I try to make art in a way that mistakes are not so painful. I try to see mistakes as a normal and necessary part of gelatin printmaking.

abstract gelatin plate monotype print

Things I do to embrace my mistakes:

  • I use paper that is not too expensive or precious
  • Adjust my expectations, I am satisfied if 2 out of 10 prints are awesome.
  • Recycle and repurpose those less than perfect prints. (this can create a rich printing surface that hopefully draws the viewer in.)
  • Try to identify what is not working and adapt my approach next time
  • Notice what I do like and carry it into future prints

gelatin plate monoprint

How do you feel about mistakes? Are they a friend or foe?

If you have a pile of “mistakes” and would like to rework them, check out the Gelatin Print Project part 2.  You can join us in part 2 if you did not take part 1 as long as you have some experience working with stencils and stamping tools on the gelatin plate. Or you can still take part 1 as well.

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Value matters – Printmaking

Gelatin plate print, mark making, monotype print, stencils, techniques / /

Sometimes, I look at a print that I am working on and feel that something is missing. I need something to make it pop or something to pull it all together.

gelatin print with hand stamped marks

Often I can do that by adding a very dark mark or a very light mark.

mountains scape by linda germain

Value, the range of light to dark is often over looked. Color is easier to see so it often gets more attention.

Some painters do grey scale “drafts” before they paint with color.

range of value

One way to check for range of value is to take a black and white photo of your print. Do you see some very light areas as well as some very dark marks?

abstract landscape gelatin prints

Another way I check for range of value is to squint at the print. If it blurs into one soft medium mass, then I need to look for ways to add dark darks or light lights.

If you want to build your skills for creating prints with a strong range of value, then join us in the upcoming online class, check out the current printmaking classes.

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Build your design skills – gelatin printmaking

Gelatin plate print, masking stencils, techniques, tools / /

Gelatin printmaking is fast and gives you immediate feedback about composition and design skills. That is one reason that I love the process.

gelatin prints by linda germain

Art school teaches us to make thumbnail drawings and plan our composition first. I just don’t have the patience for that approach.

Gelatin plate prints by Linda Germain

I like the trial and error approach of making lots of prints. And over time my design skills have grown and I had fun in the process. And I want to share that approach and what I have learned with you in the online printmaking workshops.

Gel monotype print by Linda Germain

We will create growth and success by:

  • Getting to know your masking stencils and how to get strong impressions
  • Limiting the colors so we can create prints with a strong range of value
  • Using a small standard size paper to get a dynamic division of space

These boundaries will give you the structure to support new understanding of the tools and how the impressions are created. This should create success and happiness!

Make gelatin prints

I hope you will check out the online printmaking classes.

Gelatin Monotype print

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Print day in May

Gelatin plate print / /

Tomorrow is Print Day in May!

This is a global day of printmaking. Join us and print and post on social media. Use the hashtags:

I will be gelatin printing and thinking of the international group of printmakers celebrating our craft.

gelatin prints in process

I hope you join us. I look forward to seeing your prints on instagram or Facebook.

Two easy ways to gelatin print tomorrow

  1. If you already have a gelatin plate, then gather your inks, paper and stencils and print!
  2. If you don’t have a gelatin plate, then make the simple gelatin and water plate today and then you will be ready to print tomorrow. Get the gelatin and water recipe and a free starter class below.

Get the FREE mini Gelatin Printmaking Course Now!
start making gelatin prints today

Use what you already have, one box of gelatin and start to play today. You can do it!

You will also get weekly emails about printmaking, tips, tools and classes.

 

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Go with the Flow – gelatin printmaking

Gelatin plate print / /

Sometimes, I go to the workbench with a goal or expectation. And even after all these years of gelatin printing, sometimes I just have to let go of intended outcomes.

gelatin printmaking workspace

Gelatin Printmaking is a monotype printmaking process, meaning that every print is one of a kind. I can pull prints that are similar or use the same stencils, but they will never be exactly the same.

quick landscapes with the gelatin plate

That is what I love about gelatin printmaking. It is this process of working with the same stencils and tools over and over again that supports the “happy accidents”.

make lots of gelatin prints to get one you like

The “accidents” actually are possible, because the printmaker is willing to learn, to risk and to discover along the way. If you have not tried gelatin printmaking yet, then consider my FREE mini-course.

Happy Printing!

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