Gelatin plate print

I can’t resist picking up interesting leaves on my walks around town.

These curled and dried leaves I used a few days ago. They worked fine for one day of printing, but because they were not preserved, they quickly dry out and become too brittle for using with the gelatin plate.

Today I was looking for imperfect leaves with holes and tears.

I played with layering for a while and then when things got a little too chaotic I stopped thinking of them a leaf prints and more as interesting textures.

I added a few paper stencils, the horse, the bird and the branch. I slowly got darker with the subsequent layers.

Things all come together in the end. I find I need to loosely have an idea and then go with the flow as the prints develop.

I you would like to print with me for a full day, on October 14th and you are local to Haverhill, MA, then check out the details and register today. This is a rare in person gelatin printmaking workshop.

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I have found that when I use my own photos and tools my prints are much more meaningful to me.

Now this photo of my brother and his granddaughter was taken by my niece, and boy does it convey the love between the two!

I made a shaped silhouette stencil from the image and started to play with the possibilities this morning.

It amazes me that so much emotion can be conveyed in a simple shaped shadow silhouette.  I can’t wait to play some more with this image.

That is kind of my approach to printing a series.

• Make a lot of prints
• Play with chaos and layers
• Try simple and focused
• And end up with a few prints that I love.

If you would like to explore gelatin printing making in this manner, then check out the details of the current classes being offered on my printmaking workshop page.

I did it!  I made and shared a print a day for the Month of May.  I benefited from this daily printmaking practice.  Some of my take aways:

• Done is better than perfect
• Action has magic, power and grace
• Celebrate the little successes
• It is ok to explore limited themes, colors or marks
• Daily doing builds “muscles”

If you would benefit from the daily practice then check out the current workshops that are being offered.

I used my little printmaking travel kit while I was up at Haystack Mountain schools of Crafts for pre-session clean up.  It was fun to work with limited space and resources.  Of course I gathered some found object stencils and stamping tools while I was walking the trails or passing the recycle bin.  So I share with you 5 prints from the last 5 days.

If you would like to be inspired and supported in making your own monotypes, then sign up today for Make Monotypes the 6 week online printmaking course.  There is just one week left before the class starts.  Hope to see you there.