gelatin print tips

Gelatin Printing with Old Gelatin

2010, gelatin print tips / /
linda germain gelatin plate print
delicate grass
Would you consider gelatin printing with old gelatin?  Don’t throw away your old and decaying gelatin plate.  I love to use it when it starts to get all the little holes and cracks in it.
I can’t control how it falls apart.  So sometimes it decays in a beautiful way and other times not so much.  I like to do a lot of newsprint pick ups to absorb the slime and to get the plate ready for  printing.
In the print above I used Daniel Smith water soluble Block Printing ink, blue with some black.  I made the circles and the lines by “stamping” into the inked plate.  Stamping lifts off some of the ink.  I think I use a dress pattern wheel to make the dotted lines.
The white grasses where created by placing the grass on the plate.  Notice that the grass is very thin and creates interesting negative space.  Then place the paper on top and print with hand pressure. All the little holes, the subtle changes in blue/black color where created by the decaying gelatin plate.
If you would like to explore making and working with a gelatin plate over time, then you may be interested in the next session of Make Monotypes.  Check out the details here.

 

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Gelatin Print with a Collagraph Plate

2010, gelatin print tips / /
©2010 linda germain
gelatin plate print aprox 4″ x 6″
This print shows the great detail that I can get with the gelatin plate printing process.  The texture in the background is created by stamping the surface of the inked gelatin plate with a collograph plate.  The collograph plate is simply a cd covered with bits of masking tape.  The image of  the girl is simply a paper stencil.  I coat the stencils with matt medium so they last longer.   More gelatin printing information. Enjoy!

 

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What is a Newsprint Pick up in Gelatin Printing?

2010, gelatin print tips / /

I use the term newsprint pick up a lot when I talk about gelatin printmaking.  So I thought I would explain what I mean.  I simply place newsprint over the gelatin to pick up unwanted ink.  I don’t rub the newsprint.  I just lay it down flat and burnish with my hand.  I do this over and over again with clean newsprint to pick up unwanted ink. In the example above I am placing the newsprint over the spider like stencil.  So I will end up picking up the ink around the stencil  as shown in the image below.

Notice that there is no ink left on the plate except for the red ink under the stencil.  Then I remove the stencil and will be left with the ghost image as shown below.

The ghost image can be very delicate and detailed depending on the type of stencil that you use.   It can also be unpredictable and frustrating if you have rigid expectations.  More gelatin printing tips.
I used “newsprint pick ups” on this print to print several ghosts on top of each other with out too much plate ink.
\How to make a gelatin Plate for printmaking – the video
Quick video on the basics of gelatin printmaking

Gelatin printing artist trading cards – a short video

48 second slideshow of gelatin prints by linda germain and why she loves it.

Gelatin Printmaking tips page

Post by Linda Germain

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Gelatin Prints on Cotton Fabric

2010, fabric prints, Gelatin plate print, gelatin print tips / /
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One of the qualities that I love about gelatin printmaking is the ability to get great detail with out having a press.  The detail is increased when the gelatin is smooth and fresh, the paper/fabric is smooth and absorbent, and the moisture of the ink and the paper/fabric is just right.  I have been spritzing the cotton fabric and blotting it with newsprint to increase the tranfer of details. The blue piece above was made with a piece of yarn.  Oh!  I found that is it a good idea to heat set with an iron in between layers.  That will minimize the loss of details on the first layer.  More gelatin printing tips. Got to go play.
Gelatin print on Cotton Fabric, 8″ x 8″ ©2010

 

 

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Two Gelatin Print Tips

2010, gelatin print tips / /
Use Newsprint to absorb excess moisture. © 2010 linda germain
I may have said this before, but I think it is very helpful.  The more prints I make the more I would like to be able to predict the outcome.  So lately I have been taking the gelatin out of the refrigerator and covering it with newsprint and letting it warm up to room temp.  It is about 68 -70 degrees these days.
Gelatin can get a tough skin over time. ©2010 linda germain
Today I experimented with the two sides of my gelatin.  The print on the left was made on the surface that had been exposed to the refrigerator air for a week or so.  You can see that the ink did not transfer to the paper as well as the one on the right. The print on the right was made with the underside of the gelatin.  I flipped the gelatin over and the surface was “moister”  (had more water in it.)  So bottom line when things are not working they way I like I start asking questions and try to figure what is affecting the transfer of ink.  Check out my gelatin print tips page.  These are factors that I am aware of
  1. Room temperature
  2. age of gelatin
  3. smoothness of the surface of the paper
  4. moisture in gelatin
  5. moisture in ink
  6. type of ink
  7. method used to burnish
  8. type of paper
  9. type of stencils and tools used

     

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