monotype print Archives - Linda Germain

Join Me – New Class – stamp making

artist book, collage, combined techniques, monotype print, sketchbook ideas, stamping tools / Linda Germain / October 14, 2024

I am excited about the new class that starts October 25th. This class is about:

Making small stamps out of sticky backed foam
Slipknot book form
a gelatin print lesson and
a bit of collage

I love this combination of techniques. There is something for everyone. So you can choose a focus that fits your interest at this time.

The slipknot binding is great for sketchbooking, because it can be flipped and folded to always lie flat. It takes a bit of thread management to link the pages together, but it is a pretty easy book form.

I am including a gelatin print session so you will have prints to respond to with collage and stamping.

The collage lesson is just to get beyond the blank page.

Read all the details and join us in Stamp Making + Mixed Media Book Workshop.

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Make unique fabric for your projects

fabric prints, gelatin prints on fabric, monotype print / Linda Germain / August 6, 2024

I have piles of hand printed fabric. I have actually stopped making more until I use up some of what I already have.

I have made a few quilts and now have more quilts than I can use.

I covered some bricks with hand printed cloth to use as book weights. I do use these quite a bit and I think 6 big book weights is enough for my little studio.

I used heat-n-bond to transform some of the monoprinted fabric into book cloth. The heat-n-bond is applied to the fabric then thin rice paper is stuck to the other side. This creates a barrier so the glue does not seep through the fabric. Then I covered a few artists books.

I love composition notebooks. I covered a few with the hand printed fabric.

I love bags. I am definitely a bag lady. And yet surprisingly I have only stitched up one little shoulder bag. I think a big beach bag may be my next project.

If you are wanting to make some unique hand printed fabric, then check out the workshop, Monoprinted Fabric.

I am offering a 25% discount on this class for the next few weeks. It is a comprehensive class with 12 different techniques for gelatin printing on fabric.

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Exploring cyanotypes

monotype print, techniques / Linda Germain / May 23, 2024

I my Simplify – Gelatin Prints class, I teach a mock cyanotype technique.

I love the mixture of black and cyan ink. I think it produces some nice rich impressions. Delicate weeds and intricate cut glass are good tools for this process.

But today I made a few real cyanotype prints. I have been collecting inspiration online and have a list of approaches that I want to try. It does take some planning and preparation.

I mixed the chemicals 24 hours earlier.
Then I painted the mixture on to the papers
Wait for them to dry in a darkroom

Luckily, I had a bright sunny day. I started with few grasses and a test strip. I exposed a little more paper every minute, for a total of 5 minutes. The pale blue was exposed for 1 minute direct bright sun. And the dark blue at the bottom was exposed for 5 minutes

I had prepared a digital negative of a photograph. My printer is low on toner and the black areas were a bit transparent, so I underexposed the print so I would not lose all the detail. I am pretty pleased with the result.

The light is always changing and different tools block the light differently too. I really wanted to do a glass cast shadow. I first attempt fail, not enough shadow. As time passed the shadows got longer. Second try much better.

I even tried printing on a rock.

I will continue to play with the cyanotype process. If you would like to explore my mock cyanotype process, then check out the details of the class Simplify – Gelatin Printmaking.

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In and Out of the Studio

artist book, combined techniques, inspiration, monotype print / Linda Germain / May 15, 2024

I think time outside of the studio, feeds what is created in the studio. What is your experience?

I often see shadows and leaves on my morning walks that I use as reference in my gelatin printmaking. I collect weeds and grasses to use as masking stencils too.

Lately, I have been doing lots of line drawings of faces. Old photos have been the stimulus for some of these drawings. I have also been capturing new images of family members to use as reference.

Even an extended vacation could inspire a new series or process.

I just came back from Maine Media for a week long class, A Sense of Place with Isobel Lewis. I enjoyed exploring new book forms and printmaking methods.

If you are looking for a stay at home art vacation option, then check out the self study classes on my workshop page.

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Add a focus to your gelatin print

mark making, monotype print / Linda Germain / February 19, 2024

It is easy to make textured and patterned pieces of gelatin plate printed paper. This is a great way to get started with gelatin printmaking.

You can learn a lot about:

mark making tools
kinds of marks that are possible
what happens when you layer

These patterned papers can be used for collage or as foundations for a “finished” print.

In the class, Simplify, we use simple stencils like threads, circles and weeds to learn what is possible with ink and the gelatin plate.

By working in a dark blue-black color scheme, we can easily layer impressions without the need to consider the color mixing affects of plate ink.

I was thinking that I could add interest and a focus to some of the simplified prints and it might be another way to create a series of “finished” prints.

So today, I pulled out some old weed and circle prints and added a dark focus with a stencil. I was pleased how it transformed the print.

Join us in the online class, Simplify – gelatin prints. Class starts March 1st. Read all the details on the workshop page.

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