tools

I am so lucky to have the Museum of Printing in my hometown.

A few times a year they have sales on type, books and equipment. Today they had a yard sale. I usually pick up a few odds and ends.

You may know that I do most of my printing without a press. I carefully picked out the 2 cuts in the image above.

I cleaned the little “stamps” and inked them with speedball water based block printing ink. I was able to hand print a stack of small cards.

I love the tiny tree, barn and flower image. It is so amazing how much info is created in the 1.5″ x 1″ cut. I was drawn to the simple tree shape but I did not really care for the uniform roots. So I masked out the bottom of the plate with a small piece of paper.

I think I am just in a card making mode. Below are some hand printed cards that I made with Tyvek® stencils on the gelatin Plate.

You still have time to join the online workshop, Hand Printed Cards. Read the details and join us.

 

Recently, I have been going back to the basic tool in printmaking – the brayer.

Sometimes I want a nice thin and even layer of ink. And other times I let the nature of the roller and texture of the ink be a key part of the design.

In the book cover above I used a modified roller to get the textured lines. And yet I love the smooth texture of the landscape print below.

If you are new to using a brayer and you are seeking a smooth application of ink it can be frustrating. It really does take time and practice to get the brayer to do what you want it to do.

So give yourself a break. Factors that affect a brayers release of ink on the plate:

• Viscosity of the ink
• Pressure of you hand
• Speed and motion of the roll
• Air temperature and humidity
• Size of the roller
• Width of the roller
• Type of roller
• Type of ink and type of plate

Have you developed your own style of using your brayer to create marks, impressions and prints?

If you need a little help choosing a brayer for gelatin printing on paper check out this blog post.

I have been making so many brayered prints that I am making them into books using the drum leaf binding.

The drum leaf structure opens flat and does not require any sewing. I like to make small journals for quick sketches. And because they are easy to make the books feel less precious and I am willing to fill them with notes and sketches.

One time I took an encaustic class and the teacher was known for using encaustic paints to create large 3d sculptures. And I wondered how she could possibly afford to work that way. Encaustic paint is expensive! In my mind that method of working would never be available to me.

Another time I found a video about a child who is known for large scale abstract paintings and thought to myself, “What if we all had the support and freedom to use all that paint?” Again I was limited by my belief that the art supplies were too precious to be use with abandon.

I am not saying that I wished my work was like either of these artist’s. My wish was that I could work as freely as they seemed to and to not be limited by expense or scarcity of supplies.

In many ways I think I have been able to adapt my process and give myself the freedom to create just as they do.

I use papers and inks and paints that are not precious to me. This gives me the space to make lots of “learning” prints. It gives me the opportunity to fail, discover and learn.

My most recent freeing art supply is index cards.

I use index cards for:

• daily sketches
• sketch book on a ring in my purse
• test prints
• landscape prints
• relief prints

I did a series of landscape prints and then cropped a few into this thumbnail study. Love it!

These are test prints from some new foam relief prints. I combined them into a larger print and I am pleased with the presentation.

The index card is the perfect size for sketches and I just slip them onto a binder ring and they are easily organized.

Here I did some quick trace monoprints on a couple of index cards.

What supply could you use to support your own creative expression? What choices could you make to give your self the freedom to create from your unique voice?

I even make quick stencils from index cards.

I challenge you to make a choice or decision today that supports your creative freedom!

 

 

• Do you generously use up your art supplies?
• Or do you hoard and save them?

Ink is one supply that I think you should use up!  As most inks age they change and sometimes don’t work as well as when they are fresh.

Piles of prints with potential – are good things to use up rather than just save them for the perfect project.

If you work with photo emulsion screens, like the EZscreen above then you definitely want to use them before they expire. They have a shelf life of about 6 months and then the emulsion starts to harden and they are no good.

I challenge you to bravely use up some supplies and maybe even toss out some things that are no longer useful.

Enjoy!