Go beyond your assumptions – printmaking tools

Today I found a twig in the snow at the end of my snowshoe though the woods. It stopped me and I picked it up with the hopes of using it as a stenciling tool for printmaking.

twig to use as a stencil for gelatin printmaking

It is much thicker than what I usually use for found object stencils when gelatin printmaking. But I gently flattened it the best I could.

5 by 7 gelatin plate for monotypes

I had a small 5″ x 7″ plate, so I randomly printed on a sack cloth yellow, orange and brown inks.

screen printing inks for gelatin printing on fabric

I tried using the twig in the traditional way, as a masking stencil. And it was ok, but I did not love the impression. So I tried using it as a “rubbing” tool. I place it under the fabric and gently rolled over the area of the fabric with an inked brayer. That approach worked pretty well.

hand printed sack cloth

So I learned that if something inspires me, then keep playing with the possibilities until it works. Keep on playing!