rust prints Archives - Linda Germain

Spring time – Good for rusting paper

artist book, mixed media printmaking, rust prints / Linda Germain / April 29, 2021

You may call me crazy. But I like to collect rusted bits of debris found on the side of the road.

Spring in New England, is a good time to find bits of rusted metal on the side of the road. And things are even pre-flatted. 🙂

I have a rusted cookie sheet and a collection of flat rusted things. Once or twice a year I like to rust up some paper or fabric.

It is easy to do, but yields unpredictable results.

Get your rusty things wet
Wet your paper
Stack the rusty stuff on your paper
Get the most contact possible. I like to put some weight on top
You can spritz with vinegar/water mix
Don’t cover. You need air to oxidize the metal.
Wait over night (that is the hard part)

Then you have some paper wit wonderfully aged patina. I have used it for:

Book making
Collage
Making prints

Give it a try!

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Papers and marks

rust prints / Linda Germain / January 2, 2020

Printmaking is all about making marks on paper. Often the desire is to make lots of the same mark.

Monoprinting is one of a kind printing. Sometimes the image is used over and over, but the resulting prints are unique. I love monoprinting and mixed media printmaking.

For example in the altered books above I used:

gelatin prints as collage
relief printed spirals and flowers
screen printed the blue spirograph image
letter press printed the PEACE
gesso transferred the reverse newsprint

In the image above, I rust printed the index cards and did a crayon rubbing of a found cap. I love how these low tech methods encourage me to see printmaking possibilities in almost everything.

I love to combine everyday items in a unique way, that then has the opportunity to be interpreted differently by the viewer.

In the Mixed Media Retreat, the online class, we will:

Learn new mark making techniques
Create several different books
Add these skills to the ones you already use
Combine to create unique visual stories
Listen to variety of artist’s talks
Be encouraged to walk and work daily on your practice.

READ all the details on the printmaking workshop page and join us today.

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Screen printing on rusted fabric

rust prints, screen printing / Linda Germain / February 8, 2015

I collect bits of rust on my daily walks.

Lay them on fabric that is dampened with vinegar and water and let the magic happen. This takes a little planning and patience.

Today, I ironed the fabric and played with screen printing over the whole piece of cloth.

This is a thermofax screen that I made with a photocopy of actual grass. I also played with attaching the thermofax screen to a bigger screen to stabilize it for printing.

It worked!

I used Createx Acrylic Color for Screen printing. It comes in a squeezable plastic bottle. I love it because I can just squirt out small amounts.

I am so messy when I get screen printing. This eliminates the need for a palette knife, spoon or cardboard scoop.

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It takes patience….

rust prints / Linda Germain / April 7, 2014

Rust for distressing paper and fabric - Linda Germain — Rust for distressing paper and fabric – Linda Germain

Spring comes, the snow melts and reveals lots of rusty metal bits. I have a box of such treasures. I love the textures and colors of decay. Today, I spritzed some cotton fabric with a vinegar and water mix. Then I layered and wrapped the fabric with rusty metal. Now I need the patience to leave it all alone until it dries. Links to some of my other rust experiments.

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Printmaking without the Gelatin Plate

foam plate printmaking, rust prints / Linda Germain / August 5, 2013

For June and July, I was committed to the Index Card A Day Challenge hosted by Tammy Garcia from Daisy Yellow. And now that I am done, I am creating a new structure for my making and blogging. I am not sure what it is just yet but I am excited about the challenge.

I am teaching @ LynnARTS this week. I have 12 young artists ready to go. I love to introduce them to bookmaking and printmaking when ever I can.

I don’t usually get to share the gelatin printmaking experience with them, so we do relief printing, stenciling and other planographic techniques.

Printmaking with Kids

Some of the printmaking projects that I have done with the kids this summer include:

a symmetrical stencil – memory game
Hand Cut Stenciled – Artist Trading Cards to share
Folded monotype butterflies and
Textured Rubbings as backgrounds for books

These crazy pictures are some rusty inspiration that I found on the side of the road a few days ago. I am thinking about rusting some fabric or Rives BFK printmaking paper. For now they sit and inspire.

And the journal is a recycled book that I did as part of the 21 Secrets class. You can see my quick video of the book just after I put it together here. The “Push” rubbing is from a fun piece of metal work from my artist buddy Sandra Golbert. The wiggly black and blue impression are relief stamps that I made with a cd cover and sticky back foam. Fun and easy!

Another non-gelatin printmaking process that I am enjoying right now is the thermofax screen printing process. I made a bunch of screens almost a year ago and have not really played with them much.

I used a dragonfly screen and made a few cards. You can check them out at my Etsy store – StudioGermain. My shop is new and I hope to add new prints weekly. So if you like what you see follow my shop and share it with all of your friends.

Happy Printing!

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