techniques Archives - Linda Germain

Make a brown bag book

artist book, book arts, handmade books, inspiration, mark making, techniques / Linda Germain / February 5, 2024

Today, I had the urge to make a brown bag book. I share with you my process so you can make some too.

First I took the bag apart, so it was one flat sheet.
Then I ironed out the wrinkles
Painted white gesso over the store advertising
Added some bold black india ink marks
Cut into long 10″ strips (final size 6″ x 9″)

The cut the long 10″ strip into 6″ x 9″ sheets
Fold each in half and stack inside each other to make a single signature
Clip together and punch 3 holes in the spine
Follow video instructions to sew together

A couple of extra tips:

It is ok if the pages are not perfectly the same
Make sure your holes are big enough for easier sewing
You can choose how you stack your sheets so you create a blank page spread and then a painted spread. Play with how you stack the sheets together to create a book that suits your style.
Press with heavy weight to get it to lay flat

I hope you enjoy the process as much as I did. Check out the self study classes available now.

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a couple of glue tips

mixed media printmaking, techniques, tools / Linda Germain / April 5, 2022

I have been using glue in my sketchbook and with some gelatin prints and I wanted to share a couple of glue handling tips.

Keep the nozzle clear

I found that if I stick something like a matchstick or 1/2 of a cotton swab into the top of the glue bottle it keeps the nozzle clear. I do have to replace the cotton swab every so often. Generally a bit of glue builds up at the top to “seal” the opening.

Squeeze out small amount of glue

I have a bunch of small ceramic dishes that have become glue plates. I generally need just a little bit of glue. So I try to put just a little bit on to the glue dish. When the glue dries I can easily peel it off the ceramic dish.

Have dedicated glue brush

I use 2 small brushes just for glue. I leave these inexpensive brushes sitting in a small container of water. That way I don’t have to clean them or worry about them hardening.

Use foam roller

If I am gluing large areas, like to cover a book, I use a foam roller and limited passes. I use the pop out foam roller that speedball sells as a kit. Just be sure to wash the roller thoroughly. And try to coat your project in one or two passes. The paper gets weak and sticky the more you roll over it.

I used the foam roller to glue these 5″ x 7″ gelatin prints together. Have you explored gelatin printmaking? Make your own long lasting gel plate – get the recipe here.

I hope you find these gluing ideas helpful.

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Value matters – Printmaking

Gelatin plate print, mark making, monotype print, stencils, techniques / Linda Germain / October 5, 2021

Sometimes, I look at a print that I am working on and feel that something is missing. I need something to make it pop or something to pull it all together.

Often I can do that by adding a very dark mark or a very light mark.

Value, the range of light to dark is often over looked. Color is easier to see so it often gets more attention.

Some painters do grey scale “drafts” before they paint with color.

One way to check for range of value is to take a black and white photo of your print. Do you see some very light areas as well as some very dark marks?

Another way I check for range of value is to squint at the print. If it blurs into one soft medium mass, then I need to look for ways to add dark darks or light lights.

If you want to build your skills for creating prints with a strong range of value, then join us in the upcoming online class, check out the current printmaking classes.

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Build your design skills – gelatin printmaking

Gelatin plate print, masking stencils, techniques, tools / Linda Germain / April 14, 2021

Gelatin printmaking is fast and gives you immediate feedback about composition and design skills. That is one reason that I love the process.

Art school teaches us to make thumbnail drawings and plan our composition first. I just don’t have the patience for that approach.

I like the trial and error approach of making lots of prints. And over time my design skills have grown and I had fun in the process. And I want to share that approach and what I have learned with you in the online printmaking workshops.

We will create growth and success by:

Getting to know your masking stencils and how to get strong impressions
Limiting the colors so we can create prints with a strong range of value
Using a small standard size paper to get a dynamic division of space

These boundaries will give you the structure to support new understanding of the tools and how the impressions are created. This should create success and happiness!

I hope you will check out the online printmaking classes.

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Support Serendipity – gelatin printmaking

techniques / Linda Germain / March 3, 2020

Gelatin printmaking is a monotype process that is part planning and part happy accidents. The prints are truly one of a kind impressions.

My approach to gelatin plate printing is to print a lot so I can figure out what types of marks are possible. Then I try to combine certain kinds of marks to make dynamic and unique prints.

Even after all these years, I can end up with happy surprises. I used some planning to create the dark blue female figure and was pleased with how the orange and blue edge lined up on the right. I like how the plate ink makes the left side a bit less bright.

This one started as a series of brayered on geometric shapes with the idea of leaving some white on the paper. I did a little planning around framing up the grass element and was pleasantly surprised how the bold shapes and delicate impression combine to create a dynamic image.

This fern print was mostly planned and yet the elements of serendipity are the tiny white dots that run through the print. These are created by small holes in my gelatin plate. As the homemade gelatin and glycerin plate ages little defects can appear in the surface of the plate. I happen to love those defects.

This type of learning to plan our printed marks and support serendipity with new understanding is the approach we will be taking in my online printmaking classes. Check out the current workshops.

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