Mixed Media Printmaking Blog

Building confidence

monotype print / Linda Germain / April 29, 2025

How do you build confidence in your mark making skills?

I think keeping the skill building fun and the learning fast helps. That is one reason I like gelatin printmaking. I can lay down ink and stencils rather quickly and lots of prints quite fast.

Add some awareness and learning and skill building happens.

Gelatin plate monotype printing is often spontaneous, intuitive and feedback can be immediate. Other forms of printmaking can require more planning and preparation.

Pull a pile of Mountain scape prints, with the tips and instructions in the online course, Monochromatic Mountains. It is on sale for the month of April, save $25, now only $50 USD. Get all the details on the workshop page.

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Gift of Repetition

drawings, inspiration / Linda Germain / April 21, 2025

What do we gain by drawing the same thing again and again?

skills
muscle memory
a series of cohesive drawings

I can get bored with drawing the same type of images, but I see value in the process. It might even lead to mastery of a skill or subject matter.

Sometimes I get stalled by thinking that I need to vary the drawing. But I have noticed that when I give myself the space to repeat a drawing my skills improve.

Lately I have been drawing horses, flowers and trees. I have plenty of “bad” or less than pleasing drawings, but the value is in the process of getting the marks on the paper.

For example, often the horses I draw have legs that are too short. So instead of running out of room for the legs, I can now draw the legs first or exaggerate the length of the legs.

I like to combine a little observation and a little abstraction. I do this a lot when drawing trees. During my daily walks, I notice how branches grow off the trunk.

Reminder, this month of April, the Monochromatic Mountains class is on sale for $50. Read all the details on the workshop page.

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Add Mountains to your sketchbook

monotype print, sketchbook ideas / Linda Germain / April 7, 2025

This month’s featured class is Monochromatic Mountains. Details on the workshop page. Save $25.

I have been thinking about how I could use the mountain scape techniques in other ways, beyond the layered print.

The ridge line method is a great compliment to the mixed media trees that we explored last month.

I have experimented with added mountains to the background of some sketchbook pages in progress.

I think it might be a quick way to add depth to a page. Above the cat is now looking off into the distance. And the tree is brought to the foreground. The tree needs to be less transparent. I did add the background mountains after the other images wherein the page. With some planning I could print the backgrounds first.

Want to add some mountain scapes to your work? Take advantage of the savings this month and join us in the online printmaking class, Monochromatic Mountains.

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daily doings

inspiration, studio / Linda Germain / March 21, 2025

How do you get started in your art practice each day? I have a couple of tasks that get me going each day.

One, I pull random angel cards and write the words in my sketchbook.

I think a little how those ideas could guide my day. Then I make a list of 3 things that I could do. My default list is

20 minutes of making
20 minutes of cleaning
20 minutes of draft writing

This list feels doable and gets me going when I am not sure where to start. I use it as a guide rather than a strict rule. Often I will be in the flow of one activity and just extend the time for another 20 minutes.

It is an amazing little way to gently trick myself into action. I remind myself that it is a tool to get me into action.

A couple of things can happen:

I just do the 20 minutes for each task
or I am stimulated into an hour or more on a single task and I am pleased with my accomplishments
or I get a new idea and move into gentle action

I use the 20 minute timer on my phone and I feel quite accomplished when I end up putting in several hours.

The 1-2-3 list is about starting the activities. Once I get going it is sometimes easier to keep going for another 20 minutes and finish the task.

I would think you could craft the 1-2-3 list to meet your goals. What activities would you include? Reading, writing, sorting, purging, walking, napping, yoga, anything goes.

A reminder: Save On the Torn Trees class for the month of March. Now only $50 Read all the details on the workshop page.

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Easy is fun – make marks

combined techniques, drawings, mark making / Linda Germain / March 14, 2025

I think of the freedom that some children have when making art. They seem to be so intensely in the moment and making marks with ease.

I think of ways that I could have that type of presence in my art making.

Easy repetitive marks
Using “kids” supplies like crayons
Call it done after just a few marks
And then get another piece of paper

How do you get into a kid like flow?

One kid like tool that I have been exploring is the bingo dauber. I can make lots of dots really fast. And I can use it to make primitive drawings with broad lines.

Can you think of ways to make art with the presence and joy of a child? I offer you that challenge.

If you love the woods and use the forest as inspiration consider taking the mixed media class, Torn TREES- It is on sale this March for only $50.USD.

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