Marbled monotypes for day #25 of SEEdrawPrint

techniques / /

Light rain and the raindrops in puddles inspired me to make some marbled monotypes for today’s #SeeDrawPrint challenge.

I used nontoxic suminagashi inks and a small water bath. I pulled about 5 prints. It is easy to get addicted and to be lost in the process.

Inks floating on the surface ready to print

You need to have a very still and level surface. Today the trains and the the roof fan on my studio were vibrating the table.

suminagashi ink for marbling paper

I like a kind of modern print with big bold shapes of ink. But if the ink is too heavy it starts to sink below the surface as in the image above.

Marbleized paper with suminagashi inks

I tried printed over some orange prints that I pulled a few months ago. It worked ok but the paper did not absorb all the black ink and it smeared a bit. I think I might try covering some small notebooks with a few of these prints.

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Experimental screen print for day #24

screen printing / /

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Today I made a wax crayon rubbing of a soft block relief plate. I used a crayon at first and then tried a candle.

screen print with wax resist

I made the rubbing on a curtain sheer and stretched it in an embroidery hoop. The goal is to cover the surface with a dense coating of wax in the high areas of the pink plate, so ink will only pass through the white areas.

candle wax resist to make a screen for printing

I tried the black crayon first, but the wax was not really thick enough, so I tried a candle. The coverage of was was better, but it is still an experimental process.

taped screen ready to print

I taped all the areas where I did not the ink to pass through and did a bunch of test prints.

flower print with wax resist screen print

I think this image would work as a textural layer on some prints that already have a few layers of information.

flower screen print over a gelatin print

This was a fun experiment. I will keep the process in mind for future projects where it may be beneficial. If you would like to try screen printing get the FREE tutorial below. Enjoy!

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Cat stencil for Day 23 of #seeDrawPrint

stencil print / /

If you are a cat lover, then you could turn a photo of your cat into a stencil. Look for a photo that has interesting shapes and strong negative spaces.

cat stencil

I don’t have a cat or many personal photos of cats, so I went to a copyright free source online Pixabay. I looked for some interesting cat silhouettes. Then I tweaked a drawing of a profile image of a cat.

trace and masking stencil of cat

Be careful to keep the lines and angles that express the attitude of your animal.

stencil of cat

Then I printed a few quick impressions on some gelatin prints. I hope to make some ornaments for an upcoming sale.

stenciled cat print

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SEE and Print -Wax rubbings today for #22

relief prints / /

Yesterday, I explored the experimental nature of rubbings, as part of the contemporary practice class with Cathy Mclaurin at the Essex Art Center.

It was fun to wander the studio looking for textures and patterns. So today I explored my own studio for simple textures and made a rubbing with a fat black crayon.

Rubbing print of studio stuff

This takes the need to draw right out of the process. I just see and print. Do you recognize some of the items? I think that I am going to carry some rice paper and this black crayon with me on my walks and see if I can capture more interesting textures and patterns.

wax rubbing of household items

It is an experimental process. Somethings print i nice crisp line and some things don’t. Look for a strong raised edge to get the best results. Enjoy!

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First snow inspires today’s masking stencil

monotype print / /

Today I woke up and saw some white stuff on the roof tops below me. Was it heavy frost or snow? A short walk confirmed that it was the first snow of the season.

cut paper snowflake as masking stencil

I started with a 6″ square and cut the snowflake smaller as I tweaked the design.

paper stencil on gelatin plate

The paper is weak and thin. That makes it easy to  cut but requires a gentle touch when using it as a stencil on the gelatin plate.

gelatin prints with paper stencil

I made several prints. Letting the ink build  up on the stencil and playing with the gold background.

snowflake print made on the gelatin plate

Not sure what I will do with these prints, but it was fun to cut the stencil and make a few prints. Here is a quick video on how to fold the paper and cut a 6 pointed snowflake.

Easy 6 point Snowflake from Linda Germain on Vimeo.

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