Gelatin Plates for every size project

gelatin plate tips / /
© linda germain 2013 Gelatin printing plates in different sizes

The picture shows you

  1. tiny round gelatin “plates” that I made in a cupcake pan, (top left),
  2. the 5″ x 7″ gelatin plate that I made in a recycled styrofoam produce tray ( bottom left)
  3. the  10″ by 13″ that a formed in the cookie sheet from the dollar store (middle)  this one is quite old and falling apart but I love that and finally
  4. the 16″ x 20″ gelatin printing plate that I made  in an old picture frame lined with thick 4 mil. plastic.  See the picture below for the “form”
The 10 x 13 is the standard size that I use.  It is big enough to use medium size stencils and offers a lot of options as far as design and composition.  It fits easily in the refrigerator.  It works well will standard 9″ x 12″ paper.
I had some fun inking and hand printing the tiny round pieces.
The produce tray size is good for cards and takes up very little space in the refrigerator. This one is about a month old.  It is easy to melt it down in the microwave and reshape it too. Video here
The 16″ x 20″  is an experiment to see how it would be printing on that size and to see if I could even do it.  It is cold in the studio so I am just leaving it out.  Maybe 55 degrees fahrenheit.  Here’s a picture of the picture frame and plastic form.
The frame is an inexpensive metal frame that I had in the studio.  You could use whatever you have laying around to create a well.  I left the glass in the bottom and I taped strip of mat board around the edge to keep the plastic straight.  The next day I just lifted the plastic right out of the frame/form. Video here.  Please note that I used heavy duty plastic for the 16 x 20 gelatin slab.
Share a picture of your gelatin plate with the gelatin printmaking flickr group or Facebook page
Happy Printing

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Repeat but Vary – composition in Gelatin Printing

gelatin plate tips / /
© linda germain  – gelatin print with twigs
Along with the idea to keep it simple, another compositional guide that I keep in the back of  my mind  is to repeat a shape and vary it slightly.  This is easy to go in gelatin printmaking because you can use the same masking stencil and just position it differently.  Or you could make stencils of a similar shape and the vary the size.

So as you are in the flow of gelatin printmaking, notice if or when you could repeat a pattern, shape, texture, mark or design.  Then ask your self whether it improved the composition or  not.

In this print –

  1. I kept it simple with just layering two colors
  2. I repeated the twig shape and varied the placement.
  3. I think it worked.
This is not something I consciously think about,  it is just in the back of mind.  If if things are not working out, then I might ask  – could it be simpler?  could I repeat a patter or shape.
If you would like to pick my brain for everything GELATIN PRINTING then be sure to join me for the first ever Gelatin Printmaking Monothon in Austin, TX on April, 5, 6, and 7.  Register early and save.

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One Hint for Composing a Gelatin Monotype Print

gelatin print tips / /

 

© linda germain Gelatin print on a dictionary page

I like to just play when I am gelatin printing.  But I do think that I have a few compositional rules in the back of my head that guide me.

One of the rule that I use keep is simple.  Often my gelatin monotypes can get dull, muddy or chaotic.  So I work up lots of prints and learn from each one.  Then take what I learned and create a simplified version keeping the marks that I like and avoiding the ones I don’t like. So If you look at some of my printsyou will see that often I use two colors and 2 to 3 stencils of shapes.

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