Many ways to make and use stencils

stencils / /

Stencils are an easy way to make prints without having a printing press.

stencils used with the gelatin plate

The prints above were created with stencils in combination with the gelatin printing plate. The words and figure are created with what I call traditional “hole” type stencils.

portrait stencil in plastic

This was a print made from a magazine image. The purple image on the lower right is the stencils. You can see that the “holes” are where the ink is gently pushed through to the paper. See more images screen printed with stencils here.

types of stencils

The abstract stencils above show you the “hole” stencil on the left and the cut out masking stencil on the right. I use the masking stencil in combination with the gelatin plate to make  monotype prints.

gelatin monoprint of cityscape

This cityscape is an example of how I use masking stencils with the gel plate for printing on paper. Enjoy more gelatin prints made with masking stencils here.

crosswalk stencil

I have even worked with a couple of other artists in my town to use stencils to make a few creative crosswalk in our downtown area.

So as you can see stencil are versatile. They are all about see and creating interesting shapes.

I bet you can make and print with a few stencils today!

supplies to make your own stencils

  • Maybe you have a few stencils in your studio???
  • Could you cut simple paper stencils on a fold, like hearts and trees?
  • What about an alphabet stencil?
  • Now use a cosmetic sponge and gently dab, up and down, to “push” ink through the stencil and on to your paper!
  • Less is more with the paint.

drawing made into a stencil for printing

stencils for hand printing

Enjoy!

If you would like to explore making stencils, then stay on the mailing list and you will get notice of the next session 2018 of the Make Stencils Workshop, online art class. Read all the details and sign up today.

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Add a trace monoprinted mark

trace monoprint / /

Sometimes a print just needs a little something to make it complete. Today I added the fuzzy line that is typical of a trace monoprint to a few of my gelatin plate prints.

Gelatin plate prints by linda germainThese monotype prints “needed a little something.” I decided to see if I could add some marks through the trace monoprint process, that would complement the existing designs and therefore complete the image.

monotype print with trace monoprint accents I think the loopy line that I added to the bottom of this gelatin print echoes the quality of the marks in the female figure. It gives the piece energy and balance at the same time.

mixed media gelatin print by linda germain

This layered gelatin plate print was interesting. And I think more balanced and interactive after I added the squiggly trace monoprint lines to the left and bottom. A directly hand drawn line would not have the same feel and might be less related to the texture of the figure.

monotype prints with trace monoprinted marks

If you would like to add trace monoprinting to your skill set, then join us today Draw into print, the online art class, starts soon.

It is a 3 day workshop to help to

  • draw contour lines expressively and
  • translate that into a trace monotype print
  • identify ways to use this process in your work

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Love a little today

inspiration / /

Happy Valentines Day!

Hand printed love block

Love flows in and out of my printmaking kind of unconsciously.

block printing on paper with eraser blocks

What about your art making? Does the love flow through to your work?

Monotype print with block printing by linda germain

We can use relief blocks and wooden text as shown above. I got the old wooden type at the Museum of Printing. Check their website for the next Typeface sale.

Gelatin print with hand stamping by linda germain

I used the eraser block to add a little bit of LOVE to this gelatin plate monotype print.

studio tools linda germain

What ever you do and how ever you add a little LOVE to your work, let it be your turn expression of LOVE.

Freezer paper stencil used to print pillow covers

I even used a freezer paper stencil to create a big LOVE pillow. These kind of stencils are one time use. Learn more about making stencils in the Make Stencils Workshop – read the details on the printmaking class page.

screen printed book page

This little print was made with some custom Thermofax screens. If you are curious about thermofax screen printing check out the starter kit and some videos.

Enjoy!

 

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Line is the most basic element of design

trace monoprint / /

I think we all have our favorite types of marks. I like loose expressive lines.

bold flowers – trace monoprints

I don’t get to draw a lot of these types of lines when I am gelatin printmaking. I use threads to capture that type of expression.

gelatin plate print made with thread as stencil

One process that allows me to embrace the loose and expressive contour line is the trace monoprint. This monotype process actually requires that the artist work fast and loose.

ink left from trace monoprint
ink left from trace monoprint

In the image above you can see 3 small flowers that were trace monoprinted onto index cards. The black ink on the left is left over after the trace monotype prints were created.

I work with water based inks, so that means I have to work quickly so the ink does not dry before I can create the image. If you work with oil based inks, then you have much more time to create your print.

If you would like to explore trace monoprinting and line drawing, then join us in the Draw into Print  – the online printmaking art class. Class starts soon. Read all the details on the print workshop page.

 

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Easy Printmaking Tools – stencils and the gelatin plate

monotype print / /

I am still playing with the cityscape idea.

Stencils – simple printmaking tools

I turned to some easy printmaking tools – stencils and the glycerin and gelatin plate.

gelatin monoprint of cityscape

I cut many masking stencils from a photocopy of the cityscape drawing, that I did a few days ago.

I carefully cut them with a sharp craft knife, and then coated them with many thing layers of mat medium. It is tedious, but I do it this way because the plain paper easy to cut,and then  becomes durable after I coat both sides several times with medium.

masking stencils easy printmaking tools

I found that I needed to simplify the landscape to create a pleasing print. I experimented with using 4 or 5 stencils and then found that I liked using just 3.

monotype print on the gel plate with stencils

I think that the complex texture creates the need for fewer shapes. I liked this experiment because I printed the subject matter with several different printmaking tools.

  1. Pencil drawing and photo copy
  2. Inverted photocopy
  3. Trace monotype print
  4. Relief block print
  5. Gelatin plate monotype print

types of printmaking from one drawing

Each style of printing creates a different feel or expression of the same subject matter. The artist can choose the most appropriate printmaking tool for the desired result.

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