monotype print

Any time is a good time to play with gelatin printmaking. But if the weather is keeping you in then pull some prints.

I think a little bit of humidity actually helps the ink stay moist and transfer to the paper.

So grab a few tools and a stack of paper and pull some prints.

Though I just enjoyed a walk on the beach, today is my day to make my holiday cards.

I have a few stencils to choose from but I think I will start with this one.

I am going to add a bit of background color and enjoy the process!

If you would like to explore gelatin printmaking with me, then check out the details on the printmaking workshop page.

The next session starts soon.

Gelatin printmaking is a low tech and satisfying way of printing for folks who like to work fast and spontaneously.

Images can be quite abstract.

To almost photographic:

If you want to expand and explore the process of gelatin printmaking with ink on paper, then join us in Make Monotypes.

Class starts soon. Check out the details on the printmaking workshop page.

Sometimes a tiny mark can transform a bland print into a wow print.

This was a boring abstract landscape and I:

• cropped it
• added some textural marks
• put in some dark black marks

And know I quite love it.

Here is another example:

Before –

After:

I made:

• the darks darker
• and added tiny texture to balance the strong lines
• and cropped to a more dynamic compostion

Another before:

And after adding a few marks:

I used:

• pastels
• charcoal
• white paint
• india ink

to finish these abstract landscapes into monotype prints that are pleasing to me.

I encourage you to look at your pile of prints and see if you could  crop and add a few marks to create a few wow prints that you love.

Check out the current workshops for more inspiration.

I get super motivated by taking classes. I dive in and try to learn as much as I can.  I must confess, I even pre-learn, research and test out techniques before class even starts.

This year I took a ModernMarbling class, with CynthiaMcGuirl.

Then I enjoyed a Japanese woodblock printing class this with artist and teacher Lisa Houck.

A dropped in on a couple of figure drawing sessions at Essex Art Center.

And most recently, I participated in the online class Translating Landscapes, with Antia Lehmann.

Sometimes that the prints that I make in these classes just get filed away or tossed durning my next purging session.  But the process is what I keep.

The process of:

• developing dynamic images
• learning to think differently
• fix problems/mistakes in new ways
• identifying my strengths and interests

I hope to bring those ideas and more back to my own practice.

So as the most recently landscape class ends I played with new tools and the gelatin plate to make some abstract landscapes. I am pretty pleased.

If you are like me and need an art class, then check out the current online classes being offered.